Developing local board of health guidelines to promote healthy food access - King County, Washington, 2010-2012.

Policies that change environments are important tools for preventing chronic diseases, including obesity. Boards of health often have authority to adopt such policies, but few do so. This study assesses 1) how one local board of health developed a policy approach for healthy food access through vending machine guidelines (rather than regulations) and 2) the impact of the approach.

Declines in student obesity prevalence associated with a prevention initiative - King County, Washington, 2012.

The United States has invested heavily, through public and private sector initiatives, in actions to prevent youth obesity by promoting healthy eating and physical activity. This report documents recent trends in youth obesity in King County, Washington, which implemented a Communities Putting Prevention to Work (CPPW) obesity prevention initiative during 2010-2012, including a school-based component. Similar large-scale obesity prevention initiatives did not occur elsewhere in Washington.

Menu labeling regulations and calories purchased at chain restaurants.

Background: The federal menu labeling law will require chain restaurants to post caloric information on menus, but the impact of labeling is uncertain.

Purpose: The goal of the current study was to examine the effect of menu labeling on calories purchased, and secondarily, to assess self-reported awareness and use of labels.

Design: Single-community pre-post-post cross-sectional study.

Nutrition-labeling regulation impacts on restaurant environments.

Background: Recent attempts to improve the healthfulness of away-from-home eating include regulations requiring restaurants to post nutrition information. The impact of such regulations on restaurant environments is unknown.

Purpose: To examine changes in restaurant environments from before to after nutrition-labeling regulation in a newly regulated county versus a nonregulated county.

The impact of menu labeling on fast-food purchases for children and parents.

Background: Nutrition labeling of menus has been promoted as a means for helping consumers make healthier food choices at restaurants. As part of national health reform, chain restaurants will be required to post nutrition information at point-of-purchase, but more evidence regarding the impact of these regulations, particularly in children, is needed.

Purpose: To determine whether nutrition labeling on restaurant menus results in a lower number of calories purchased by children and their parents.

Mandatory menu labeling in one fast-food chain in King County, Washington.

Background: As part of a comprehensive effort to stem the rise in obesity, King County, Washington, enforced a mandatory menu-labeling regulation requiring all restaurant chains with 15 or more locations to disclose calorie information at the point of purchase beginning in January 2009.

Purpose: The purpose of this study is to quantify the impact of the King County regulation on transactions and purchasing behavior at one Mexican fast-food chain with locations within and adjacent to King County.

Methods: To examine the effect of the King County regulation, a difference-in-difference approach was used to compare total transactions and average calories per transaction between seven King County restaurants and seven control locations focusing on two time periods: one period immediately following the law until the posting of drive-through menu boards (January 2009 to July 2009) and a second period following the drive-through postings (August 2009 through January 2010).

Smoking prevalence, knowledge, and attitudes among a population of Vietnamese American men.

Tobacco use among Vietnamese adult males in the United States is higher than the general population. Less is known about the role of knowledge and attitudes of smoking in smoking status. This study describes the smoking prevalence, practices, support, knowledge, and attitudes among Vietnamese American men by smoking status.

Cost effectiveness of cervical cancer screening among Chinese women in North America.

Background: Chinese North American women have high invasive cervical cancer rates and low screening rates. The cost-effectiveness of strategies to improve Pap testing rates for Chinese women living in Seattle, Washington and Vancouver, British Columbia was examined.

Objectives: To calculate the costs and cost-effectiveness of implementing two strategies to motivate women to obtain a Pap smear.

Secondhand smoke in the home and Pap testing among Vietnamese American women.

The purpose of this study was to report the prevalence of Vietnamese households with smokers and examine Papanicolau (Pap) testing among Vietnamese American women living in households with and without smokers. In 2002, we surveyed Vietnamese between 18 and 64 years of age from a population-based sample of randomly selected households in Seattle, Washington zip codes known to have a high density of Vietnamese residents. The response rate among eligible households was 82%, and our sample included 418 households.