American journal of preventive medicine
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This article discusses conceptual issues and reviews knowledge about direct and buffering protective factors in the development of youth violence. Direct protective factors predict a low probability of violence, whereas buffering protective factors predict a low probability of violence in the presence of risk (and often interact with risk factors). Individual, family, school, peer, and neighborhood factors are reviewed. ⋯ However, there were various evidence-based candidates for having a direct protective or buffering protective effect such as above-average intelligence, low impulsivity/easy temperament, enhanced anxiety, prosocial attitudes, high heart rate, close relationship to at least one parent, intensive parental supervision, medium SES of the family, sound academic achievement, strong school bonding, a positive school/class climate, nondeviant peers, and living in a nondeprived and nonviolent neighborhood. The probability of violence decreases as the number of protective factors increases (a dose-response relationship). Implications for future research and practice concern adequate research designs to detect nonlinear relationships; conceptually and methodologically homogeneous studies; differentiated analyses with regard to age, gender, and other characteristics; and greater integration of longitudinal correlational research with (quasi-)experimental intervention studies.
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Randomized Controlled Trial Comparative Study
Facts up front versus traffic light food labels: a randomized controlled trial.
The U.S. food and beverage industry recently released a new front-of-package nutrition labeling system called Facts Up Front that will be used on thousands of food products. ⋯ Overall, those in the Traffic Light+ condition performed better than those in the Facts Up Front conditions on measures of nutrition knowledge and label perceptions.
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Multicenter Study
Risk and direct protective factors for youth violence: results from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's Multisite Violence Prevention Project.
This study was conducted as part of a multisite effort to examine risk and direct protective factors for youth violence. ⋯ This study identified some factors than should be areas of interest for effective prevention programs. Some ethnic differences also should be considered in planning of prevention.
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The development of work on direct protective factors for youth violence has been delayed by conceptual and methodologic problems that have constrained the design, execution, and interpretation of prevention research. These problems are described in detail and actively addressed in review and analytic papers developed by the CDC's Expert Panel on Protective Factors for youth violence. The present paper synthesizes findings from these papers, specifies their implications for public health research and prevention strategies to reduce youth violence, and suggests directions for future research.
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Randomized Controlled Trial
Using mHealth technology to enhance self-monitoring for weight loss: a randomized trial.
Self-monitoring for weight loss has traditionally been performed with paper diaries. Technologic advances could reduce the burden of self-monitoring and provide feedback to enhance adherence. ⋯ PDA+FB use resulted in a small weight loss at 24 months; PDA use resulted in greater adherence to dietary self-monitoring over time. However, for sustained weight loss, adherence to self-monitoring is more important than the method used to self-monitor. A daily feedback message delivered remotely enhanced adherence and improved weight loss, which suggests that technology can play a role in improving weight loss.