Current Issue February 2012, Vol. 42, No. 2

Assessing the Value of Team Science: A Study Comparing Center- and Investigator-Initiated Grants
   Large cross-disciplinary scientific teams are increasingly prominent in research, and a study by Hall and colleagues suggests they're quite productive. The authors compared the productivity and impact of such center-based transdisciplinary team science initiatives to traditional investigator-initiated grants in the same field. They found that, after an initial lag period, the transdisciplinary grants had higher overall publication rates than the investigator-initiated grants. MORE

In an accompanying editorial, Rimer hails the study as "an important milestone in documenting the potential value of investments in transdisciplinary-team science." MORE

Assessing the Built Environment Using Omnidirectional Imagery
   Observational audits are often used in public health research to collect data on built environment characteristics that affect health-related behaviors and outcomes, including physical activity and weight. But they are expensive to conduct. Wilson and colleagues found that remote imaging technology, like Google Street View, can be used in place of field audits to measure several key built environment characteristics important to public health studies.  MORE

A Conflict Between Nutritionally Adequate Diets and Meeting the 2010 Dietary Guidelines for Sodium
Photo courtesy www.cdc.gov
Drewnowski and Maillot report that it isn't easy to follow a nutritionally adequate diet and also comply with guidelines for sodium intake. The authors note that for half of the U.S. population, 2010 dietary guidelines for sodium were set at 1,500 mg/d. Yet to meet this standard, the study concludes, will require large deviations from current eating behaviors and/or a profound modification of the U.S. food supply.  MORE

Prioritization of Evidence-Based Preventive Health Services During Periodic Health ExaminationsPhoto courtesy www.nih.gov
A report by LaFata and colleagues examines why the delivery of preventive services sometimes falls short of recommended guidelines. The authors found that, of the various guideline-recommended preventive services that patients in one health care system were due to receive, only 54% were delivered overall. Of the 19 guideline-recommended services, the most likely to be suggested or delivered to patients were colorectal cancer, hypertension and breast cancer screening; least likely were aspirin use counseling, vision screening and influenza vaccination.  MORE

Exergaming and Older Adult Cognition: A Cluster Randomized Clinical Trial
Dementia is a growing problem worldwide, and although exercise is known to have cognitive benefits, few older adults exercise. Anderson-Hanley and colleagues examined whether virtual reality-enhanced exercise, or "exergames," can make exercise more interesting for older adults. They found that such an approach can indeed yield a greater cognitive benefit than traditional exercise alone.  MORE

Promoting Routine Stair Use: Evaluating the Impact of a Stair Prompt Across Buildings
Lee and colleagues report that a public health campaign encouraging people to walk rather than take an elevator worked by just putting up a poster. The sign, posted in New York City buildings, said Burn Calories, Not Electricity.

U.S. Hookah Tobacco Smoking Establishments Advertised on the Internet
Photo courtesy www.cdc.gov
Primak and colleagues report that establishments dedicated to hookah tobacco smoking have recently proliferated and helped introduce hookah use to numerous U.S. communities. They found that some web sites might play a role in enhancing or propagating misinformation related to hookah tobacco smoking and say health education and policy measures can help to counter such misinformation.  MORE