These types of initiatives, which are generally highly valued in U.S. and Canadian settings, are also apropos in the Arabian Gulf region. The authors report on their initial efforts, which can serve as a resource for other programs in the Arabian Gulf region.”
“Objective : To examine the prevalence and clustering of six health risk behaviours (smoking, alcohol, inadequate sun protection, physical inactivity, and inadequate fruit and vegetable consumption) among severely disadvantaged

individuals. AR-13324 Methods : A cross-sectional touch screen computer survey was conducted with 383 clients attending a social and community welfare organisation in New South Wales. Participants were assessed on smoking status, alcohol consumption, fruit and vegetable consumption, physical activity, sun protection and socio-demographic characteristics.

Descriptive statistics, factor analysis and logistic regression were used to assess the prevalence, clustering and socio-demographic predictors of health risk behaviours. Results : Ninety-eight per cent of the participants reported inadequate vegetable consumption, 62.7% reported inadequate fruit consumption, 82.5% reported inadequate sun protection, 61.7% smoked tobacco, 51.4% consumed alcohol at risky levels and 36.5% were insufficiently active. Most participants (87%) reported three or more risk behaviours. Male participants, younger participants and those with lower education were more likely to smoke tobacco and consume alcohol. Conclusions : The prevalence of health risk behaviours among a sample of typically hard-to-reach, selleck inhibitor severely disadvantaged individuals is extremely high. Implications : Future intervention development should take into account the likelihood of health risk clustering among severely disadvantaged groups.”
“BACKGROUND: National guidelines are intended to influence physician cholesterol treatment practices, yet few studies have documented the effect of new guidelines on actual prescribing behaviors and PARP inhibition impacts on patient eligibility for treatment. We describe current

cholesterol treatment in an academic practice of Family and Internal Medicine physicians as well the effect of a change in cholesterol treatment guidelines from 2001 Adult Treatment Panel III (ATPIII) to 2013 American College of Cardiology/American Heart Association (ACC/AHA) guidelines. METHODS: Medical records were extracted from primary care patients aged 40-75 years with at least one outpatient visit from January 1, 2012 to July 31, 2013; patients were included if they had records of cholesterol testing, blood pressure measurement, sex, race, and smoking status. Patients were classified into ATPIII and ACC/AHA categories based on clinical variables (eg, diabetes, hypertension, atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease), Framingham Risk Score, and 10-year atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease risk. RESULTS: There were 4536 patients included in the analysis.