No abstract

Data from the Navy-Marine Corps CTR provide useful information about combatants' TBIs identified early in the combat casualty process. Results may improve clinical care for those affected and suggest strategies for primary prevention. The CTR staff plans to conduct additional follow-up studies of this group of patients with TBI.

Purpose-This study assessed the rates and correlates of adolescents' compliance with national guidelines for physical activity.Methods-A cross-sectional phone survey of adolescents and their parents was conducted in the 100 largest United States cities in 2005. Adolescents ages 14-17 years (n=6125) were asked how many days during the previous week and during a typical week they were physically active for at least 60 minutes. Compliance was defined as 5+ days per week. Parents provided data on teen's age and race/ethnicity, parental education level, annual household income, and region of residence, and associations between these variables and compliance with physical activity guidelines were examined.Results-Approximately 40% of the females and 57% of the males complied with the national physical activity guidelines. Logistic regression indicated that for both sexes, compliance was significantly associated with having higher household income, and for females only, compliance declined significantly with age. Region of residence did not predict compliance for either sex.Conclusion-A majority of the girls and a large portion of the boys failed to meet the current guidelines, thereby increasing their risks of multiple health problems. Targeting intervention resources for low income teens and older adolescent teen girls is recommended.

Objectives We evaluated psychosocial, built-environmental, and policy-related correlates of adolescents’ indoor tanning use. Methods We developed 5 discrete data sets in the 100 most populous US cities, based on interviews of 6125 adolescents (aged 14–17 years) and their parents, analysis of state indoor tanning laws, interviews with enforcement experts, computed density of tanning facilities, and evaluations of these 3399 facilities’ practices regarding access by youths. After univariate analyses, we constructed multilevel models with generalized linear mixed models (GLMMs). Results In the past year, 17.1% of girls and 3.2% of boys had used indoor tanning. The GLMMs indicated that several psychosocial or demographic variables significantly predicted use, including being female, older, and White; having a larger allowance and a parent who used indoor tanning and allowed their adolescent to use it; and holding certain beliefs about indoor tanning’s consequences. Living within 2 miles of a tanning facility also was a significant predictor. Residing in a state with youth-access legislation was not significantly associated with use. Conclusions Current laws appear ineffective in reducing indoor tanning; bans likely are needed. Parents have an important role in prevention efforts.