American journal of preventive medicine
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Randomized Controlled Trial Clinical Trial
Weight and smoking cessation among low-income African Americans.
Concerns about weight gain have been a commonly cited barrier to cessation among white, affluent, female populations, but less is known about this relationship among minority smokers and those with low incomes. Although smoking cessation is strongly encouraged for this population, it often leads to weight gain. Cultural differences in weight standards and the high prevalence of weight-related health conditions (e.g., hypertension and diabetes) may influence concerns about smoking cessation-related weight gain. ⋯ Because post-cessation weight gain may be a serious health threat for this population, but weight gain was not a concern for these smokers, smoking-cessation interventions for low-income African-American smokers may need to incorporate weight-gain education and prevention.
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The September 11, 2001, terrorist attacks on the World Trade Center in New York City, New York, prompted an unprecedented rescue and recovery response. Operations were conducted around the clock, involved over 5000 workers per day, and extended into months following the attacks. The City of New York Department of Health and Mental Hygiene and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention implemented prospective surveillance to characterize rescue worker-related injury and illness and to help guide public health interventions. ⋯ This system provided objective, timely information that helped guide public health interventions in the immediate aftermath of the attacks and during the prolonged rescue and recovery operations. Lessons learned can be used to guide future surveillance efforts.