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Task Force on Community Preventive Services

Publications and source records attributed to Task Force on Community Preventive Services.

At least 37 records · Page 2Linked to original sources
PubMed2003

Methods for conducting systematic reviews of the evidence of effectiveness and economic efficiency of interventions to promote healthy social environments.

The social and physical surroundings in which people live affect their health. Knowing what basic conditions and opportunities in communities advance or impede improvement of community health can inform public health practice and policy. This article describes the methods for conducting systematic literature reviews of three community interventions to promote healthy social environments: early childhood development programs, programs to promote affordable family housing in safe neighborhoods, and interventions to increase the cultural and linguistic competence of healthcare systems. Existing methods, established for conducting systematic reviews for the Guide to Community Preventive Services, were applied to these interventions to promote healthy social environments.

Evidence-Based Medicine↗
PubMed2003

The effectiveness of early childhood development programs. A systematic review.

Early childhood development is influenced by characteristics of the child, the family, and the broader social environment. Physical health, cognition, language, and social and emotional development underpin school readiness. Publicly funded, center-based, comprehensive early childhood development programs are a community resource that promotes the well-being of young children. Programs such as Head Start are designed to close the gap in readiness to learn between poor children and their more economically advantaged peers. Systematic reviews of the scientific literature demonstrate effectiveness of these programs in preventing developmental delay, as assessed by reductions in retention in grade and placement in special education.

Child↗
PubMed2003

Providing affordable family housing and reducing residential segregation by income. A systematic review.

The inadequate supply of affordable housing for low-income families and the increasing spatial segregation of some households by income, race, ethnicity, or social class into unsafe neighborhoods are among the most prevalent community health concerns related to family housing. When affordable housing is not available to low-income households, family resources needed for food, medical or dental care, and other necessities are diverted to housing costs. Two housing programs intended to provide affordable housing and, concurrently, reduce the residential segregation of low-income families into unsafe neighborhoods of concentrated poverty, are reviewed: the creation of mixed-income housing developments and the Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) Section 8 Rental Voucher Program. The effectiveness of mixed-income housing developments could not be ascertained by this systematic review because of a lack of comparative research. Scientific evidence was sufficient to conclude that rental voucher programs improve household safety as measured by reduced exposure to crimes against person and property and decreased neighborhood social disorder. Effectiveness of rental voucher programs on youth health risk behaviors, mental health status, and physical health status could not be determined because too few studies of adequate design and execution reported these outcomes.

Family↗
PubMed2003

Culturally competent healthcare systems. A systematic review.

Culturally competent healthcare systems-those that provide culturally and linguistically appropriate services-have the potential to reduce racial and ethnic health disparities. When clients do not understand what their healthcare providers are telling them, and providers either do not speak the client's language or are insensitive to cultural differences, the quality of health care can be compromised. We reviewed five interventions to improve cultural competence in healthcare systems-programs to recruit and retain staff members who reflect the cultural diversity of the community served, use of interpreter services or bilingual providers for clients with limited English proficiency, cultural competency training for healthcare providers, use of linguistically and culturally appropriate health education materials, and culturally specific healthcare settings. We could not determine the effectiveness of any of these interventions, because there were either too few comparative studies, or studies did not examine the outcome measures evaluated in this review: client satisfaction with care, improvements in health status, and inappropriate racial or ethnic differences in use of health services or in received and recommended treatment.

Communication Barriers↗
PubMed2002

Reviews of evidence on interventions to prevent dental caries, oral and pharyngeal cancers, and sports-related craniofacial injuries.

This report presents the results of systematic reviews of effectiveness, applicability, other positive and negative effects, economic evaluations, and barriers to use of selected population-based interventions intended to prevent or control dental caries, oral and pharyngeal cancers, and sports-related craniofacial injuries. The related systematic reviews are linked by a common conceptual approach. These reviews form the basis of recommendations by the Task Force on Community Preventive Services (the Task Force) about the use of these selected interventions. The Task Force recommendations are presented in this supplement.

Athletic Injuries↗
PubMed2001

Reviews of evidence regarding interventions to reduce tobacco use and exposure to environmental tobacco smoke.

This report presents the results of systematic reviews of effectiveness, applicability, other effects, economic evaluations, and barriers to use of selected population-based interventions intended to reduce tobacco use and exposure to environmental tobacco smoke. The related systematic reviews are linked by a common conceptual approach. These reviews form the basis of recommendations by the Task Force on Community Preventive Services (TFCPS) regarding the use of these selected interventions. The TFCPS recommendations are presented on page 67 of this supplement.

Adolescent↗
PubMed2001

Reviews of evidence regarding interventions to increase use of child safety seats.

BACKGROUND: In 1998, nearly 600 child occupants of motor vehicles aged younger than 4 years died in motor vehicle crashes. Yet approximately 29% of children aged 4 years and younger do not ride in appropriate child safety seat restraints, which, when correctly installed and used, reduce the need for hospitalization in this age group by 69% and the risk of death by approximately 70% for infants and by 47% to 54% for toddlers (aged 1 to 4 years). METHODS: The systematic review development team reviewed the scientific evidence of effectiveness for five interventions to increase child safety seat use. For each intervention, changes in the use of child safety seats or injury rates were the outcome measures evaluated to determine the success of the intervention. Database searching was concluded in March 1998. More than 3500 citations were screened; of these citations, 72 met the inclusion criteria for the reviews. RESULTS: The systematic review process identified strong evidence of effectiveness for child safety seat laws and distribution plus education programs. In addition, community-wide information plus enhanced enforcement campaigns and incentive plus education programs had sufficient evidence of effectiveness. Insufficient evidence was identified for education-only programs aimed at parents, young children, healthcare professionals, or law enforcement personnel. CONCLUSIONS: Evidence is available about the effectiveness of four of the five interventions we reviewed. This scientific evidence, along with the accompanying recommendations of the Task Force elsewhere in this supplement, can be a powerful tool for securing the resources and commitment required to implement these strategies.

Automobile Driving↗
PubMed2001

Reviews of evidence regarding interventions to increase the use of safety belts.

BACKGROUND: The use of safety belts is the single most effective means of reducing fatal and nonfatal injuries in motor vehicle crashes. If all motor vehicle occupants consistently wore safety belts, an estimated 9553 deaths would have been prevented in 1999 alone. METHODS: The Guide to Community Preventive Services's methods for systematic reviews were used to evaluate the effectiveness of three interventions to increase safety belt use. Effectiveness was assessed on the basis of changes in safety belt use and number of crash-related injuries. RESULTS: Strong evidence was found for the effectiveness of safety belt laws in general and for the incremental effectiveness of primary safety belt laws relative to secondary laws. Strong evidence for the effectiveness of enhanced enforcement programs for safety belt laws was also found. Additional information is provided about the applicability, other effects, and barriers to implementation of these interventions. CONCLUSIONS: These reviews form the basis of the recommendations by the Task Force on Community Preventive Services presented elsewhere in this supplement. They can help decision makers identify and implement effective interventions that fit within an overall strategy to increase safety belt use.

Accidents, Traffic↗
PubMed2001

Methods for conducting systematic reviews of the evidence of effectiveness and economic efficiency of interventions to reduce injuries to motor vehicle occupants.

BACKGROUND: Motor vehicle occupant injury prevention is included in the Guide to Community Preventive Services because of the enormous health impact of these largely preventable injuries. This article describes the methods for conducting systematic literature reviews of interventions for three key injury prevention strategies: increasing child safety seat use, increasing safety belt use, and decreasing alcohol-impaired driving. METHODS: Systematic review methods follow those established for the Guide to Community Preventive Services and include: (1) recruiting a systematic review development team, (2) developing a conceptual approach for selecting interventions and for selecting outcomes that define the success of the interventions, (3) defining and conducting a search for evidence of effectiveness, (4) evaluating and summarizing the body of evidence of effectiveness, (5) evaluating other potential beneficial and harmful effects of the interventions, (6) evaluating economic efficiency, (7) identifying implementation barriers, (8) translating the strength of the evidence into recommendations, and (9) identifying and summarizing research gaps. RESULTS: The systematic review development team evaluated 13 interventions for the three strategic areas. More than 10,000 titles and abstracts were identified and screened; of these, 277 met the a priori systematic review inclusion criteria. Systematic review findings for each of the 13 interventions are provided in the accompanying articles in this supplement. CONCLUSION: The general methods established for conducting systematic reviews for the Guide to Community Preventive Services were successfully applied to interventions to reduce injuries to motor vehicle occupants.

Accidents, Traffic↗
PubMed2001

Reviews of evidence regarding interventions to reduce alcohol-impaired driving.

BACKGROUND: Alcohol-related motor vehicle crashes are a major public health problem, resulting in 15,786 deaths and more than 300,000 injuries in 1999. This report presents the results of systematic reviews of the effectiveness and economic efficiency of selected population-based interventions to reduce alcohol-impaired driving. METHODS: The Guide to Community Preventive Services's methods for systematic reviews were used to evaluate the effectiveness of five interventions to decrease alcohol-impaired driving, using changes in alcohol-related crashes as the primary outcome measure. RESULTS: Strong evidence was found for the effectiveness of .08 blood alcohol concentration laws, minimum legal drinking age laws, and sobriety checkpoints. Sufficient evidence was found for the effectiveness of lower blood alcohol concentration laws for young and inexperienced drivers and of intervention training programs for servers of alcoholic beverages. Additional information is provided about the applicability, other effects, and barriers to implementation of these interventions. CONCLUSION: These reviews form the basis of the recommendations by the Task Force on Community Preventive Services presented elsewhere in this supplement. They can help decision makers identify and implement effective interventions that fit within an overall strategy to prevent impaired driving.

Accidents, Traffic↗