American journal of preventive medicine
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The National Academy of Medicine recommends childhood obesity prevention efforts making healthier options the passive choice. This review evaluated the effectiveness of population-level policies and programs from natural experiments for childhood obesity prevention. ⋯ Natural experiments evaluating school-based policies focusing on both the food/beverage and physical activity environments (versus targeting only one) consistently showed improvement in BMI. However, most studies had high risk of bias, highlighting the need for improved methods for evaluation of natural experiments for childhood obesity prevention.
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Optimism-the expectation that good things will happen-has emerged as a promising health asset, as it appears to be related to healthier behaviors and reduced disease risk. Growing research finds that higher optimism is associated with lower mortality, yet it is critical to understand whether this prolonged longevity is accompanied by good health. This study tested whether higher optimism was associated with increased likelihood of healthy aging. ⋯ Higher optimism was associated with increased likelihood of healthy aging, suggesting that optimism, a potentially modifiable health asset, merits further research for its potential to improve health in aging.
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The opioid epidemic in the U.S. continues to increase in severity, and misuse of prescription opioids is of particular concern since it commonly precedes heroin use. This study examined whether sexual orientation (i.e., sexual identity and sexual attraction) is a risk factor for prescription opioid misuse and use disorder among a nationally representative sample of adults in the U.S. ⋯ Sexual orientation disparities in opioid misuse and use disorder among a nationally representative sample of U.S. adults was found.
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Worldwide, an estimated 189 million adults smoke tobacco "occasionally" but not every day. Yet few studies have examined the health risks of non-daily smoking. ⋯ Although the mortality risks of non-daily smokers are lower than daily smokers, they are still substantial. Policies should be specifically directed at this growing group of smokers.