Health affairs
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Most electronic health records today need further development of features that patient-centered medical homes require to improve their efficiency, quality, and safety. We propose a road map of the domains that need to be addressed to achieve these results. ⋯ To encourage this development, policy makers should include medical homes in emerging electronic health record regulations. Additionally, more research is needed to learn how these records can enhance team care.
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Medicare beneficiaries' medical needs, and where beneficiaries undergo treatment, have changed dramatically over the past two decades. Twenty years ago, most spending growth was linked to intensive inpatient (hospital) services, chiefly for heart disease. ⋯ These conditions are chiefly treated not in hospitals but in outpatient settings and by patients at home with prescription drugs. Health reform must address changed health needs through evidence-based community prevention, care coordination, and support for patient self-management.
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Almost one-third of American children and adolescents are now either overweight or obese. One contributing factor may be the foods and beverages sold outside of the U. ⋯ They are not required to conform to the nutritional standards of the USDA school meal programs. This paper looks at the research into whether these competitive foods may be affecting students' dietary intake or contributing to their risk of obesity.
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Proposed regulations targeting food marketing to children typically focus on traditional media, such as television, radio, and print ads. However, the widespread use of the Internet has promulgated novel food marketing strategies such as "advergaming," or the use of online games incorporating advertisements. In addition, the advent of so-called neuromarketing research is also allowing advertisers to appeal to the subconscious and emotional effects of food and beverage products, to which children may be particularly vulnerable. Current and future regulatory efforts should address the ubiquitous but often subtle marketing to which children are exposed and should measure success in terms of children's consumption of these products.
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Amid growing concern about childhood obesity, the United States spends billions of dollars on food assistance: providing meals and subsidizing food purchases. We examine the relationship between food assistance and body mass index (BMI) for young, low-income children, who are a primary target population for federal food programs and for efforts to prevent childhood obesity. Our findings indicate that food assistance may unintentionally contribute to the childhood obesity problem in cities with high food prices. We also find that subsidized meals at school or day care are beneficial for children's weight status, and we argue that expanding access to subsidized meals may be the most effective tool to use in combating obesity in poor children.