Preventive medicine
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The relationships of timing, spacing, number of births, and demographic variables to body mass index were examined in 844 white and 289 black women. Subjects were interviewed in 1978-1979 as mothers or female guardians of a stratified random sample of all Minneapolis children in grades 1-3. ⋯ However, when age, education, and income were included in the regression equation for black women, none of the reproductive variables predicted body mass index. When number of births, age at last birth, and years between first and last birth were included in the same regression for white women, only number of births was independently associated with body mass index.
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Economic facts on cigarette consumption and production are summarized, and the health consequences of cigarette smoking are reviewed. The magnitude and distribution of these health consequences among the population are discussed in economic terms, that is, in an "accounting framework" comprising such disparate elements as lost lives, lost livelihoods, pain, fear, discomfort, medical costs, excise taxes, and the costs of regulating smoking behaviors. ⋯ Difficulties include assigning a monetary value to an expected extension of life, the "voluntary" nature of smoking (even though most smokers wish they could quit), deciding what to include as economic consequences of smoking, and the attribution to smoking of some share of the costs for diseases known to be affected by smoking. "Transfers," or purely financial transactions, in contrast to expenditures for goods and services, are explained as one assessment component of the economic impact of smoking-related diseases. The issue of the economic benefit to the United States as a whole and to the population engaged in the cigarette industry, because of the earnings and employment generated by cigarette purchases, is examined, as is the issue of cigarette purchases as a significant source of federal and state revenue.
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Preventive medicine · Jul 1986
Predictors of adoption and maintenance of physical activity in a community sample.
Predictors of changes in three measures of physical activity over 1 year were examined in a community sample of 1,411 California adults. Five percent of women and 11% of men adopted vigorous activities (e.g., running), and 26% of men and 34% of women adopted regular moderate activity (e.g., walking). About 50% of vigorous exercisers and 25-35% of moderate exercisers dropped out in 1 year. ⋯ In multivariate analyses, adoption of vigorous activity was predicted by young age, male gender, and self-efficacy. Maintenance of vigorous activity was predicted by attitudes toward physical activity. Adoption of moderate activity was predicted by health knowledge, and maintenance was predicted by specific exercise knowledge, female gender, and self-efficacy.
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Preventive medicine · Jul 1986
A low-cost community approach to weight control: initial results from an evaluated trial.
This article describes a trial of a low-cost, readily disseminatable weight-control program ("Waistline") which uses behavioral, social support, and community strength-building principles. Participants meet for 12 weeks in small, lay-led groups in community settings, and use prepackaged materials designed specifically for those of modest education. Results from 407 participants are presented, showing a mean postcourse weight loss of 5.6 kg (12.3 lb) and a low attrition rate (9-12%). ⋯ A comparison group ("Slimline," N = 26) lost 1.27 kg (2.8 lb) and had an attrition rate of 31-46%. The Waistline results are comparable to those obtained by more intensive and expensive behavioral programs, and demographic data show that those of relatively low educational attainment are well represented. The potential of this approach for cheap, noncommercial dissemination of weight-control programs on a population basis is noted.
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Preventive medicine · Mar 1986
Sex differences in high-density lipoprotein cholesterol and subfractions among young black adults.
The high-density lipoprotein cholesterol and high-density lipoprotein subfraction (HDL2 and HDL3) concentrations were examined in 170 young black adults. The women examined had significantly higher total high-density lipoprotein cholesterol concentrations than the men, i.e., 57.0 mg/dl vs 51.2 mg/dl, P less than 0.002. ⋯ The sex differential could not be explained by body mass index, alcohol consumption, or physical activity. The determinants of high-density lipoprotein cholesterol for men appeared to be different than those for women.