Preventive medicine
-
Preventive medicine · Jan 1999
Insufficiently active Australian college students: perceived personal, social, and environmental influences.
A sustainable pattern of participation in physical activity is important in the maintenance of health and prevention of disease. College students are in transition from an active youth to a more sedentary adult behavior pattern. ⋯ Factors associated with physical activity participation (particularly social support from family and friends) can inform physical activity strategies directed at young adults in the college setting.
-
Preventive medicine · Nov 1998
Distributions and trends of serum lipid levels among United States children and adolescents ages 4-19 years: data from the Third National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey.
Atherosclerosis begins in childhood and progresses into adulthood. The reduction of cardiovascular risk factors, such as elevated serum total cholesterol and low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-C) levels, in childhood may reduce cardiovascular morbidity and mortality in adulthood. Lipid distributions among children and adolescents were examined using the most recent nationally representative data. ⋯ The findings provide a picture of the lipid distribution among U.S. children and adolescents and indicate that, like adults, adolescents have experienced a fall in total cholesterol levels. Total cholesterol levels in U.S. adolescents declined from the late 1960s to the early 1990s by an average of 7 mg/dL. This information is useful for planning programs targeting the prevention of cardiovascular disease beginning with the development of healthy lifestyles in childhood.
-
Preventive medicine · Nov 1998
Clinical Trial Controlled Clinical TrialOpening pathways to cancer screening for Vietnamese-American women: lay health workers hold a key.
We describe a controlled trial of a community outreach intervention to promote recognition, receipt, and screening-interval maintenance of clinical breast examinations (CBE), mammograms, and Pap smears among Vietnamese-American women. ⋯ Trained Vietnamese lay health workers significantly increased Vietnamese women's recognition, receipt, and maintenance of breast and cervical cancer screening tests.
-
Preventive medicine · Sep 1998
Differential beliefs, perceived social influences, and self-efficacy expectations among smokers in various motivational phases.
The ASE model, an integration of social psychological models, states that motivational phases and the transition from one phase to another can be predicted by behavioral determinants. The goal of the present study was to replicate the so-called O pattern that was found in earlier Dutch studies. ⋯ Since changes in cognitive determinants are thought to mediate transitions in motivational phases, the results can be used to tailor health education messages to the needs of smokers in the various motivational phases. The results suggest that smokers in precontemplation would benefit most from information about the pros of quitting and from obtaining support for quitting. Smokers in contemplation and preparation may benefit most from self-efficacy-enhancing information.
-
Preventive medicine · Jul 1998
Randomized Controlled Trial Clinical TrialGender differences among smokers and quitters in the Working Well Trial.
Gender differences in smoking and smoking cessation among participants in the Working Well Trial are characterized. ⋯ Gender is not a strong predictor of smoking cessation in this population; however, women were more likely to quit with an intervention than without one.