American journal of preventive medicine
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Differential effects of depression on smoking cessation in a diverse sample of smokers in treatment.
Recent cross-sectional evidence suggests that the effect of depression on smoking prevalence and quit ratios differs by race/ethnicity. ⋯ This research is the first to prospectively demonstrate a racially/ethnically differentiated effect of depressive symptoms on smoking cessation, and it has implications for targeted smoking-cessation treatments as it indicates that depression may not be a key treatment target for Latinos.
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The 2010 Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (PPACA) has been controversial. The potential impact of national healthcare reform may be considered using a similar set of state-level reforms including exchanges and a mandate, enacted in 2006 in Massachusetts. ⋯ Healthcare reforms in Massachusetts, which included a health insurance mandate, were associated with significant increases in insurance coverage and access. The absolute effects of the reform were greater for disadvantaged populations. This is important evidence to consider as debate over national healthcare reform continues.
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Few national data exist to assess primary care physicians' (PCPs') clinical practices with regard to childhood obesity. ⋯ Active PCP participation in assessing or managing childhood obesity in the primary care setting appears low relative to the frequency of the problem in the U.S. Interventions to reduce the barriers to physician engagement in the assessment and management of healthy lifestyles are needed to prevent and control childhood obesity.
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Measures of neighborhood deprivation used in health research are typically based on conventional area-based SES. ⋯ The proposed individual-level metric of neighborhood wealth, if replicated in other areas, could replace area-based SES measures, thus simplifying analyses of contextual effects on health.