American journal of preventive medicine
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Alcohol misuse, cigarette smoking, poor diet, and physical inactivity, known as the "big four" contributors to chronic conditions and mortality, typically co-occur or cluster together, with their synergistic effect more detrimental to health than their cumulative individual effects. Little research has been reported on race/ethnicity-specific analyses of the clustering of these behaviors in the U.S. This study identified clustered risk behaviors among whites, blacks, and Hispanics and examined whether unhealthy clusters were associated with lower SES (assessed by education level and family income) and poor health status. ⋯ Multi-behavior interventions are warranted to address inactivity and obesity in all 3 groups and unhealthy clusters involving smoking in each group.
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The Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program is the largest U.S. federally funded nutrition assistance program, providing food assistance to more than 40 million low-income Americans, half of whom are children. This paper examines trends in sugar-sweetened beverage consumption among U.S. children and adolescents by Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program participation status. ⋯ Sugar-sweetened beverage consumption has declined for children and adolescents in all Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program participation categories, but current levels remain high. There were fewer favorable trends over time for consumption of sugar-sweetened beverage subtypes among Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program participants relative to other participant categories.
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Effectiveness of the patient-centered medical home model for promoting cancer screening utilization is uncertain, with prior research showing mixed results. Using national patient-provider pair data, this study examined whether having a patient-centered medical home-certified provider influences receipt of recommended screening for breast and colorectal cancer. ⋯ Obtaining care from a patient-centered medical home-certified provider is not associated with increased breast cancer or colorectal cancer screening uptake. Findings of this study suggest that tailoring cancer screening strategies to patient mix may be needed to improve cancer screening utilization in patient-centered medical homes.
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Tobacco use remains the leading cause of preventable death worldwide. Though research on smoke-free policies in the U.S. exists at the state or national level, there is limited evidence on such policies at the county level. This study examined the association between changes in county-level comprehensive smoke-free laws and smoking behavior among U.S. adults. ⋯ County smoke-free policies in the U.S. may have contributed significantly to the reduction in smoking prevalence as well as the reduction in the number of cigarettes smoked among continuing cigarette smokers.
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Beginning September 3, 2014, CVS Health stopped selling tobacco products in all of its retail stores nationwide. This study assessed the impact of removing tobacco sales from CVS Health on cigarette smoking behaviors among U.S. adult smokers. ⋯ Removing tobacco sales in retail pharmacies could help support cessation among U.S. adults who are attempting to quit smoking, particularly in urban areas.