Policy Statements
SBM and SRNT Urge Increased Funding of Quitlines and Research to Maximize Public Health Benefits of 1-800-QUIT-NOW on Cigarette Packs
Representing many of the nation’s leading tobacco control scientists, and clinical and public health practitioners, the Society of Behavioral Medicine (SBM) and the Society for Research on Nicotine & Tobacco (SRNT) welcome the historic June, 2011 Food and Drug Administration (FDA) rule on new warning labels for cigarettes. With this new rule, the United States will join more than 18 countries across the world that include quitline telephone numbers along with hard-hitting graphic messages as part of the health warning labels for tobacco products. These enhanced health warnings with the quitline number are designed to discourage more nonsmokers from starting to smoke, to encourage more smokers to quit, and to increase their use of evidence-based tobacco cessation services available at no-cost from state quitlines.
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School-based Physical Activity: Essential for Children’s Health
The Society of Behavioral Medicine encourages and supports legislation and policies that increase school-based physical activity for youth. Strong evidence demonstrates that such activity helps prevent childhood obesity and keeps children healthy.
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The Public Health Need for Patient-Reported Measures and Health Behaviors in Electronic Health Records
Widespread Use of EHRs is Welcome – but there is a Problem. The HITECH Act and the Patient Protection Affordable Care Act place new emphasis on the widespread and meaningful use of electronic health records (EHRs). While we welcome this emphasis and its likely attendant advances in patient care and clinical health research, there is a significant problem: Currently
EHRs fail to capture data reflecting crucial social and behavioral determinants of health.
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The Role of Behavior & Environment in Health, Health Care and Prevention
Behavior and Environment are Fundamental to Health. The United States spends an estimated $2 trillion on health care annually. Much of that is spent on treating heart disease, cancer, stroke, chronic obstructive pulmonary diseases, unintentional injuries, pneumonia and influenza, diabetes, suicide, kidney diseases, chronic liver disease and cirrhosis as well as HIV/AIDS. Today, more than 130 million Americans have one or more of these chronic diseases, diseases that account for 75% of our annual healthcare costs. Behavior is central to the development, treatment and management of these diseases. Smoking, diet, physical activity, alcohol intake, and safe sex practices are behaviors that are directly related to the development of many. In addition to these, medication management, stress management, realistic goal setting and coping, and securing cooperation from family and friends are key behaviors in managing chronic diseases once they’ve developed.
There is now more evidence than ever that behavioral medicine interventions with individuals, families, organizations, and environments can change the behaviors critical for reducing the occurrence of the nation’s most prevalent chronic diseases, improving their management, and reducing healthcare costs.
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Integrating Health Behavior Change into Primary Care
The U.S. Centers for Disease Control (CDC) estimated that in 2005, 133 million people, or almost half of all Americans, lived with at least one chronic condition, such as heart disease, various types of cancer, diabetes, chronic obstructive lung diseases, stroke, etc. The CDC also estimates that these chronic diseases account for 75% of the nation's $2 trillion medical care costs. Health behaviors (e.g., tobacco use, eating habits, sedentary lifestyle, and alcohol use) account for a significant proportion of the reasons why individuals develop chronic diseases, and how those diseases progress. Changing health behaviors is therefore critical to reducing health care costs. This policy brief highlights the evidence and need for integrating behavioral health in the primary care setting.
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Diabetes: Measures of Quality of Care Should Include Patient-Centered Outcomes
Diabetes mellitus is a major medical, personal and public health problem. In 2006, the American Diabetes Association (ADA) estimated that 20.8 million people in the United States had diabetes. Among these, 14.6 million people have been diagnosed and 6.2 million people are unaware they have the condition. Another 41 million have "pre-diabetes" (American Diabetes Association, 2006). The proportion of the population with diabetes increases with age, and racial and ethnic groups including Native Americans, African-Americans, Hispanics, and Pacific Islanders are at increased risk.
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Childhood Obesity: Can Policy Changes Affect this Epidemic?
The health consequences of childhood obesity represent a significant public health challenge affecting children, parents, educators, health professionals, advocates, and policy makers. Since 1960, overweight prevalence rates among children and adolescents have increased more than threefold. (1) In 2003-2006, 16.3% of children and adolescents aged 2 through 19 years were at or above the 95th percentile and 31.9% were at or above the 85th percentile for age and sex based on the 2000 Centers for Disease Control (CDC) growth charts.
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