A Community Guide Systematic Review: School Dietary and Physical Activity Interventions.

Context: Schools can play an important role in supporting a healthy lifestyle by offering nutritious foods and beverages and providing opportunities for physical activity. A healthy diet and regular physical activity may reduce the risk of obesity. This manuscript reports on a Community Guide systematic review examining the effectiveness of interventions in schools combining school meal or fruit and vegetable snack programs and physical activity.

Tenant-Based Housing Voucher Programs: A Community Guide Systematic Review.

Context: Unaffordable or insecure housing is associated with poor health in children and adults. Tenant-based housing voucher programs (voucher programs) limit rent to 30% or less of household income to help households with low income obtain safe and affordable housing.

Objective: To determine the effectiveness of voucher programs in improving housing, health, and other health-related outcomes for households with low income.

Permanent Supportive Housing With Housing First: Findings From a Community Guide Systematic Economic Review.

Introduction: The annual economic burden of chronic homelessness in the U.S. is estimated to be as high as $3.

Intimate Partner and Sexual Violence Prevention Among Youth: A Community Guide Systematic Review.

Introduction: Intimate partner violence and sexual violence are widespread and often occur early in life. This systematic review examines the effectiveness of interventions for primary prevention of intimate partner violence and sexual violence among youth.

Methods: Studies were identified from 2 previous systematic reviews and an updated search (January 2012-June 2016).

Permanent Supportive Housing With Housing First to Reduce Homelessness and Promote Health Among Homeless Populations With Disability: A Community Guide Systematic Review.

Context: Poor physical and mental health and substance use disorder can be causes and consequences of homelessness. Approximately 2.1 million persons per year in the United States experience homelessness.

Healthier Food and Beverage Interventions in Schools: Four Community Guide Systematic Reviews.

Context: Healthy eating during childhood is important for optimal growth and helps reduce the risk of obesity, which has potentially serious health consequences. Changing the school food environment may offer one way to improve students' dietary intake. This manuscript reports 4 Community Guide systematic reviews examining the effectiveness of interventions in schools promoting healthy eating and weight.

Using a Community Preventive Services Task Force Recommendation to Prevent and Reduce Intimate Partner Violence and Sexual Violence.

Intimate partner violence (IPV) and sexual violence (SV) are preventable public health problems affecting millions in the United States. The Community Preventive Services Task Force (CPSTF), an independent panel of experts that develops evidence-based recommendations based on rigorous systematic reviews, recommends interventions that aim to prevent or reduce IPV and SV among youth aged 12-24 years. Decision makers can use these findings to select interventions appropriate for their populations, identify additional areas for research, and justify funding requests.

Examining the Effectiveness of Year-Round School Calendars on Improving Educational Attainment Outcomes Within the Context of Advancement of Health Equity: A Community Guide Systematic Review.

Students may lose knowledge and skills achieved in the school year during the summer break, with losses greatest for students from low-income families. Community Guide systematic review methods were used to summarize evaluations (published 1965-2015) of the effectiveness of year-round school calendars (YRSCs) on academic achievement, a determinant of long-term health. In single-track YRSCs, all students participate in the same school calendar; summer breaks are replaced by short "intersessions" distributed evenly throughout the year.

Universal Motorcycle Helmet Laws to Reduce Injuries: A Community Guide Systematic Review.

Context: Motorcycle crashes account for a disproportionate number of motor vehicle deaths and injuries in the U.S. Motorcycle helmet use can lead to an estimated 42% reduction in risk for fatal injuries and a 69% reduction in risk for head injuries.

School-Based Health Centers to Advance Health Equity: A Community Guide Systematic Review.

Context: Children from low-income and racial or ethnic minority populations in the U.S. are less likely to have a conventional source of medical care and more likely to develop chronic health problems than are more-affluent and non-Hispanic white children.

Reducing Recreational Sedentary Screen Time: A Community Guide Systematic Review.

Context: Sedentary time spent with screen media is associated with obesity among children and adults. Obesity has potentially serious health consequences, such as heart disease and diabetes. This Community Guide systematic review examined the effectiveness and economic efficiency of behavioral interventions aimed at reducing recreational (i.

Reducing Medication Costs to Prevent Cardiovascular Disease: A Community Guide Systematic Review.

Introduction: Hypertension and hyperlipidemia are major cardiovascular disease risk factors. To modify them, patients often need to adopt healthier lifestyles and adhere to prescribed medications. However, patients' adherence to recommended treatments has been suboptimal.

Clinical Decision Support Systems and Prevention: A Community Guide Cardiovascular Disease Systematic Review.

Context: Clinical decision support systems (CDSSs) can help clinicians assess cardiovascular disease (CVD) risk and manage CVD risk factors by providing tailored assessments and treatment recommendations based on individual patient data. The goal of this systematic review was to examine the effectiveness of CDSSs in improving screening for CVD risk factors, practices for CVD-related preventive care services such as clinical tests and prescribed treatments, and management of CVD risk factors.

Evidence Acquisition: An existing systematic review (search period, January 1975-January 2011) of CDSSs for any condition was initially identified.

Economics of Team-based Care in Controlling Blood Pressure: A Community Guide Systematic Review.

Context: High blood pressure is an important risk factor for cardiovascular disease and stroke, the leading cause of death in the U.S., and a substantial national burden through lost productivity and medical care.

Effects of mental health benefits legislation: a community guide systematic review.

Context: Health insurance benefits for mental health services typically have paid less than benefits for physical health services, resulting in potential underutilization or financial burden for people with mental health conditions. Mental health benefits legislation was introduced to improve financial protection (i.e.

Legislations and policies to expand mental health and substance abuse benefits in health insurance plans: a community guide systematic economic review.

Background: Health insurance plans have historically limited the benefits for mental health and substance abuse (MH/SA) services compared to benefits for physical health services. In recent years, legislative and policy initiatives in the U.S.

Team-based care and improved blood pressure control: a community guide systematic review.

Context: Uncontrolled hypertension remains a widely prevalent cardiovascular risk factor in the U.S. team-based care, established by adding new staff or changing the roles of existing staff such as nurses and pharmacists to work with a primary care provider and the patient.

Factors associated with patient and health care system delay in diagnosis and treatment for TB in sub-Saharan African countries with high burdens of TB and HIV.

Objective: To identify factors causing delayed diagnosis and treatment for tuberculosis in high tuberculosis (TB)/HIV burden African countries.

Methods: We searched Ovid Medline, CINAHL, PsychInfo, Scopus and Sabinet-South African journals and reference lists, Google, Google Scholar and Google SA for reports in English, ≥1992, of original data from sub-Saharan countries on patient or system delay in TB diagnosis or treatment with populations ≥15 years old. Two reviewers extracted data independently for each study.

Beyond reading level: a systematic review of the suitability of cancer education print and Web-based materials.

Consideration of categories related to reading comprehension--beyond reading level--is imperative to reach low literacy populations effectively. "Suitability" has been proposed as a term to encompass six categories of such factors: content, literacy demand graphics, layout/typography, learning stimulation, and cultural appropriateness. Our purpose was to describe instruments used to evaluate categories of suitability in cancer education materials in published reports and their findings.

Pilot study to develop a rapid assessment of tuberculosis care-seeking and adherence practices in rural Limpopo Province, South Africa.

Studies of factors influencing tuberculosis (TB) care-seeking and treatment adherence in high TB/HIV co-burden African countries have typically surveyed urban patients' sociodemographic characteristics. To understand community perceptions and guide rapid assessment interviews, we interviewed key informants (nurses, tribal leaders, n = 9) and local researchers (n = 3) in poor, rural areas of South Africa. HIV-related stigma and misperceptions about TB causes and symptoms were cited as barriers.

Quality of life of African American cancer survivors. A review of the literature.

African Americans are more likely to present with advanced stages of cancer at the time of diagnosis, and their survival rates continue to lag behind those of Caucasian survivors. Although the need to address the quality of life (QOL) of cancer survivors is well documented, little is known about the QOL of African American cancer survivors. A comprehensive literature search from 1990 to 2005 was conducted in 5 phases as outlined by Cooper.

Enhancing knowledge of colorectal cancer among African Americans: why are we waiting until age 50?

Because of low rates of colorectal cancer screening among African Americans, it may be beneficial to begin educating persons about this disease before age 50. Using the Patient/Provider/System Theoretical Model for cancer screening, this study compared knowledge of colorectal cancer, sources of information, and awareness of programs among participants of age 20-29, 30-49, and 50-75 years. The majority (n = 354) were women and African American (mean age = 37 years, mean education = 12th grade).

Meeting the public's cancer information needs: characteristics of callers to the National Cancer Information Center of the American Cancer Society.

Background: In this study, we describe the characteristics of the callers of the American Cancer Society's National Cancer Information Center (NCIC), why they called, how they learned about NCIC, and their satisfaction.

Methods: A random sample of callers (N = 19,487) completed a telephone survey.

Results: The majority were female, White, 45 to 74 years old, had incomes greater than 35,001 dollars, and were college educated.