PCD News Summary for November 16, 2017
Notice to News Media – PCD Release Time and Embargo Policy:
CDC’s News Media Branch releases to reporters the PCD media packet every Tuesday afternoon between 12 and 2 pm.
Embargoed until Thursday, November 16, 2017, at 12:00 PM ET
Primary Care Providers’ Level of Preparedness for Recommending Physical Activity to Adults with Disabilities
More than a third of primary care providers strongly agreed they felt prepared to discuss physical activity with their adult patients with disabilities; about a fifth were neutral or disagreed. Researchers used 2014 DocStyles survey data to assess how primary care provider characteristics and perceived barriers affected how the providers felt about recommending physical activity to adult patients with disabilities. Most primary care providers strongly or somewhat agreed they felt prepared to recommend physical activity to disabled patients. Researchers found significant trends between preparedness and primary care provider age and number of patients with disabilities seen per week. Half of primary care providers recommend physical activity to patients with disabilities at most visits. Primary care providers who strongly agreed or somewhat agreed they felt prepared were more likely to recommend physical activity at most visits compared with those who were neutral or disagreed.
Melissa Newton
mnewton@cdc.gov
404-718-6281
Preventable Tooth Loss in Hawaii: The Role of Socioeconomic Status, Diabetes, and Dental Visit
In a study of tooth loss and related health risks in Hawaii, researchers found that Native Hawaiians had the highest prevalence of tooth loss among the racial/ethnic groups examined. Researchers analyzed 2011-2014 data collected from some 13,000 adult participants in the Hawaii Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance Survey. Native Hawaiians and Filipinos had the lowest percentage of dental visits compared with whites and Japanese. All non-White groups had a higher percentage of excess tooth loss compared with whites. Native Hawaiians were found to have the largest proportion of excess tooth loss followed by Filipinos.
Melissa Newton
mnewton@cdc.gov
404-718-6281
Clinical-Community Partnerships To Identify Patients with Food Insecurity and Address Food Needs
Programs that screen patients for food insecurity can help connect them to food resources. A network of food insecurity researchers, experts, and practitioners evaluated 57 programs aimed at helping patients gain access to food; 22 met the inclusion criteria of being health care entities that screen patients for food insecurity, link patients to food resources, and target patients including adults ages 50 years or older. Data on key features of each program were abstracted from documentation and telephone interviews. These programs were developed on the basis of strong partnerships between health care entities (often hospitals) and community-based organizations, with a focus on meeting needs identified in the community. Several programs indicated that their food-insecurity interventions were a part of a more holistic program that connects patients to resources for assistance with housing, transportation, utilities, education, vocational training, employment, child care, and English-language skills.
Melissa Newton
mnewton@cdc.gov
404-718-6281
Should the Legal Age for Tobacco Be Raised? Results from a National Sample of Adolescents
In the first national study of adolescents’ attitudes toward raising the age of legal access to tobacco products, researchers found that more than three-fourths of U.S. adolescents supported national efforts to raise the minimum legal age. In a national 2014-2015 telephone survey, U.S. adolescents ages 13 to 17 years were asked about raising the age of legal access to tobacco products and randomized to hear one of three ages (19, 20, or 21). Most adolescents, across all U.S. regions, favored raising the minimum age of legal access to 19, 20, or 21. These supportive attitudes may be useful to tobacco prevention and control practitioners who seek to reduce tobacco use among adolescents.
Melissa Newton
mnewton@cdc.gov
404-718-6281
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Note: Not all articles published in PCD represent work done at CDC. In your stories, please clarify whether a study was conducted by CDC (“a CDC study”) or by another institution (“a study published by CDC”). The opinions expressed by authors contributing to PCD do not necessarily reflect the opinions of CDC or the institutions with which the authors are affiliated. PCD requests that, when possible, you include a live link to the article in your stories.
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