American journal of preventive medicine
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Use of standing orders for adult influenza vaccination a national survey of primary care physicians.
Influenza vaccination of adults remains below recommended levels. Standing orders programs (SOPs) that allow nonphysician medical staff to assess eligibility and administer vaccines without an individualized physician's order are a proven method to increase vaccination rates. However, recent data on their use are not available. ⋯ Fewer than half of physicians report using SOPs for influenza vaccination, a number that is not much higher than it was about a decade ago. Approaches to increase use of SOPs are needed.
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Higher educational attainment is associated with better health status and longer life. ⋯ This modeling exercise does not fully account for the social costs and benefits of particular policies and programs to reduce health disparities; rather, it provides a sense of the magnitude of the economic value lost in health disparities to compare with other social issues vying for attention. The aggregate economic gains from interventions that improve the health of disadvantaged Americans are potentially large.
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Randomized Controlled Trial
Video game play, child diet, and physical activity behavior change a randomized clinical trial.
Video games designed to promote behavior change are a promising venue to enable children to learn healthier behaviors. ⋯ Playing Diab and Nano resulted in an increase in fruit and vegetable intake. Research is needed on the optimal design of video game components to maximize change.
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The American Diabetes Association (ADA) recently proposed the use of hemoglobin A1c as a practical and valid strategy to identify high-risk people for whom delivery of an intensive lifestyle intervention to prevent type 2 diabetes is likely to be cost effective. ⋯ A1c-based testing in clinical settings should be considered as a means to identify greater numbers of adults at high risk of developing type 2 diabetes and CVD.
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The impact of vaccine shortages on disparities in influenza vaccination is uncertain. ⋯ Improved vaccine supply was generally associated with reduced racial/ethnic disparities in influenza vaccination rates, whereas worse supply was associated with increased disparities. To avoid future widening of racial health disparities, policy options include stabilizing the vaccine supply and preferential delivery of vaccines to safety-net providers serving AA and Hispanic populations during a shortage.