Objective: Firearm access is a risk factor for U.S. teen firearm injuries. We explore parental firearm rules for teens to inform prevention strategies.
Methods: Nationally representative web-based survey (6/2020-7/2020) among U.S. parents of teens (ages 14-18; N = 2727) to estimate what proportion of parents maintain rules for teens, characterize these rules, and examine factors associated with having rules. Bivariate and multivariate analyses were performed.
Results: Overall, 17.6% of parents never discussed firearm rules with their teen. For those with rules, 48.2% prohibited access, 42.8% allowed supervised access, and 8.9% allowed unsupervised access. Multivariable regression showed establishing rules was less likely among male parents (AOR = 0.63) and more likely among those reporting higher parental monitoring (AOR = 1.99), household firearm ownership (AOR = 3.99), and teen safety training (AOR = 4.40). Ordinal regression identified parents with permissive access rules were more likely male (AOR = 1.56), non-Hispanic White (AOR = 1.58), with teens that received safety training (AOR = 10.22); while parents of younger children (ages <10; AOR = 0.66) and reporting greater parental monitoring (AOR = 0.58) were less likely to have permissive rules.
Conclusions: Nearly 20% of U.S. parents lack firearm rules for teens. Among those with rules, many parents allow unsupervised access. Interventions should engage both firearm-owning and non-owning families to prevent teen firearm injuries.
Objective: To examine whether the presence and strength of child access prevention (CAP) laws are associated with secure firearm storage among households with children and whether overall state firearm policy restrictiveness moderates these associations.
Methods: We linked Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System data (2021-2024) with three firearm law databases. The sample included 26,466 firearm owners with children in households across 24 U.S. states. Unsecure storage was defined as having at least one loaded and unlocked firearm in the home. Logistic regression models estimated the odds of unsecure storage associated with CAP laws, state firearm policy restrictiveness, and their interaction.
Results: Overall, 7.0% of households in CAP states stored at least one firearm loaded and unlocked, compared to 11.8% in non-CAP states. After adjusting for covariates, the association between CAP laws and unsecure storage varied by state firearm policy restrictiveness: CAP laws were linked to a greater reduction in unsecure storage in states with less restrictive policy environments.
Conclusions: CAP laws may play an important role in promoting secure storage in states where broader firearm policy supports are limited. Further research is needed to understand how CAP laws might operate across differing state policy contexts to affect child safety.
Objectives: The Planetary Health Diet (PHD) is associated with lower mortality and cardiovascular disease (CVD) risk, but evidence on specific CVD subtypes and risk patterns across the full range of adherence remains limited. To assess associations between PHD adherence and all-cause mortality, cardiovascular mortality, and CVDs, and to evaluate dose-response relationships.
Methods: We searched four databases from inception to January 2026 for prospective cohort studies in adults. Hazard ratios were pooled using random-effects models for highest vs. lowest adherence. Bayesian hierarchical dose-response models with centered RIDIT scores assessed graded associations. Study quality and evidence certainty were evaluated using the Newcastle-Ottawa Scale and NutriGrade.
Results: 23 studies were included. Highest adherence was associated with reduced risk of all-cause mortality (17%), cardiovascular mortality (16%), and total CVDs (18%). Dose-response analyses revealed risk reductions beginning at quintile 3 for all-cause mortality and total CVDs, and at quintile 4 for cardiovascular mortality. Highest adherence was associated with lower risks of coronary heart disease, ischemic heart disease, heart failure, and atrial fibrillation, but not myocardial infarction. Most studies were of high quality; the meta-evidence ranged from moderate to high.
Conclusions: Randomized trials are needed to confirm causality and assess clinical effectiveness.
Objective: This review aimed to provide the first comprehensive assessment of cervical cancer prevention initiatives across the Eastern Mediterranean Region (EMR).
Methods: We systematically searched PubMed on March 20, 2025, screened relevant literature, supplemented findings with WHO and HPV Information Centre data, and extracted country-level information on HPV vaccination and cervical cancer screening policies and practices in the EMR.
Results: Of 22 member countries, only eight have national HPV vaccination programs, and just seven offer cervical cancer screening, all of which are opportunistic and based on cytology, an obsolete technology. Barriers include limited public awareness, inadequate engagement of healthcare providers, and underdeveloped healthcare infrastructure. The review also highlights promising innovations such as HPV self-sampling to enhance screening accessibility and feasibility, and DNA methylation markers to improve detection accuracy and risk stratification.
Conclusions: Cervical cancer prevention initiatives across the EMR remains insufficient. This review emphasizes the need for greater coordinated efforts to address the growing burden of cervical cancer in the region, strengthen prevention efforts, and enhance healthcare infrastructure. Bridging these gaps requires strengthened systems, expanded access, and multi-stakeholder advocacy and coordinated policies to reduce the region's cervical cancer burden.
Objective: This study aimed to examine the dose-response relationships between different exercise modalities and blood pressure reduction in individuals after stroke or transient ischemic attack METHODS: Searches were performed in PubMed (1946), Web of Science (1975), Cochrane CENTRAL (1992), and EMBASE (1971) from inception up to December 10, 2025. Exercise dose was calculated as the product of duration, frequency, and intensity, expressed in metabolic equivalents of task minutes per week (METs-min/week).
Results: A total of 25 studies were included in the review. Aerobic exercise produced the greatest reductions in systolic blood pressure (SBP) at 590 METs-min/week (-3.79 mmHg, 95% CrI: -5.95, -1.86) and diastolic blood pressure (DBP) at 520 METs-min/week (-1.91 mmHg, 95% CrI: -3.56, -0.33). For combined aerobic and resistance training, the optimal doses were 780 METs-min/week for SBP (-7 mmHg, 95% CrI: -10.05, -3.87) and 660 METs-min/week for DBP (-3.58 mmHg, 95% CrI: -6.04, -1.23). Relative ranking analyses indicated that combined aerobic and resistance training at 780 METs-min/week and 660 METs-min/week produced the greatest reductions in SBP and DBP, respectively.
Conclusions: These findings support evidence-based exercise prescriptions for blood pressure management in this high-risk population.

