Preventive medicine
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Preventive medicine · Mar 1998
ReviewMaternal depression effects on infants and early interventions.
Our recent research suggests that: (1) maternal depression negatively affects infants as early as the neonatal period, implicating prenatal effects of maternal depression; (2) as early as birth the infants show a profile of "dysregulation" in their behavior, physiology, and biochemistry which probably derives from prenatal exposure to a biochemical imbalance in their mothers; (3) these effects are compounded by the disorganizing influence of the mother's interaction behavior; (4) depressed mothers have two predominant interaction styles, withdrawn or intrusive, which seem to have differential, negative effects on their infants related to inadequate stimulation and arousal modulation; (5) nondepressed caregivers such as fathers may buffer these effects because they provide more optimal stimulation and arousal modulation; and (6) interventions that are mood altering for the mothers (e.g., music and massage therapy) and arousal reducing for the infants (e.g., the same therapies) make the mothers and infants more responsive to interaction coaching and improve their interactions.
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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.
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Preventive medicine · Nov 1997
The Kahnawake Schools Diabetes Prevention Project: intervention, evaluation, and baseline results of a diabetes primary prevention program with a native community in Canada.
Kahnawake Schools Diabetes Prevention Project is a 3-year community-based, primary prevention program for non-insulin-dependent diabetes mellitus in a Mohawk community near Montreal, Canada. Objectives are to improve healthy eating and encourage more physical activity among elementary school children. ⋯ Implementing a Native community-based diabetes prevention program is feasible through participatory research that incorporates Native culture and local expertise.
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Preventive medicine · Nov 1997
Cancer-preventive effects of drinking green tea among a Japanese population.
Laboratory studies have revealed the cancer preventive effects of green tea, so the association between green tea consumption and cancer was examined in a human population. ⋯ Our epidemiological study showed that green tea has a potentially preventive effect against cancer among humans.