Occasions, Locations, and Reasons for Consuming Sugar-Sweetened Beverages among U.S. Adults.

Frequent intake of sugar-sweetened beverages (SSBs) is associated with adverse health outcomes such as obesity, type 2 diabetes, and cardiovascular disease. Little is known about when, where, and why U.S.

Randomized Evaluation of Centers for Disease Control and Prevention HEADS UP Concussion Education Materials for Youth Sport Coaches.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) HEADS UP youth sports coach materials are the most widely adopted form of concussion education for coaches across the United States-reaching millions of youth sports coaches over the last decade. These materials focus on concussion symptom identification, response, and management (e.g.

Parent-Child communication about concussion: what role can the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's HEADS UP concussion in youth sports handouts play?

Background: Concussion education for parents/guardians (hereafter referred to as parents) has the potential to play an important role in youth athlete concussion safety. The goal of this study was to evaluate the impact of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's (CDC) HEADS UP handout on parent-child communication about concussion.

Methods: YMCA branches from 15 associations from across the United States were randomized to CDC HEADS UP intervention condition or education as usual control condition using a cluster randomization strategy.

Marketing Self-management Education: Lessons on Messaging and Framing.

Self-management education (SME) refers to educational interventions that help individuals with chronic diseases maintain or improve their quality of life. To help increase SME participation, the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention conducted audience research to assess feasibility of a campaign to market SME as a chronic disease management strategy and increase future receptivity to specific SME programs. Twenty focus groups were conducted in 3 rounds across 8 cities with men and women ages 45-75 with a variety of, or multiple, chronic conditions.

Overweight and Obesity in Local Media: An Analysis of Media Coverage in CDC-Funded Communities.

We conducted a content analysis of newspaper and television news coverage in Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) grantee locations from June 2011 through May 2013. After searching 2 databases for news stories related to overweight or obesity, we coded and analyzed stories for valence (how the author/reporter framed overweight and obesity control strategies), descriptors, causes and solutions, and populations mentioned. Of almost 3,000 stories analyzed, most had a neutral or positive valence, depicted overweight and obesity as epidemic, discussed individual causes and environmental solutions most frequently, and mentioned children most often.

Raising Public Awareness of Clinical Trials: Development of Messages for a National Health Communication Campaign.

Clinical trials are essential for developing new and effective treatments and improving patient quality of life; however, many trials cannot answer their primary research questions because they fall short of their recruitment goals. This article reports the results of formative research conducted in two populations, the public and primary care physicians, to identify messages that may raise awareness and increase interest in clinical trials and be used in a national communication campaign. Results suggested that participants were primarily motivated to participate in clinical trials out of a self-interest to help themselves first.

Reaching Youth With Sexually Transmitted Disease Testing: Building on Successes, Challenges, and Lessons Learned From Local Get Yourself Tested Campaigns.

Nine programs were funded across eight states in the United States to customize, implement, and evaluate local campaigns in support of the national () campaign. Each program promoted chlamydia screening and treatment/referral to sexually active young women (aged 15-25 years) and their partners through accessible, free, or low-cost services. This article documents the strategies and outcomes of these local GYT campaigns, highlighting the diversity in which a national sexual health campaign is implemented at the local level and identifying challenges and successes.

High caffeine intake in adolescents: associations with difficulty sleeping and feeling tired in the morning.

The objective of this study was to examine the association between caffeine usage in U.S. adolescents and the frequency that feeling tired in the morning and having difficulty sleeping is reported.

Health status and health service access and use among children in U.S. immigrant families.

Objectives: We examined the health status and patterns of health care use of children in US immigrant families.

Methods: Data from the 1999 National Survey of America's Families were used to create 3 subgroups of immigrant children: US-born children with noncitizen parents, foreign-born children who were naturalized US citizens, and foreign-born children with noncitizen parents. Chi-square and logistic regression analyses were used to examine relationships between immigrant status and health access variables.

A cost-effectiveness analysis of interventions to increase repeat testing in patients treated for gonorrhea or chlamydia at public sexually transmitted disease clinics.

Background: Persons who have been infected with chlamydia or gonorrhea (CT/GC) are at elevated risk for reinfection. The cost-effectiveness of interventions designed to encourage public sexually transmitted disease (STD) clinic patients to return for rescreening has not been well-evaluated.

Goal: The goal of this study was to conduct a program- and societal-perspective cost-effectiveness analysis of five interventions designed to encourage public STD clinic patients infected with CT/GC to return for rescreening 3 months after initial treatment.

A community-based intervention designed to increase preventive health care seeking among adolescents: the Gonorrhea Community Action Project.

Objectives: We evaluated the effectiveness of an intervention designed to increase preventive health care seeking among adolescents.

Methods: Adolescents and young adults aged 12 to 21 years, recruited from community-based organizations in 2 different communities, were randomized into either a 3-session intervention or a control condition. We estimated outcomes from 3-month follow-up data using logistic and ordinary least squares regression.

Local school district adoption of state-recommended policies on HIV prevention education.

Background: This study evaluated the extent to which school districts in Massachusetts adopted HIV education policies consistent with state education agency recommendations, and whether adoption of state-recommended policy language was associated with other core components of school-based HIV prevention programs such as staff development, curriculum, and implementation characteristics.

Methods: A census of health coordinators (n = 251) and high school HIV teachers (n = 174) in randomly selected schools in Massachusetts were surveyed. Chi-squares and analysis of variance (ANOVAs) were used to analyze data.

Comparison of methods to increase repeat testing in persons treated for gonorrhea and/or chlamydia at public sexually transmitted disease clinics.

Background: Retesting 3 to 4 months after treatment for those infected with chlamydia and/or gonorrhea has been recommended.

Goal: We compared various methods of encouraging return for retesting 3 months after treatment for chlamydia or gonorrhea.

Study: In study 1, participants were randomly assigned to: 1) brief recommendation to return, 2) intervention 1 plus $20 incentive paid at return visit, or 3) intervention 1 plus motivational counseling at the first visit and a phone reminder at 3 months.

Attitudinal and contextual factors associated with discussion of sexual issues during adolescent health visits.

Purpose: To examine attitudinal and contextual factors associated with the occurrence of sexual health assessments during adolescent primary care visits.

Methods: A total of 313 primarily African-American youth aged 11-21 years from 16 community-based organizations in suburban Maryland and in New York City completed questionnaires focusing on sexually transmitted diseases (STD) and health care. The analysis examined the relationship of sexual activity, attitudes, and presence of the parent at the health care visit with discussion of three sexual health topics and testing for STD at the most recent health care visit.

Condom availability programs in Massachusetts high schools: relationships with condom use and sexual behavior.

Objectives: This study assessed relationships between condom availability programs accompanied by community discussion and involvement and adolescent sexual practices.

Methods: Sexual practice and condom use differences were assessed in a representative sample of 4166 adolescents enrolled in high schools with and without condom availability programs.

Results: Adolescents in schools where condoms were available were more likely to receive condom use instruction and less likely to report lifetime or recent sexual intercourse.