In 1994-1998, the authors followed 946 breastfeeding women from Michigan and Nebraska for the first 3 months postpartum or until they stopped breastfeeding to describe mastitis incidence, mastitis treatment, and any associations between mastitis occurrence and hypothesized host characteristics and behaviors. Participants were interviewed by telephone at 3, 6, 9, and 12 weeks postpartum or until they ceased breastfeeding. A total of 9.5% reported provider-diagnosed lactation mastitis at least once during the 12-week period, with 64% diagnosed via telephone. After adjustment in a logistic regression model, history of mastitis with a previous child (odds ratio (OR) = 4.0, 95% confidence interval (CI): 2.64, 6.11), cracks and nipple sores in the same week as mastitis (OR = 3.4, 95% CI: 2.04, 5.51), using an antifungal nipple cream (presumably for nipple thrush) in the same 3-week interval as mastitis (OR = 3.4, 95% CI: 1.37, 8.54), and (for women with no prior mastitis history) using a manual breast pump (OR = 3.3, 95% CI: 1.92, 5.62) strongly predicted mastitis. Feeding fewer than 10 times per day was protective regardless of whether or not feeding frequency in the same week or the week before mastitis was included in the model (for the same week: 7-9 times: OR = 0.6, 95% CI: 0.41, 1.01; < or =6 times: OR = 0.4, 95% CI: 0.19, 0.82). Duration of feeding was not associated with mastitis risk.

HE PROVISION OF SCREENING mammography differs greatly between the United States and the United Kingdom. In the United States, screening is provided in diverse settings, such as private practice, health maintenance organizations, and academic medical centers 1 ; whereas in the United Kingdom, a single organized screening program run by the National Health Service provides virtually all mammographic screening for women aged 50 years or older. 2,3 There are also differences between the ages of women screened; the recommended interval between mammographic examinations; the proportion of women recalled for additional imaging examinations, such as diagnostic mammography or ultrasound; and the methods used to further evaluate findings considered suspicious for cancer. 4-6 However, it is not clear if there are actual differences in the performance and outcomes of screening mammography between the 2 countries. Comparing the performance of screening mammography between the 2 countries may suggest methods to improve mammography practice. We compared recall (the percentage of mammograms in which there is a recommendation for prompt additional testing, clinical evaluation, or percutaneous biopsy), surgical biopsy, and cancer detection rates for screening mammography among similarly aged women between the United States and the United Kingdom.

CBEs performed in community-based screening programs can detect breast cancers as effectively as CBEs performed in clinical trials and may modestly improve early-detection campaigns.

Counseling alcoholics in treatment to quit smoking does not jeopardize the alcohol recovery process. However, low-intensity tobacco interventions are unlikely to yield high tobacco quit rates.