American journal of preventive medicine
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Recent increases in maternal mortality and persistent disparities have led to speculation about why the U.S. has higher rates than most high-income countries. The aim was to examine the impact of changes in state-level factors plausibly linked to maternal mortality on overall rates and by race/ethnicity. ⋯ Recent fiscal and legislative changes reducing women's access to family planning and reproductive health services have contributed to rising maternal mortality rates.
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Most Indians are vegetarian or eat very little meat, which could imply high potassium intake. Because a high-potassium diet could counterbalance the adverse health effects of high-sodium intake, this study aimed to describe potassium relative to sodium intake and investigate the relationship between blood pressure and potassium intake relative to sodium intake in rural and urban India. ⋯ Low potassium intake in India warrants dietary policies promoting intake of potassium-rich foods to improve heart health. This approach may be more acceptable than programs focused on sodium reduction alone.
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E-cigarettes deliver an aerosol of nicotine by heating a liquid and are promoted as an alternative to combustible tobacco. This study determines the longitudinal associations between e-cigarette use and respiratory disease controlling for combustible tobacco use. ⋯ Use of e-cigarettes is an independent risk factor for respiratory disease in addition to combustible tobacco smoking. Dual use, the most common use pattern, is riskier than using either product alone.
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Randomized Controlled Trial
A Social Networking and Gamified App to Increase Physical Activity: Cluster RCT.
Appealing approaches to increasing physical activity levels are needed. This study evaluated whether a social and gamified smartphone app (Active Team) could be one such approach. ⋯ A gamified, online social networking physical activity intervention did not change objective moderate-to-vigorous physical activity, though it did increase self-reported moderate-to-vigorous physical activity and achieve high levels of engagement. Future work is needed to understand if gamification, online social networks, and app-based approaches can be leveraged to achieve positive behavior change.