Adult Vaccination.

Adult vaccination rates are low in the United States, despite clear benefits for reducing morbidity and mortality. Vaccine science is evolving rapidly, and family physicians must maintain familiarity with the most recent guidelines. The recommended adult immunization schedule is updated annually by the Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

Attitudes and perceptions about cigarette smoking among nonsmoking high school students.

Purpose: To explore the association between cigarette smoking intention and attitude, subjective norm, and perceived behavioral control as identified by the Theory of Planned Behavior (TPB) in a cohort of nonsmoking teenagers.

Methods: A convenience sample of 76 nonsmoking students from a rural Northeastern Pennsylvania high school completed a self-administered questionnaire based on the TPB, which included cigarette smoking behavior, intention, and the direct measures of attitude, subjective norm, and perceived behavioral control.

Conclusions: Regression analyses demonstrated that all three independent variables (attitude, subjective norm, and perceived behavioral control) contributed significantly to the respondents' intention to not smoke cigarettes, accounting for 64% of the variance.

Interprofessional Graduate Students' Perspectives on Caring for Vulnerable Populations.

The purpose of this focus group study was to explore graduate students' clinical experiences with vulnerable populations, perceived barriers to care, and ethical issues related to caring for disenfranchised groups. Furthermore, based on their experiences, the students were asked to share suggestions for curricular changes that could enhance care for vulnerable populations through interdisciplinary collaboration and multidisciplinary projects. The responses of the participants add to what is known about the care of vulnerable populations, offering a first-hand description of students' preparation for work with vulnerable populations and the interdisciplinary team.

An examination of ethnic differences in cigarette smoking intention among female teenagers.

Purpose: To describe and compare predictors of cigarette smoking intention, as defined by the theory of planned behavior, among African American, Puerto Rican, and non-Hispanic white female teenagers.

Data Sources: A convenience sample of 430 English-speaking female teenagers (141 African American, 146 Puerto Rican, and 143 non-Hispanic white teenagers), aged 13-19 years, who were patients at family planning clinics in eastern Pennsylvania. The data were obtained through a self-administered questionnaire.