American journal of preventive medicine
-
Testing for immunity to measles, mumps, and rubella should include only immunoglobulin G (IgG); immunoglobulin M (IgM) testing is appropriate only if acute illness is suspected. The appropriateness of measles, mumps, and rubella IgM testing was evaluated in a national administrative dataset. ⋯ The majority of IgM testing for measles, mumps, and rubella during this period appeared inappropriate. Clinicians and health systems could ensure that IgG testing alone is performed when evaluating for immunity through modifications to electronic medical records and commercial laboratories could ensure that providers are able to test for IgG alone when evaluating immunity.
-
Achieving a healthier balance of more time spent in physical activity (PA) and less time in sedentary behavior is now widely advocated for achieving multiple health benefits. This study introduces a Physical Activity and Sitting Time Balance Index (PASTBI), a potential risk identification tool addressing the interplay between PA and sedentary behavior; and aims to explore its association with the risk of all-cause mortality in Australian adults. ⋯ A less favorable balance of time spent in PA and ST (as characterized by a parsimonious PASTBI index approach) was associated with a higher risk of all-cause mortality.
-
National-level data suggest that gun owners in the U.S. carry concealed weapons in public at growing rates. This research investigates whether these trends are associated with state adoption of more permissive concealed carry-licensing laws between 2002 and 2019. ⋯ State-level concealed carry licensing may inform public health and safety policies as large restrictive U.S. states transition to more permissive concealed carry-licensing laws.
-
The Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants, and Children (WIC) provides nutritious foods to more than six million low-income families. In June 2021, WIC increased the amount of money provided for fruits and vegetables (FV), but studies have not investigated whether this increase changed WIC participant FV purchases. The objective was to estimate the association between the FV funding increase and WIC shopper FV purchases. ⋯ Increased WIC FV funding was associated with greater FV purchases. Research is needed to understand the effects of this policy on total dietary intake.