American journal of preventive medicine
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Over the past decade, the body of research linking energy balance to the incidence, development, progression, and treatment of cancer has grown substantially. No prior NIH portfolio analyses have focused on energy balance within one institute. This portfolio analysis describes the growth of National Cancer Institute (NCI) grant research on energy balance-related conditions and behaviors from 2004 to 2010 following the release of an NCI research priority statement in 2003 on energy balance and cancer-related research. ⋯ Breast cancer was the most commonly studied cancer. Inclusion of minorities rose, and funding specific to cancer survivors more than doubled. From FY2004 to FY2010, NCI's investment in energy balance and related health behavior research showed growth in funding and diversity of mechanisms, topics, and disciplines-growth that reflects new directions in this field.
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Technologic advances mean automated, wearable cameras are now feasible for investigating health behaviors in a public health context. This paper attempts to identify and discuss the ethical implications of such research, in relation to existing guidelines for ethical research in traditional visual methodologies. ⋯ This paper attempts to formalize the protection of all according to best ethical principles through the development of an ethical framework. Respect for autonomy, through appropriate approaches to informed consent and adequate privacy and confidentiality controls, allows for ethical research, which has the potential to confer substantial benefits on the field of health behavior research.
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Neighborhood designs often relate to physical activity and to BMI. ⋯ Although walking/biking to work is rare in the U.S., greater proportions of such workers in neighborhoods relate to lower weight and higher MVPA. Bikeability merits greater attention as a modifiable activity-friendliness factor, particularly for men.
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Fighting childhood obesity has become a key policy focus. The role of community-based interventions to promote physical activity is an important part of an overall strategy to increase physical activity for youth. ⋯ These findings point to the promise of relying on existing community resources in the fight against childhood obesity. Fitness-focused afterschool programs will need to ensure that the highest-risk children--including those who are Latino and low-income--are served.
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Sedentary behavior is associated with increased risk of chronic disease and sedentary behavior is increasing among adolescents. Data on changes in sedentary behavior in developing countries are limited. ⋯ Nonschool sedentary behavior increased among Vietnamese adolescents with age. The largest increase was in recreational screen time (28%), which would be the most obvious target for preventive health strategies.