Medicine and Health Sciences Commons^™

Put Your Money Where Your Butt Is: A Commitment Contract For Smoking Cessation, Xavier Giné, Dean Karlan, Jonathan Zinman

Dartmouth Scholarship

We designed and tested a voluntary commitment product to help smokers quit smoking. The product (CARES) offered smokers a savings account in which they deposit funds for six months, after which they take a urine test for nicotine and cotinine. If they pass, their money is returned; otherwise, their money is forfeited to charity. Of smokers offered CARES, 11 percent took up, and smokers randomly offered CARES were 3 percentage points more likely to pass the 6-month test than the control group. More importantly, this effect persisted in surprise tests at 12 months, indicating that CARES produced lasting smoking cessation. …

Prevalence, Knowledge And Care Patterns For Gastro-Oesophageal Reflux Disease In United States Minority Populations., Elaine Yuen, Martha Romney, Richard W. Toner, Nicole M. Cobb, Philip O. Katz, Maya Spodik, Neil I. Goldfarb

College of Population Health Faculty Papers

BACKGROUND: While there is evidence of ethnic variation in the prevalence of gastro-oesophageal reflux disease (GERD) symptoms, few population-based studies examine GERD symptom prevalence amongst the growing Hispanic minority in the US as well as Asians in the West. AIM: To examine the prevalence, awareness and care patterns for GERD across different ethnic groups.

METHODS: A population-based, cross-sectional survey was fielded in English, Chinese and Spanish that assessed self-reported GERD prevalence, awareness and care patterns in four ethnic groups (Caucasian, African American, Asian, Hispanic).

RESULTS: A total of 1172 subjects were included for analysis: 34.6% experienced GERD symptoms at least …

Muscular And Performance Fitness And The Incidence Of Type 2 Diabetes: Prospective Study Of Japanese Men, Susumu S. Sawada, I-Min Lee, Hisashi Naito, Koji Tsukamoto, Takashi Muto, Steven N. Blair

Faculty Publications

Background: Limited data are available on the relationship between muscular and performance fitness (MPF) and the incidence of type 2 diabetes.

Methods: A cohort of 3792 Japanese men completed a medical examination that included MPF and cardiorespiratory fitness tests. MPF index composite score was calculated using Z-scores from vertical jump, sit-ups, side step, and functional reach tests.

Results: The mean follow-up period was 187 months (15.6 years). There were 240 patients who developed type 2 diabetes during follow-up. Relative risks and 95% confidence intervals (CI) for incidence of diabetes across baseline quartiles of MPF index composite score were obtained using …

The Efficacy Of Spirometry As A Screening Tool In Detection Of Air Flow Obstruction, Nabeel Manzar, A. Suleman Haque, Bushra Manzar, Muhammad Irfan

Section of Pulmonary & Critical Care

Background/Objectives: In developing countries, spirometry has not been considered a part of routine medical check-up. The purpose of the study was to establish the usefulness of spirometry as a primary screening tool in detecting air flow obstruction (AFO) during routine medical check-up (RMC). Methods: This was a hospital based, retrospective, non-randomized case series study of 3696 participants, who presented to hospital for routine medical check-up. All subjects were assisted at the Pulmonary Medicine Department, from January 2003 till December 2008 who, having met other inclusion criteria, underwent spirometry. Data were analyzed using proportion, group means, standard deviations and …

The Influence Of Cardiorespiratory Fitness On Lung Cancer Mortality, Xuemei Sui, Duck-Chul Lee, Charles E. Matthews, Swann Arp Adams, James R. Hébert, Timothy S. Church, Chong-Do Lee, Steven N. Blair

Faculty Publications

Purpose—Previous studies have suggested that higher levels of physical activity may lower lung cancer risk; however, few prospective studies have evaluated lung cancer mortality in relation to cardiorespiratory fitness (CRF), an objective marker of recent physical activity habits. Methods—Thirty-eight thousand men, aged 20 to 84 years without history of cancer, received a preventive medical examination at the Cooper Clinic in Dallas, TX, between 1974 and 2002. CRF was quantified as maximal treadmill exercise test duration and was grouped for analysis as low (lowest 20% of exercise duration), moderate (middle 40%), and high (upper 40%). Results—A total of 232 lung cancer …

Recreational Physical Activity And Premenstrual Syndrome In College-Aged Women, Aimee R. Kroll

Masters Theses 1911 - February 2014

It is estimated that up to 85% of premenopausal women experience at least one premenstrual symptom and 15-20% meet clinical criteria for premenstrual syndrome (PMS). PMS has a high morbidity level and reduces the quality of life for many women of reproductive age, with pharmaceutical treatments having limited efficacy and substantial side effects. Physical activity has been recommended as a method of reducing menstrual symptom severity. However, little evidence exists to support a clear relationship between physical activity and PMS. Using a cross-sectional design, we evaluated the relationship between physical activity and PMS and menstrual symptoms among 186 women aged …