American journal of preventive medicine
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Community Guide systematic economic reviews provide information on the cost, economic benefit, cost-benefit, and cost-effectiveness of public health interventions recommended by the Community Preventive Services Task Force on the basis of evidence of effectiveness. The number and variety of economic evaluation studies in public health have grown substantially over time, contributing to methodologic challenges that required updates to the methods for Community Guide systematic economic reviews. This paper describes these updated methods. ⋯ The updated Community Guide economic systematic review methods provide transparency and improve the reliability of estimates that are used to derive a Community Preventive Services Task Force economic finding. This may in turn augment the utility of Community Guide economic reviews for communities making decisions about allocating limited resources to effective programs.
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U. S. smoking-related disparities persist, but data evaluating how smoking patterns across diverse populations have changed by birth cohort are lacking. Worldwide, smoking continues to exact harm, especially to low- and middle-income nations with less historical data for smoking analyses. ⋯ Collectively, these data aim to offer insight into future U. S. and global smoking disparities and accelerate research on tobacco control policies that advance health equity. This effort will allow tobacco simulation models to account comprehensively for population diversity, thereby enabling researchers to develop more sophisticated analyses of tobacco use and control interventions.
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Many in the U.S. are not up to date with cancer screening. This systematic review examined the effectiveness of interventions engaging community health workers to increase breast, cervical, and colorectal cancer screening. ⋯ Interventions engaging community health workers are recommended by the Community Preventive Services Task Force to increase cancer screening. These interventions are typically implemented in communities where people are underserved to improve health and can enhance health equity. Further training and financial support for community health workers should be considered to increase cancer screening uptake.
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E-cigarette use is associated with pulmonary inflammation, functional respiratory changes, and chronic lung disease. Most population-level E-cigarette research has utilized point-in-time measures of E-cigarette exposures, which may not generalize to adults who transition between cigarettes and E-cigarettes. ⋯ E-cigarette initiation among nonusers is associated with increased respiratory morbidity. Further research should assess the risks and benefits of E-cigarette‒assisted cigarette cessation given the reduction in symptom development rates among dual use to E-cigarette switchers.