American journal of preventive medicine
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Screening for colorectal cancer has been demonstrated to reduce colorectal cancer mortality. Blacks have a higher mortality from this malignancy, particularly men, yet screening rates in this population are often found to be lower than in whites. A modest literature demonstrates effective interventions that can increase screening rates in blacks; however, results are not consistent and ongoing work is required. ⋯ The authors provide commentary that proposes increased (1) state and local government support for collaborative programs with healthcare organizations, including patient navigation; (2) augmented community-organizing efforts to generate more attention to the need for colorectal cancer screening in the black community, with a focus on black men; and (3) federal research funding to promote investigation into new interventions and evaluation of existing ones. Specific recommendations for black men include lowering the screening age to 45years, increasing access to health care, the use of patient navigators, and improved reporting and monitoring of colorectal cancer screening rates. SUPPLEMENT INFORMATION: This article is part of a supplement entitled African American Men's Health: Research, Practice, and Policy Implications, which is sponsored by the National Institutes of Health.
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Randomized Controlled Trial
Students' Report of Preceptor Weight Management Counseling at Eight U.S. Medical Schools.
Primary care providers, using brief counseling, can help patients increase motivation to initiate or maintain weight loss, improve diet, and increase physical activity. However, no prior studies have examined the degree to which primary care preceptors, who are responsible for mentoring medical students during their core clerkships, provide clinical teaching regarding weight management counseling. ⋯ Even with a U.S. Preventive Services Task Force recommendation for primary care physicians to provide weight management counseling and endorsement from the major academic primary care societies, students in primary care clerkships report receiving little weight management counseling clinical teaching from their preceptors. The results reinforce the need for medical educators to teach and model weight management counseling for physicians-in-training if they are to achieve Task Force goals. Further research is required to better corroborate self-reported indicators of preceptor to student communication that are described herein.
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Comparative Study
Penetrating Colon Trauma Outcomes in Black and White Males.
Racial disparities have been both published and disputed in trauma patient mortality, outcomes, and rehabilitation. In this study, the objective was to assess racial disparities in patients with penetrating colon trauma. ⋯ This article is part of a supplement entitled African American Men's Health: Research, Practice, and Policy Implications, which is sponsored by the National Institutes of Health.
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Educational interventions can help individuals increase their knowledge of available contraceptive methods, enabling them to make informed decisions and use contraception correctly. This review updates a previous review of contraceptive education. ⋯ This article is part of a theme issue entitled Updating the Systematic Reviews Used to Develop the U.S. Recommendations for Providing Quality Family Planning Services, which is sponsored by the Office of Population Affairs, U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.
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Black men in the Deep South have been disproportionally affected by high HIV and hepatitis C virus infection rates. Conventional clinic-based screening approaches have had limited success in reaching those with undiagnosed HIV or hepatitis C virus infection. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the acceptability, feasibility, and best practices of an integrated HIV and hepatitis C virus community-based health screening approach. ⋯ This article is part of a supplement entitled African American Men's Health: Research, Practice, and Policy Implications, which is sponsored by the National Institutes of Health.