From primary care to public health: using Problem-based Learning and the ecological model to teach public health to first year medical students.

We investigated whether a public health-oriented Problem-Based Learning case presented to first-year medical students conveyed 12 "Population Health Competencies for Medical Students," as recommended by the Association of American Medical Colleges and the Regional Medicine-Public Health Education Centers. A public health-oriented Problem-Based Learning case guided by the ecological model paradigm was developed and implemented among two groups of 8 students at the University of California, Berkeley-UCSF Joint Medical Program, in the Fall of 2010. Using directed content analysis, student-generated written reports were coded for the presence of the 12 population health content areas.

Patterns of tobacco-use behavior among Chinese smokers with medical conditions.

Understanding the characteristics of Chinese American smokers with medical conditions and factors associated with their tobacco-use behaviors will guide effective cessation programs. In 2008, the authors described socio-demographic profiles of Chinese smokers with medical conditions treated during the period 2002-2006, documented their tobacco-use behaviors (i.e.

Work time and 11-year progression of carotid atherosclerosis in middle-aged Finnish men.

Introduction: Studies of the relationship between work time and health have been inconclusive. Consequently, we sought to examine the effect of work time on progression of atherosclerosis.

Methods: This prospective study of 621 middle-aged Finnish men evaluated effects of baseline and repeat measures of work time on 11-year progression of ultrasonographically assessed carotid intima-media thickness (IMT) and interactions with cardiovascular disease.

The Chinese community smoking cessation project: a community sensitive intervention trial.

This paper describes (1) the design, methods and baseline data of the first smoking cessation clinical trial for Chinese Americans with medical conditions - Chinese Community Smoking Cessation Project (CCSCP); (2) the collaborative process between researchers and the Chinese community; and (3) the barriers and facilitators of implementing the study. CCSCP was a culturally tailored, randomized, smoking cessation trial testing the efficacy of an intensive (physician advice, in-person counseling with nicotine replacement therapy, 5 telephone calls) compared to a minimal (physician advice and self-help manual) intervention. The study applied a community-sensitive research method involving community members in all phases of the research process in San Francisco Bay Area during 2001-2007.

Characterization of systemic hypertension in the San Francisco Chinese community.

This report examines the prevalence of hypertension, its management and control, and the use of antihypertensive medication, diet, and exercise in Chinese adults residing in the San Francisco community. Blood pressure (BP) was measured objectively using an automated oscillometric Dinamap recorder on 708 Chinese adults (295 men and 413 women; age range from 19 to 98 years, mean 59.7), and hypertension, defined as BP >140/90 mm Hg and/or the use of antihypertensive medications, was found in 489 (69%), most of them immigrants from China.

Adherence with hypertension care among Hmong Americans.

To assess contexts of adherence with hypertension care among Hmong Americans, in-person interviews were conducted with a convenience sample of 323 adults using culturally adapted survey instruments. The mean age of participants was 58 years; 91% had no education, and 86% spoke no English. Although more than 90% had health insurance and were treated with medications, the rate of blood pressure control was low (27%).