American journal of preventive medicine
-
Motorcycle crashes account for a disproportionate number of motor vehicle deaths and injuries in the U.S. Motorcycle helmet use can lead to an estimated 42% reduction in risk for fatal injuries and a 69% reduction in risk for head injuries. However, helmet use in the U.S. has been declining and was at 60% in 2013. The current review examines the effectiveness of motorcycle helmet laws in increasing helmet use and reducing motorcycle-related deaths and injuries. ⋯ Universal helmet laws are effective in increasing motorcycle helmet use and reducing deaths and injuries. These laws are effective for motorcyclists of all ages, including younger operators and passengers who would have already been covered by partial helmet laws. Repealing universal helmet laws decreased helmet use and increased deaths and injuries.
-
The U.S. lags in the nationwide implementation of primary prevention interventions that have been shown to be efficacious. However, the potential population health benefit of widespread implementation of these primary prevention interventions remains unclear. ⋯ A substantial proportion of deaths in the U.S. in 2010 could have been averted if efficacious primary prevention interventions were implemented nationwide. Further investment in the implementation of efficacious interventions is warranted to maximize population health in the U.S.
-
Accurate tracking of physical activity (PA) and sedentary behavior (SB) is important to advance public health, but little is known about how to interpret wrist-worn accelerometer data. This study compares youth estimates of SB and moderate to vigorous PA (MVPA) obtained using raw and count-based processing methods. ⋯ Conclusions about youth PA and SB are influenced by the wrist-worn accelerometer data processing method. Efforts to harmonize processing methods are needed to promote standardization and facilitate reporting of monitor-based PA data.
-
Autonomous motivation (motivation to engage in a behavior because of personal choice, interest, or value) is often associated with health behaviors. The present study contributes to research on motivation and eating behaviors by examining (1) how autonomous motivation is correlated within parent-adolescent dyads and (2) whether parent- and adolescent-reported autonomous motivation predicts the parent-adolescent correlation in fruit and vegetable (FV) intake frequency. ⋯ Parent-adolescent similarity in autonomous motivation for healthy eating may contribute to similarity in eating behaviors. Future research should further examine how individual-level health behavior correlates influence health behaviors within dyads.