Maureen G. Phipps

Screening for Colorectal Cancer: US Preventive Services Task Force Recommendation Statement

IMPORTANCE Colorectal cancer is the second leading cause of cancer death in the United States. In 2016, an estimated 134,000 persons will be diagnosed with the disease, and about 49,000 will die from it. Colorectal cancer is most frequently diagnosed among adults aged 65 to 74 years; the median age at death from colorectal cancer is 68 years. OBJECTIVE To update the 2008 US Preventive Services Task Force (USPSTF) recommendation on screening for colorectal cancer. EVIDENCE REVIEW The USPSTF reviewed the evidence on the effectiveness of screening with colonoscopy, flexible sigmoidoscopy, computed tomography colonography, the guaiac-based fecal occult blood test, the fecal immunochemical test, the multitargeted stool DNA test, and the methylated SEPT9 DNA test in reducing the incidence of and mortality from colorectal cancer or all-cause mortality; the harms of these screening tests; and the test performance characteristics of these tests for detecting adenomatous polyps, advanced adenomas based on size, or both, as well as colorectal cancer. The USPSTF also commissioned a comparative modeling study to provide information on optimal starting and stopping ages and screening intervals across the different available screening methods. FINDINGS The USPSTF concludes with high certainty that screening for colorectal cancer in average-risk, asymptomatic adults aged 50 to 75 years is of substantial net benefit. Multiple screening strategies are available to choose from, with different levels of evidence to support their effectiveness, as well as unique advantages and limitations, although there are no empirical data to demonstrate that any of the reviewed strategies provide a greater net benefit. Screening for colorectal cancer is a substantially underused preventive health strategy in the United States. CONCLUSIONS AND RECOMMENDATIONS The USPSTF recommends screening for colorectal cancer starting at age 50 years and continuing until age 75 years (A recommendation). The decision to screen for colorectal cancer in adults aged 76 to 85 years should be an individual one, taking into account the patients overall health and prior screening history (C recommendation).

Screening for Depression in Adults: US Preventive Services Task Force Recommendation Statement

DESCRIPTION Update of the 2009 US Preventive Services Task Force (USPSTF) recommendation on screening for depression in adults. METHODS The USPSTF reviewed the evidence on the benefits and harms of screening for depression in adult populations, including older adults and pregnant and postpartum women; the accuracy of depression screening instruments; and the benefits and harms of depression treatment in these populations. POPULATION This recommendation applies to adults 18 years and older. RECOMMENDATION The USPSTF recommends screening for depression in the general adult population, including pregnant and postpartum women. Screening should be implemented with adequate systems in place to ensure accurate diagnosis, effective treatment, and appropriate follow-up. (B recommendation).

Randomized trial of a behavioral intervention to prevent excessive gestational weight gain: the Fit for Delivery Study

BACKGROUND Excessive weight gain during pregnancy is a major risk factor for postpartum weight retention and future weight gain and obesity in women, but few adequately powered randomized controlled trials have examined the efficacy of a behavioral weight-control intervention during pregnancy. OBJECTIVE This study examined whether a behavioral intervention during pregnancy could decrease the proportion of women who exceeded the 1990 Institute of Medicine (IOM) recommendations for gestational weight gains and increase the proportion of women who returned to pregravid weights by 6 mo postpartum. DESIGN This study was a randomized, assessor-blind, controlled trial. Participants were pregnant (13.5 wk gestation), normal-weight (NW; n = 201) and overweight or obese (OW/OB; n = 200) women whose average age was 28.8 y. Participants were randomly assigned within the 1990 IOM weight category (NW compared with OW/OB) to standard care (n = 200) or to a behavioral intervention to prevent excessive gestational weight gain (n = 201). The intervention included one face-to-face visit; weekly mailed materials that promoted an appropriate weight gain, healthy eating, and exercise; individual graphs of weight gain; and telephone-based feedback. The retention at the 6-mo postpartum assessment was 82%. RESULTS Intent-to-treat analyses showed that the intervention, compared with standard care, decreased the percentage of NW women who exceeded IOM recommendations (40.2% compared with 52.1%; P = 0.003) and increased the percentages of NW and OW/OB women who returned to their pregravid weights or below by 6 mo postpartum (30.7% compared with 18.7%; P = 0.005). CONCLUSION A low-intensity behavioral intervention during pregnancy reduced excessive gestational weight gains in NW women and prevented postpartum weight retention in NW and OW/OB women. This trial was registered at clinicaltrials.gov as NCT01117961.

Statin Use for the Primary Prevention of Cardiovascular Disease in Adults: US Preventive Services Task Force Recommendation Statement

Importance Cardiovascular disease (CVD) is the leading cause of morbidity and mortality in the United States, accounting for 1 of every 3 deaths among adults. Objective To update the 2008 US Preventive Services Task Force (USPSTF) recommendation on screening for lipid disorders in adults. Evidence Review The USPSTF reviewed the evidence on the benefits and harms of screening for and treatment of dyslipidemia in adults 21 years and older; the benefits and harms of statin use in reducing CVD events and mortality in adults without a history of CVD events; whether the benefits of statin use vary by subgroup, clinical characteristics, or dosage; and the benefits of various treatment strategies in adults 40 years and older without a history of CVD events. Conclusions and Recommendations The USPSTF recommends initiating use of low- to moderate-dose statins in adults aged 40 to 75 years without a history of CVD who have 1 or more CVD risk factors (dyslipidemia, diabetes, hypertension, or smoking) and a calculated 10-year CVD event risk of 10% or greater (B recommendation). The USPSTF recommends that clinicians selectively offer low- to moderate-dose statins to adults aged 40 to 75 years without a history of CVD who have 1 or more CVD risk factors and a calculated 10-year CVD event risk of 7.5% to 10% (C recommendation). The USPSTF concludes that the current evidence is insufficient to assess the balance of benefits and harms of initiating statin use in adults 76 years and older (I statement).

Screening for High Blood Pressure in Adults: U.S. Preventive Services Task Force Recommendation Statement

DESCRIPTION Update of the 2007 U.S. Preventive Services Task Force (USPSTF) reaffirmation recommendation statement on screening for high blood pressure in adults. METHODS The USPSTF reviewed the evidence on the diagnostic accuracy of different methods for confirming a diagnosis of hypertension after initial screening and the optimal rescreening interval for diagnosing hypertension. POPULATION This recommendation applies to adults aged 18 years or older without known hypertension. RECOMMENDATION The USPSTF recommends screening for high blood pressure in adults aged 18 years or older. (A recommendation) The USPSTF recommends obtaining measurements outside of the clinical setting for diagnostic confirmation before starting treatment.

Defining early adolescent childbearing.

OBJECTIVES This study determined the age group for the case definition of early adolescent childbearing based on rates of adverse clinical outcomes. METHODS We examined rates of infant mortality, very low birthweight (<1500 g), and very preterm delivery (<32 weeks) per 1000 live births for all US singleton first births (n = 768 029) to women aged 12 to 23 years in the 1995 US birth cohort. RESULTS Rates of infant mortality, very low birthweight, and very preterm delivery were graphed by maternal age. In all 3 cases, the inflection point below which the rate of poor birth outcome is lower and begins to stabilize is at 16 years; therefore, mothers 15 years and younger were grouped together to determine the case definition of early adolescent childbearing. The inflection points were similar when outcomes were stratified by the 3 largest US racial/ethnic groups (non-Hispanic White, non-Hispanic Black, and Mexican American). CONCLUSIONS From this population-based analysis of birth outcomes, we conclude that early adolescent childbearing is best defined as giving birth at 15 years or younger.

Young maternal age associated with increased risk of postneonatal death

OBJECTIVE To determine whether full‐term, healthy infants born to early adolescent mothers (15 years old and younger) are at higher risk of postneonatal death compared with infants of adult mothers. METHODS We combined the comprehensive 1996 and 1997 United States birth cohorts to compare postneonatal mortality rates among maternal age groups. With postneonatal death as our main outcome measure, we used multivariable logistic regression to model adjusted odds ratios. RESULTS The postneonatal mortality rate for infants born to mothers 15 years old and younger was substantially higher (3.2 per 1000) than that of infants born to mothers 23–29 years old (0.8 per 1000) and remained substantially higher after adjusting for maternal race or ethnicity. Even after adjusting for maternal race or ethnicity, prenatal care utilization, and marital status, infants born to early adolescent mothers had a three‐fold higher risk (odds ratio 3.0, 95% confidence interval 2.5, 3.6) of postneonatal death compared with adult mothers. CONCLUSION Healthy infants born to early adolescent mothers are at increased risk of postneonatal death. Many of these deaths are potentially preventable; therefore, developing targeted postnatal support services specifically designed to address the needs of healthy infants born to adolescent mothers might have a positive effect on the lives of these children.

Practitioner advice and gestational weight gain.

BACKGROUND The purpose of this study was to investigate receipt of gestational weight gain advice in prenatal care and ideal and expected gestational weight gain outcomes for normal weight and overweight/obese women. METHODS This was a cross-sectional study of normal weight (n = 203) and overweight/obese (n = 198) women in early (<16 weeks) pregnancy. RESULTS Less than half of participants (41.7%) reported receiving weight gain advice from a practitioner. In multivariate models, pregravid weight status was not significantly related to receiving advice. However, women with lower income (odds ratio [OR] 0.31, 95% confidence interval [CI] 0.13-0.77, p = 0.01), younger age (OR 0.93, 95% CI 0.87-0.99, p = 0.02), and multiparity (OR 0.49, 95% CI 0.28-0.87, p = 0.02) were least likely to report receiving advice. Among those receiving advice, most (85%) received accurate advice; however, overweight/obese women were more likely to be advised to overgain compared with normal weight women (22.2% vs. 2.3%, p = 0.0001). Overweight/obese women were also more likely than normal weight women to report ideal (OR 7.2, 95% CI 2.3-22.7, p = 0.001) and expected (OR 4.7, 95% CI 2.6-8.4, p = 0.0001) pregnancy weight gains above Institute of Medicine guidelines. Further, a consistent relationship was observed between higher ideal and expected weight gains and greater first trimester weight gain (p < 0.03). CONCLUSIONS Clinicians should be encouraged to provide timely and accurate advice to women about gestational weight gain. Interventions to promote healthy gestational weight gain may benefit from targeting womens beliefs about ideal and expected gestational weight gain.

Screening for Vitamin D Deficiency in Adults: U.S. Preventive Services Task Force Recommendation Statement

DESCRIPTION New USPSTF recommendation on screening for vitamin D deficiency in adults. METHODS The USPSTF reviewed the evidence on screening for and treatment of vitamin D deficiency, including the benefits and harms of screening and early treatment. POPULATION This recommendation applies to community-dwelling, nonpregnant adults aged 18 years or older who are seen in primary care settings and are not known to have signs or symptoms of vitamin D deficiency or conditions for which vitamin D treatment is recommended. RECOMMENDATION The USPSTF concludes that the current evidence is insufficient to assess the balance of benefits and harms of screening for vitamin D deficiency in asymptomatic adults. (I statement).

Screening for Obesity in Children and Adolescents: US Preventive Services Task Force Recommendation Statement

Importance Based on year 2000 Centers for Disease Control and Prevention growth charts, approximately 17% of children and adolescents aged 2 to 19 years in the United States have obesity, and almost 32% of children and adolescents are overweight or have obesity. Obesity in children and adolescents is associated with morbidity such as mental health and psychological issues, asthma, obstructive sleep apnea, orthopedic problems, and adverse cardiovascular and metabolic outcomes (eg, high blood pressure, abnormal lipid levels, and insulin resistance). Children and adolescents may also experience teasing and bullying behaviors based on their weight. Obesity in childhood and adolescence may continue into adulthood and lead to adverse cardiovascular outcomes or other obesity-related morbidity, such as type 2 diabetes. Subpopulation Considerations Although the overall rate of child and adolescent obesity has stabilized over the last decade after increasing steadily for 3 decades, obesity rates continue to increase in certain populations, such as African American girls and Hispanic boys. These racial/ethnic differences in obesity prevalence are likely a result of both genetic and nongenetic factors (eg, socioeconomic status, intake of sugar-sweetened beverages and fast food, and having a television in the bedroom). Objective To update the 2010 US Preventive Services Task Force (USPSTF) recommendation on screening for obesity in children 6 years and older. Evidence Review The USPSTF reviewed the evidence on screening for obesity in children and adolescents and the benefits and harms of weight management interventions. Findings Comprehensive, intensive behavioral interventions (≥26 contact hours) in children and adolescents 6 years and older who have obesity can result in improvements in weight status for up to 12 months; there is inadequate evidence regarding the effectiveness of less intensive interventions. The harms of behavioral interventions can be bounded as small to none, and the harms of screening are minimal. Therefore, the USPSTF concluded with moderate certainty that screening for obesity in children and adolescents 6 years and older is of moderate net benefit. Conclusions and Recommendation The USPSTF recommends that clinicians screen for obesity in children and adolescents 6 years and older and offer or refer them to comprehensive, intensive behavioral interventions to promote improvements in weight status. (B recommendation)