Arch Intern Med. 2005 Dec 12;165(22)

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Hi All,

The below may interest us in the pdfs-available below papers in Arch Intern Med.

2005 Dec 12;165(22), but not Medline yet.

First, there is an apparently free-to-all paper on whom the people rely on for

information regarding medical conditions. Internet use is the major source, it

seems, as opposed to doctors, who were more trusted.

In This Issue of Archives of Internal Medicine

Arch Intern Med. 2005;165:2555.

Trust and Sources of Health Information

The environment in which patients consume medical information is in flux as

health

information becomes more common online and patients adopt a more proactive

approach

to medical decision making. Hesse et al used baseline data from the Health

Information National Trends Survey (a nationally representative telephone survey

sponsored by the National Institutes of Health) to analyze trust and use

patterns

across different communication channels in the new environment. Indicators of

trust

were shown to be highest for physicians as a valued source of information, but

indicators of use showed a predilection toward using the Internet as the

information

source of first resort.

Trust and Sources of Health Information

The Impact of the Internet and Its Implications for Health Care Providers:

Findings

From the First Health Information National Trends Survey

Bradford W. Hesse, PhD; E. , MD, MPH; L. Kreps, PhD; T.

Croyle, PhD; Neeraj K. Arora, PhD; Barbara K. Rimer, PhD; Kasisomayajula

Viswanath,

PhD

Arch Intern Med. 2005;165:2618-2624.

ABSTRACT

Background The context in which patients consume health information has changed

dramatically with diffusion of the Internet, advances in telemedicine, and

changes

in media health coverage. The objective of this study was to provide nationally

representative estimates for health-related uses of the Internet, level of trust

in

health information sources, and preferences for cancer information sources.

Methods Data from the Health Information National Trends Survey were used. A

total

of 6369 persons 18 years or older were studied. The main outcome measures were

online health activities, levels of trust, and source preference.

Results Analyses indicated that 63.0% (95% confidence interval [CI],

61.7%-64.3%)

of the US adult population in 2003 reported ever going online, with 63.7% (95%

CI,

61.7%-65.8%) of the online population having looked for health information for

themselves or others at least once in the previous 12 months. Despite newly

available communication channels, physicians remained the most highly trusted

information source to patients, with 62.4% (95% CI, 60.8%-64.0%) of adults

expressing a lot of trust in their physicians. When asked where they preferred

going

for specific health information, 49.5% (95% CI, 48.1%-50.8%) reported wanting to

go

to their physicians first. When asked where they actually went, 48.6% (95% CI,

46.1%-51.0%) reported going online first, with only 10.9% (95% CI, 9.5%-12.3%)

going

to their physicians first.

Conclusion The Health Information National Trends Survey data portray a

tectonic

shift in the ways in which patients consume health and medical information, with

more patients looking for information online before talking with their

physicians.

http://archinte.ama-assn.org.qe2a-proxy.mun.ca/cgi/content/full/165/22/2618

Tea consumption associated with much less ovarian cancer. Being a prospective

study

was good.

In This Issue of Archives of Internal Medicine

Arch Intern Med. 2005;165:2555.

Tea Consumption and Ovarian Cancer Risk in a Population-Based Cohort

Evidence from laboratory studies indicates that green and black tea preparations

may

protect against various cancers. The possible protective role of tea consumption

against the development of ovarian cancer in humans is unclear. This study

prospectively examined tea consumption in relation to the risk of ovarian cancer

in

a population-based cohort of 61,057 women. The authors ascertained 301 incident

cases of invasive epithelial ovarian cancer during an average follow-up of 15.1

years. After controlling for relevant risk factors, compared with women who

never or

seldom consumed tea, those who consumed 2 or more cups of tea per day had a 46%

lower risk of ovarian cancer (rate ratio, 0.54). These findings suggest that tea

consumption may lower the risk of ovarian cancer.

Tea Consumption and Ovarian Cancer Risk in a Population-Based Cohort

na C. Larsson, MSc; Alicja Wolk, DMSc

Arch Intern Med. 2005;165:2683-2686.

ABSTRACT

Background Substantial evidence from laboratory studies indicates that green

and

black tea preparations may protect against various cancers. Few epidemiologic

studies, however, have examined the relationship specifically between tea

consumption and risk of ovarian cancer.

Methods We prospectively examined the association between tea consumption and

risk

of ovarian cancer in 61,057 women aged 40 to 76 years who were participants in

the

population-based Swedish Mammography Cohort. Participants completed a validated

67-item food frequency questionnaire at enrollment between 1987 and 1990 and

were

followed for cancer incidence through December 2004.

Results During an average follow-up of 15.1 years, 301 incident cases of

invasive

epithelial ovarian cancer were ascertained. Tea consumption was inversely

associated

with the risk of ovarian cancer after controlling for potential confounders (P

for

trend, .03). Compared with women who never or seldom (less than monthly)

consumed

tea, the multivariate hazard ratios for those who consumed less than 1 cup per

day,

1 cup per day, and 2 or more cups per day were 0.82 (95% confidence interval

[CI],

0.62-1.08), 0.76 (95% CI, 0.56-1.04), and 0.54 (95% CI, 0.31-0.91),

respectively.

Each additional cup of tea per day was associated with an 18% lower risk of

ovarian

cancer (multivariate hazard ratio, 0.82; 95% CI, 0.68-0.99).

Conclusion These results suggest that tea consumption is associated with a

reduced

risk of epithelial ovarian cancer in a dose-response manner.

" ... The models were stratified by age in months and the year of

recruitment.

The multivariate models were also simultaneously controlled for body mass index,

education, parity, use of oral contraceptives, and intakes of total energy,

fruit,

vegetables, milk, liquor, beer, wine, and coffee. ... "

The importance of sleep for health is to be the subject in the journal in the

future. Sweet dreams.

Al Pater, PhD; email: old542000@...

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