American journal of preventive medicine
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Policymakers have focused on the food retail environment for improving the dietary quality for Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) participants. Yet little is known about where SNAP households make food and beverage purchases or how purchases may vary by store type, SNAP participation, and income level. The objective of this study was to examine the association between SNAP-income status (participant, income-eligible non-participant, higher-income non-participant) and healthfulness of household purchases across store types. ⋯ More research is needed to identify strategies to improve the nutritional profile of purchases among SNAP households.
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Intensive behavioral counseling is effective in preventing type 2 diabetes, and insurance coverage for such interventions is increasing. Although primary care provider referrals are not required for entry to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC)-recognized National Diabetes Prevention Program lifestyle change program, referral rates remain suboptimal. This study aims to assess the association between primary care provider behaviors regarding prediabetes screening, testing, and referral and awareness of the CDC-recognized lifestyle change program and the Prevent Diabetes STAT: Screen, Test, and Act Today™ toolkit. Awareness of the lifestyle change program and the STAT toolkit, use of electronic health records, and the ratio of lifestyle change program classes to primary care physicians were hypothesized to be positively associated with primary care provider prediabetes screening, testing, and referral behaviors. ⋯ This study highlights the importance of increasing primary care provider awareness of and referrals to the CDC-recognized lifestyle change program.
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Since 2006, human papillomavirus vaccine has been recommended for young females in the U.S. This study aimed to compare cervical cancer incidence among young women before and after the human papillomavirus vaccine was introduced. ⋯ A significant decrease in the incidence of cervical cancer among young females after the introduction of human papillomavirus vaccine may indicate early effects of human papillomavirus vaccination.
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Studies of neighborhood food environments typically focus on select stores (especially supermarkets) and/or restaurants (especially fast-food outlets), make presumptions about healthfulness without assessing actual items for sale, and ignore other kinds of businesses offering foods/drinks. The current study assessed availability of select healthful and less-healthful foods/drinks from all storefront businesses in an urban environment and considered implications for food-environment research and community health. ⋯ Food environments include many businesses not primarily focused on selling foods/drinks. Studies that do not consider OSB may miss important food/drink sources, be incomplete and inaccurate, and potentially misguide interventions. OSB hold promise for improving food environments and community health by offering healthful items; some already do.
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The gravity, scale, and nature of human rights violations are severe in North Korea. Little is known about the mental health consequences of the lifelong exposures to these violations. ⋯ This study highlights mental health consequences of lifelong human rights violations in North Korea. Beyond the conventional approach, it suggests the need for a collaborative preventive response from global health and human rights activists to address human rights in regard to mental health determinants of the 20 million people in North Korea.