Preventive medicine
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Preventive medicine · Mar 1998
Predictors of state legislators' intentions to vote for cigarette tax increases.
This study analyzed influences on state legislators' decisions about cigarette tax increase votes using a research strategy based on political science and social-psychological models. ⋯ Legislators' votes on cigarette tax increases may be influenced by their perceptions of positive and negative outcomes of a cigarette tax increase and by perceived constituent pressures. This research model provides useful insights for theory and practice and should be refined in future tobacco control research.
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Preventive medicine · Mar 1998
Mother's knowledge of, attitudes toward, and management of fever in preschool children in Italy.
We examined mothers' knowledge of, attitudes toward, and management of fever in their children. ⋯ These findings suggest that informing mothers on the definition, consequences, and treatment of fever can significantly improve their confidence in managing fever, as reflected by fewer requests for physicians' visits.
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Preventive medicine · Mar 1998
Randomized Controlled Trial Clinical TrialHealthy Start: a comprehensive health education program for preschool children.
Healthy Start is a 3-year demonstration and education research project designed to evaluate the effectiveness of a multidimensional cardiovascular (CV) risk reduction intervention in preschool centers over a 3-year period of time. ⋯ While substantial efforts have targeted CV risk reduction and health education for elementary school children, similar efforts aimed at preschool children have been lacking. The rationale for beginning CV risk reduction programs for preschool children is based upon the premise that risk factors for heart disease are prevalent by 3 years of age and tend to track over time, most commonly hypercholesterolemia and obesity, both related to nutrition. Since the behavioral antecedents for nutritional risk factors begin to be established very early in life, it is important to develop and evaluate new educational initiatives such as Healthy Start, aimed at the primary prevention of cardiovascular risk factors in preschool children. The purpose of this publication is to describe the rationale and methods for the Healthy Start project.
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Preventive medicine · Jan 1998
Randomized Controlled Trial Clinical TrialWorksite health and safety climate: scale development and effects of a health promotion intervention.
Environmental influences on health and health behavior have an important place in research on worksite health promotion. We tested the validity and internal consistency of a new measure of organizational health and safety climate that was used in a large randomized trial of a worksite cancer prevention program (the Working Well Trial). The resulting scales then were applied to assess intervention effects. ⋯ The health and safety climate scales developed for this study provide useful instruments for measuring organizational change related to worksite health promotion activities. The Working Well Intervention resulted in a significant improvement in worksite health climate.
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A well-designed, adequately funded clinical trial based on sound science and conducted by experienced investigators and staff can falter if participating trial clinics are not managed well. Ten commandments for successful trial clinic management address key organizational and operational issues. Commandment I: Thou shalt know and follow thy rules. ⋯ Commandment X: Thou shalt know and accept thy limitations. This report puts these commandments into context by providing concrete examples in the clinical trial setting. These commandments could serve as guidelines to the spectrum of personnel involved in the operations of a trial clinic, namely, principal investigators and co-investigators, trial coordinators, data managers, technicians, administrators, and support staff.