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I am not at all surprised that new Cochrane evidence showed yoga may be beneficial to those with asthma. I am a devoted yogi who has practised a combination of hot power and bikram yoga about twice a week for the past two years. 
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As more new drugs are bred in little biotechs, executives at giant firms are decamping to startups. As a vice president of the $38 billion (sales) French drug company Sanofi, Victoria Richon witnessed constant reorganizations that affected her oncology drug development program. Teams shuffled, priorities shifted, and processes changed. She says she spent far less time on drug discovery and far more time sorting out the changes and persuading committees to keep her programs going. “That’s just the nature of a big company,” says Richon, whose 28-year career has included roles at cancer research centers and Merck MRK -0.44% .
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Promuovere il consumo di cibo sano: un nuovo modello di marketing sociale per identificare e promuovere politiche basate sulle evidenze, per la promozione della salute e la prevenzione di malattie. Il Community-based prevention marketing (CBPM) applica strategie e tecniche del marketing alla progettazione, all’implementazione e alla valutazione di programmi o politiche per la promozione della salute o per la prevenzione di malattie. Nell’articolo “Community-Based Prevention Marketing for Policy Development: A New Planning Framework for Coalitions” apparso sulla rivista Social Marketing Quarterly (SMQ) (1) viene descritta l’adozione e l’applicazione pratica di un nuovo modello di riferimento: il Community-Based Prevention Marketing for Policy Development (CBPM-Policy Development) con l’obiettivo ultimo di migliorare la capacità della Comunità nell’identificare e promuovere politiche basate sulle evidenze. Il progetto, guidato dai principi di ricerca/azione, ha rafforzato un legame già esistente tra i ricercatori universitari esperti di marketing sociale del Florida Prevention Research Center e l’insieme di partner della Tweens Nutrition and Fitness Coalition, impegnati da anni nella prevenzione dell’obesità infantile. Il risultato di questa partnership accademica consiste in un nuovo modello di riferimento da otto punti così intitolati: 1.“Creare le basi”, 2.“Che cosa dovremmo cambiare?”, 3.“Quale politica dovremmo promuovere?”, 4.“Identificare il pubblico”, 5.“Ascoltare”, 6.“Sviluppare un piano strategico”, 7.“Monitorare e valutare”, 8.“Stiamo seguendo il piano?”.
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Multiple studies have shown that poor sleep can up your risk of cardiovascular disease, obesity and cancer. But two new studies published last week — one in the journal Annals of Behavioral Medicine and the other in the journal Scientific Reports — uncover two more pieces of the puzzle. One reports poor sleep may actually increase the risk for engaging in behaviors that put a person at risk for these chronic diseases to begin with. And the second reports that poor sleep actually changes the way the body gets rid of cholesterol, and likely plays a role in increasing your risk of developing heart disease.
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A culturally sensitive lifestyle intervention showed promise at motivating Latinas living in the U.S. to eat better and exercise more by connecting healthy-living behaviors with the lives of saints and prominent religious figures, new studies found. Several recent papers about the project, including a new study published in the Journal of Aging and Health, add to a growing body of research that indicates health interventions may have greater success promoting lifestyle changes among the nation’s rapidly growing Latino population if the content is culturally sensitive, integrating the spiritual and family values that are central to these women’s lives. Kinesiology and community health professor Andiara Schwingel of theUniversity of Illinois developed the program, called Abuelas en Acción(Grandmothers in Action). Geared toward Latinas ages 50 and older, Abuelas en Acción promotes physical activity, nutrition and stress management using the principl
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Objective To determine whether increasing calcium intake from dietary sources affects bone mineral density (BMD) and, if so, whether the effects are similar to those of calcium supplements. Design Random effects meta-analysis of randomised controlled trials. Data sources Ovid Medline, Embase, Pubmed, and references from relevant systematic reviews. Initial searches were undertaken in July 2013 and updated in September 2014. Eligibility criteria for selecting studies Randomised controlled trials of dietary sources of calcium or calcium supplements (with or without vitamin D) in participants aged over 50 with BMD at the lumbar spine, total hip, femoral neck, total body, or forearm as an outcome. Results We identified 59 eligible randomised controlled trials: 15 studied dietary sources of calcium (n=1533) and 51 studied calcium supplements (n=12 257). Increasing calcium intake from dietary sources increased BMD by 0.6-1.0% at the total hip and total body at one year and by 0.7-1.8% at these sites and the lumbar spine and femoral neck at two years. There was no effect on BMD in the forearm. Calcium supplements increased BMD by 0.7-1.8% at all five skeletal sites at one, two, and over two and a half years, but the size of the increase in BMD at later time points was similar to the increase at one year. Increases in BMD were similar in trials of dietary sources of calcium and calcium supplements (except at the forearm), in trials of calcium monotherapy versus co-administered calcium and vitamin D, in trials with calcium doses of ≥1000 versus <1000 mg/day and ≤500 versus >500 mg/day, and in trials where the baseline dietary calcium intake was <800 versus ≥800 mg/day. Conclusions Increasing calcium intake from dietary sources or by taking calcium supplements produces small non-progressive increases in BMD, which are unlikely to lead to a clinically significant reduction in risk of fracture.
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The WHO Health Behaviour in School-aged Children (HBSC) study has influenced policy and legislation across the WHO European Region for over 30 years. The latest update of the study, based on a survey of over 200 000 young people in 42 countries, has been published.
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So much of the discussion around positioning is around the ‘right’ way, the ‘best’ way. Like different sects within a religion, there is often little difference in a meaningful sense between the philosophies, but great difference between the practitioners. In fact, we believe the resolution lies in what positioning is ‘for’ and when it is done…
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We are in the middle of an explosion in the amount of data that exists about the health of individuals. This data is coming in via smartphones, wearables such as Fitbits, personal genomics and the digitisation of health records. Its volume will soon dwarf that held by universities and institutes, and I believe it will, in time, become a great engine of medical discovery. From the telescope to the MRI machine, new sources of data are often what catapults science forward. In particular, this rich data can help us understand more clearly the huge variation in response to treatment that individuals display. The same pill, therapy or diet will often have widely different effects from person to person. If we can understand and predict this more clearly, then we can target care where it will do most good, leading to a more effective healthcare system, as well as improving efficiency. Traditional research techniques are mainly focused on examining average responses but with this richer data we can begin to understand variation. - See more at: http://www.nesta.org.uk/2016-predictions/patients-become-citizen-scientists#sthash.eXZSHXFb.dpuf
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Sitting for eight hours a day is bad for our health, this we know. But there's not enough evidence to prove standing is any better for our wellbeing, according to one meta-analysis. In recent years, an entire industry has been trying to find a solution to counteract this health scare. After all, premature death from an increased risk of diabetes and cardiovascular problems aren't something to be taken lightly. However, a meta-analysis published in the Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews looked at 20 studies which touted the benefits of standing. These findings may have been overstated.
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The prints were created to halt the spread of syphilis and tuberculosis, and to encourage people to eat a good diet and exercise. They are stored at the Library of Congress, Washington DC. One scary-looking poster pictures a red hound and a bleeding hand, urging the public to ‘REPORT DOG BITES’. Another bizarrely uses a shark as a metaphor for pneumonia, encouraging people to see their doctor if they suffer symptoms of a cold. It reads: 'Pneumonia strikes like a man eating shark, led by its pilot fish the common cold’. Others sought to take away the shame of having a sexually transmitted diseases, promoting testing and early detection. One poster urging people to be tested for syphilis reads 'False shame and fear may destroy your future. Have your blood tested'.
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Scientists have linked physical exercise to brain health for many years. In fact, there’s compelling evidence that physical exercise helps build a brain that not only resists shrinkage, but increases cognitive abilities1 by promoting neurogenesis, i.e. your brain’s ability to adapt and grow new brain cells. In essence, physical activity produces biochemical changes that strengthen and renew not only your body but also your brain — particularly areas associated with memory and learning. The converse is also true. Researchers have shown a sedentary lifestyle correlates to brain shrinkage, which increases your risk of memory loss and other cognitive problems. As recently reported by Newsweek:2 “A new study3 published ... in Neurology links low levels of physical fitness in midlife to lower brain tissue volume two decades later. These findings affirm the role physical fitness plays in protecting the brain as we age. ‘Brain volume is one marker of brain aging...and this atrophy is related to cognitive decline and increased risk for dementia,’ says lead author Nicole Spartano ... ‘So it is important to determine the factors — especially modifiable factors, such as fitness — that contribute to brain aging.’”
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Replacing saturated fat with polyunsaturated fat might not prolong life It is widely accepted that diets rich in polyunsaturated fats protect against heart disease. Recently, the Global Burden of Disease team reported that each year insufficient intake of omega-6 polyunsaturated fats, the most common subgroup of polyunsaturated fats, results in over 700 000 deaths from coronary heart disease.1 Or does it? A linked study by Ramsden and colleagues (doi:10.1136/bmj.i1246) adds to the doubts around the health benefits of replacing saturated fat with polyunsaturated fats.2 This new study re-examines recovered data from a double blind randomised controlled trial that took place 45 years ago. The Minnesota Coronary Experiment (MCE) followed 9423 participants from state mental hospitals and a nursing home for 4.5 years. The trial tested whether replacement of saturated fat with vegetable oil rich in linoleic acid (an omega-6 polyunsaturated fat) reduces the risk of coronary heart disease and death through a reduction in serum cholesterol concentration.
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McKenzie-Mohr and Associates, based in Fredericton, Canada, provides online forums where information regarding fostering sustainable behavior and community-based social marketing can be freely exchanged. This book is about making the transition gracefully. It provides a comprehensive introduction to community-based social marketing and how it is being applied throughout the world to foster sustainable behavior. It introduces the five steps of communitybased social marketing (selecting behaviors, identifying barriers & benefits, developing strategies, conducting a pilot, and broad-scale implementation), and showcases numerous programs illustrating its use. In this third edition, each chapter has been updated. Further, Selecting Behaviors has been added as a new first step in community-based social marketing. As well, a new behavior change tool—social diffusion—has been added to the array of tools already covered.
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Health and community partecipation. A political issue “Siamo partiti dal presupposto che scopo della medicina è la difesa della salute, di tutti e di ciascuno: perciò i soggetti del sistema non possono essere che i cittadini, oggi troppo spesso considerati invece come oggetto passivo della società consumistica anche in questo settore vitale. […] Questa responsabilizzazione dei cittadini nella gestione dei servizi… è insomma l’essenza stessa della democrazia…” (1). Questo è quanto scriveva oltre quarant’anni fa Alessandro Seppilli intravvedendo quello che avrebbe dovuto essere il funzionamento di un Servizio Sanitario Nazionale (SSN) basato sui principi di “rispetto della dignità e della libertà della persona umana… eguaglianza dei cittadini nei confronti del servizio… garantendo la partecipazione dei cittadini” (2). Con l’obiettivo di analizzare l’evoluzione del concetto e delle pratiche di “partecipazione dei cittadini” a livello nazionale e interna- zionale, questo articolo ripercorre brevemente la storia, il dibattito e le problematiche emerse negli ultimi decenni intorno al tema del coinvolgimento della popolazione nella programmazione e gestione dei servizi pubblici, arrivando a contestualizzare la situazione odierna e le sfide che essa pone alla società tutta.
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An outbreak of measles has been declared in London after 76 cases in the last two months.
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Protecting health, saving lives—millions at a time” is the motto of the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health. Although not the principal motivation for or lesson from the assessment by Chetty and colleagues published in JAMA,1 encouraging prospects for community health strategies are suggested by the findings in this article on income and life expectancy. In an impressive analysis based on mortality data and deidentified tax records with more than 1.4 billion person-year observations and nearly 7 million deaths among individuals living in the United States during the 15 years between 1999 and 2014, Chetty et al confirm the long-observed association between higher income and longer life expectancy, as well as the recent increase in the gap in life expectancy between the richest and poorest 5% of the US population.1 Looking specifically at the lowest income quartile, Chetty et al also found little association between life expectancy and various measures of access to medical care, physical environments, employment conditions, or levels of income inequality.
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James discusses conceptual models to understand health promotion. This includes Tannahill's model, Beattie's model and Naidoo and Wills' typology of health promotion. Other conceptual models in health promotion are available!
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University of Melbourne Professor Rob Moodie and colleagues from the Obesity Policy Coalition and The Australian Health Policy Collaboration have issued a frank assessment of the health promotion landscape in today’s Medical Journal of Australia.
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Objective To investigate the amount of sugars in fruit juices, juice drinks and smoothies (FJJDS) marketed to children. Design We surveyed the sugars content (per 100 ml and standardised 200 ml portion) of all FJJDS sold by seven major UK supermarkets (supermarket own and branded products). Only products specifically marketed towards children were included. We excluded sports drinks, iced teas, sugar-sweetened carbonated drinks and cordials as being not specifically marketed towards children. Results We identified 203 fruit juices (n=21), juice drinks (n=158) and smoothies (n=24) marketed to children. Sugars content ranged from 0 to 16 g/100 ml. The mean sugars content was 7.0 g/100 ml, but among the 100% fruit juice category, it was 10.7 g/100 ml. Smoothies (13.0 g/100 ml) contained the highest amounts of sugars and juice drinks (5.6 g/100 ml) contained the lowest amount. 117 of the 203 FJJDS surveyed would receive a Food Standards Agency ‘red’ colour-coded label for sugars per standardised 200 ml serving. Only 63 FJJDS would receive a ‘green’ colour-coded label. 85 products contained at least 19 g of sugars—a child's entire maximum daily amount of sugars. 57 products contained sugar (sucrose), 65 contained non-caloric sweeteners and five contained both. Seven products contained glucose-fructose syrup. Conclusions The sugars content in FJJDS marketed to children in the UK is unacceptably high. Manufacturers must stop adding unnecessary sugars and calories to their FJJDS.
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A closer look at the next generation of food. The BuzzFeed app is hot. Hotter than your mixtape. Download now for iOS and Android: http://bit.ly/1P4zJL
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Richard Smith discusses the history of Evidence-based Medicine with Iain Chalmers, Kay Dickersin, Paul Glasziou, Muir Gray, Gordon Guyatt, Brian Haynes, David Sackett and Drummond Rennie.
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In this month's Grand Rounds Beyond the Data, Dr. John Iskander and Marion McDonald discuss methods to further address health disparities through childhoo
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An updated Cochrane Review, published today in the Cochrane Library, says that the benefits of a variety of interventions intended to reduce sitting at work are very uncertain. Millions of people worldwide sit at a desk all day, and over recent years this has led to increased levels of physical inactivity in the work place. Health experts have warned that long periods of sitting can increase the risk of heart disease and obesity. There are a number of different approaches to reduce the amount of time we spend sitting down while at work. One option that is increasing in popularity is the sit-stand desk. These are desks that are designed to allow you to work at your desk sitting down or standing up. A team of Cochrane researchers updated a systematic review that looked at the effects of different strategies to encourage people to reduce the amount of time they spend sitting at work. They looked at 20 studies with a total of 2,174 participants from the US, the UK and Europe. They included evidence from both randomized and non-randomized studies.
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