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Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease Surveillance --- United States, 1971--2000, David M. Mannino, David M. Homa, Lara J. Akinbami, Earl S. Ford, Stephen C. Redd

David M. Mannino

PROBLEM/CONDITION:

Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) includes chronic bronchitis and emphysema but has been defined recently as the physiologic finding of nonreversible pulmonary function impairment. This surveillance summary reports trends in different measures of COPD during 1971-2000.

REPORTING PERIOD COVERED:

This report presents national data regarding objectively determined COPD (1971-1994); COPD-associated activity and functional limitations (1980-1996); self-reported COPD prevalence, COPD physician office and hospital outpatient department visits, COPD hospitalizations, and COPD deaths (1980-2000); and COPD emergency department visits (1992-2000).

DESCRIPTION OF SYSTEMS:

The Centers for Disease Control's National Center for Health Statistics conducts the National Health Interview Survey annually, which …

Instant Messaging Reference: Users' Evaluation Of Library Chat, Margie Ruppel, Jody Fagan

Margie Ruppel

This article analyzes survey results of university students who used Morris Messenger, the instant messaging (IM) reference service at Southern Illinois University Carbondale's Morris Library. It focuses on the complete results of two surveys, including a comparison of IM reference and traditional reference desk experiences. An overview of the IM reference system and usage data are also discussed. Survey respondents indicated overall enthusiasm for the IM reference service and provided useful suggestions for improvements, which are also listed.

Rock-Salting The Slippery Slope: Why Same-Sex Marriage Is Not A Commitment To Polygamous Marriage, James M. Donovan

James M. Donovan

E.J. Graff has documented how any change in the marriage rules inevitably leads to predications of apocalyptic cries warning of "death of marriage and civilization itself." The conservative fit over the possibility of the social acceptance of same-sex marriage therefore has an ancient if repetitive script. Still, the "threat" of same-sex marriage poses for conservatives at least one atypical wrinkle. Unlike discussions of equal or even greater rancor, that raging over same-sex marriage forces its opponents to treat with special delicacy. In the case of abortion, opponents are able to argue in absolute terms: abortion is wrong, period, even if …

Surveillance For Asthma - United States, 1980-1999, David M. Mannino, David M. Homa, Lara J. Akinbami, Jeanne E. Moorman, Charon Gwynn, Stephen C. Redd

David M. Mannino

Problem/Condition: Asthma, a chronic disease occurring among both children and adults, has been the focus of clinical and public health interventions during recent years. In addition, CDC has outlined a strategy to improve the timeliness and geographic specificity of asthma surveillance as part of a comprehensive public health approach to asthma surveillance.

Reporting Period Covered: This report presents national data regarding self-reported asthma prevalence, school and work days lost because of asthma, and asthma-associated activity limitations (1980--1996); asthma-associated outpatient visits, asthma-associated hospitalizations, and asthma-associated deaths (1980--1999); asthma-associated emergency department visits (1992--1999); and self-reported asthma episodes or attacks (1997--1999).

Description of …

Implicit Religion And The Curvilinear Relationship Between Religion And Death Anxiety, James M. Donovan

James M. Donovan

Debate over the relationship of religion to death anxiety has included the opposing views of Malinowski, who held that religion lessened death anxiety, and Radcliffe-Brown, who argued that religion increased death anxiety. Homans' theoretical synthesis of these viewpoints was tested by Leming, who concluded that the empirical relationship was curvilinear, meaning that both high and low religious involvements resulted in low death anxiety while middle-range attachments did not.

Reconsideration of this result argues that the presence of death anxiety is not dependent upon social learning, and that either high or low levels of theism leads to the resolution of anxiety …