Medicine and Health Sciences Commons^™

The General Well-Being Of Recreational Drug Users: A Sub-Analysis Of The Drugnet Survey, Jennifer Reneau

Masters Theses & Specialist Projects

Issues related to substance use/abuse and mental health are significant public health concerns. Substance abuse is considered an individual and community mental health problem. The relationship between substance use and positive mental well-being, however, is less well understood. The purpose of this study was to describe the mental well-being of a sample of occasional, recreational drug users. Drugnet was an on-line survey of recreational drug use by non-deviant adults via the WWW. Volunteer subjects completed the survey over the internet between March and September 1997. Mental health was assessed utilizing the General Well-being Schedule (GWBS). A complete demographic profile of …

Triazine Herbicide Exposure And Breast Cancer Incidence: An Ecologic Study Of Kentucky Counties, Michele A. Kettles, Steven R. Browning, Timothy Scott Prince, Sanford W. Horstman

Preventive Medicine and Environmental Health Faculty Publications

The incidence of breast cancer in the United States has steadily increased for the past three decades. Exposure to excess estrogen, in both natural and synthetic forms, has been implicated as a risk factor for the development of this disease. Considerable interest has been focused on organochlorines, such as the triazine herbicides, and their possible role in the initiation or promotion of human breast cancer. To explore this relationship, an ecologic study of Kentucky counties was designed. Exposure to triazines was estimated by use of water contamination data, corn crop production, and pesticide use data. A summary index of triazine …

Managed Care Accreditation: Decoding The Acronyms, Randall K. Abbott, Joanne Gatti-Petito

Nursing Faculty Publications

While their health care plan's accreditation status is of increasing importance to employers, they are faced with a bewildering array of accreditation groups and standards. No accreditation organization can assure quality of care, but careful evaluation of accreditation standards, processes and results can help steer decision making in the right direction.

Farmer Crushed When Run Over By Tractor And Disc, Kentucky Injury Prevention And Research Center

Fatality Case Reports--Tractors/Logging

A 75-year-old farmer was killed when he was run over by a tractor and disc attachment. The farmer attempted to start the engine on a tractor while he stood on the ground beside it, a practice which was not unusual for him. The transmission had been left in gear and when the ignition was started the tractor lurched forward knocking the victim to the ground. The tractor continued to move forward, running over the victim. His wife went to search for him when she realized he had been gone from the house for quite some time. She found him in …

Use Of Rollover Protective Structures -- Iowa, Kentucky, New York, And Ohio, 1992-1997, Craig Zwerling, Leon Burmeister, S. Reynolds, Robert H. Mcknight, Steven R. Browning, Deborah Reed, John Wilkins Iii, T. Bean, L. Mitchell, Eric Hallman, John J. May, A. Stark

Preventive Medicine and Environmental Health Faculty Publications

Agriculture has one of the highest occupational fatality rates of all industries in the United States (1). Tractors and other types of agricultural equipment account for a large proportion of these fatalities, and farm-tractor rollovers account for approximately 130 work-related deaths each year in the United States (2). Although rollover protective structures (ROPS) are effective in protecting tractor operators from fatal injuries during rollovers (3-5), most tractors in the United States are not equipped with ROPS (4-7). Beginning in 1985, tractor manufacturers in the United Sates agreed to sell only tractors with ROPS; however, many older tractors without ROPS remain …

Condom Availability In New York City Public High Schools: Relationships To Condom Use And Sexual Behavior, Sally Guttmacher, Lisa D. Lieberman, David Ward, Nick Freudenberg, Alice Radosh, Don Des Jarlais

Department of Public Health Scholarship and Creative Works

OBJECTIVES: This study examines the impact of the condom availability program in New York City public high schools by comparing rates of sexual activity and condom use for New York students and similar students in Chicago. METHODS: A total of 7119 students from 12 randomly selected New York schools and 5738 students from 10 Chicago schools participated in a cross-sectional survey. RESULTS: New York students, compared with Chicago students, reported equal rates of sexual activity but higher rates of condom use at last intercourse (odds ratio [OR] = 1.36). For higher-risk students (those with three or more sexual partners in …

Condom Availability In New York City Public High Schools: Relationships To Condom Use And Sexual Behavior., Sally Guttmacher, Lisa D. Lieberman, David Ward, Nick Freudenberg, Alice Radosh, Don Des Jarlais

Department of Public Health Scholarship and Creative Works

OBJECTIVES: This study examines the impact of the condom availability program in New York City public high schools by comparing rates of sexual activity and condom use for New York students and similar students in Chicago.

METHODS: A total of 7119 students from 12 randomly selected New York schools and 5738 students from 10 Chicago schools participated in a cross-sectional survey.

RESULTS: New York students, compared with Chicago students, reported equal rates of sexual activity but higher rates of condom use at last intercourse (odds ratio [OR] = 1.36). For higher-risk students (those with three or more sexual partners in …

Attitudes Toward Sexuality And Sexual Behaviors Of Asian-American Adolescents: Implications For Risk Of Hiv Infection, Connie S. Chan

Institute for Asian American Studies Publications

Until 1990, Asian Americans represented an ethnic minority group that was perceived to be at lower risk than African Americans or Hispanics/Latinos for HIV infection, the presumed causal agent for AIDS. Reasons cited for this perception include behavioral differences in intravenous drug use, sexual behavioral habits, and underidentification of AIDS cases. However, in urban areas such as San Francisco, Toronto, New York, Boston, Los Angeles, and Seattle, where Asians have immigrated and settled in large numbers, cases of HIV infection and AIDS have begun to increase dramatically, perhaps reflecting the rise in the number of AIDS cases in Asia. In …

The Relationship Between Meaning In Life And The Occurrence Of Drug Abuse: An Epidemiological Retrospective Study, Ben Howard

Masters Theses & Specialist Projects

Humans have been using plant-derived drugs for as long as we have recorded history. Significant negative consequences related to drug abuse have occurred in the areas of health, social issues, family relations, legal systems, and economic productivity. The purpose of this study was to explore the relationship between meaning in life and drug abuse. An epidemiological, retrospective study was performed to compare personal meaning in life between individuals receiving inpatient treatment for drug abuse and a group of non-drug abusing controls. Study participants completed the Purpose-In-Life Test and Life Attitude Profile-Revised. On both instruments, the inpatient drug abusing subjects were …

A Preliminary Analysis Of Health Lifestyles Between International Students And American Students At Western Kentucky University, Mei Zhu

Masters Theses & Specialist Projects

The purpose of this research was to assess the lifestyle of international students at Western Kentucky University (WKU) and to compare the lifestyles of international and American students and subgroups of international students. The Lifestyle Questionnaire (LSQ), was a 26-item personal health lifestyle test, which had six sections (nutrition, exercise, smoking, alcohol and drugs, safety, and stress). The test-retest reliability of LSQ was evaluated by Pearson Correlation Coefficient (r) and was .89. During October and November 1997, 55 international students and 64 American students at WKU finished the LSQ. Significant differences were found between the American student group and the …

Rear Tractor Rollover Kills Farmer, Kentucky Injury Prevention And Research Center

Fatality Case Reports--Tractors/Logging

A 67-year-old male farmer (the victim) died when the tractor he was operating flipped over backward, pinning him between it and another tractor. He and his 13-year-old grandson had been working with a tractor and rotary mower, but got stuck in the mud of a creek bed; approximately one-third of the rear tractor tires were buried in mud. He had gotten a second tractor, attached a chain from the rear of it to the front of the first tractor, and had just begun to try and pull the tractor out when the incident occurred. From evidence at the scene it …

Tractor/Baler Operator Killed In Entanglement, Kentucky Injury Prevention And Research Center

Fatality Case Reports--Tractors/Logging

An 80-year-old full-time farmer died after being caught under a baler. The victim worked closely with his son on the 300-acre farm. He was working alone, driving a tractor with a baler attached, in an 8-acre field during a midafternoon in May. Having completed a portion of the field in the morning, the victim returned to the field after lunch to complete the task. Rain was forecast and the remainder of the field would take 4-5 hours to complete. The victim's son went to a nearby town to pick up parts for the round baler while the victim used a …

Logger Killed When Struck By Tree Limb During Hauling, Kentucky Injury Prevention And Research Center

Fatality Case Reports--Tractors/Logging

A 52-year-old male was killed on a logging site when a tree limb struck him in the back of the head. He had no previous logging experience and had been working with his friend who was a full-time logger for six days when the fatal incident occurred. The two men were working alone on the logging site and it was about 5:30 pm when they chained a load of three logs to the bulldozer to be dragged downhill to be loaded on a truck. A branch that was about 8 feet long and 4-5 inches in diameter stuck out of …

Farmer Killed When Tractor Slides Over Embankment While Mowing, Kentucky Injury Prevention And Research Center

Fatality Case Reports--Tractors/Logging

A 56-year-old part-time farmer was killed when the tractor he was driving overturned while mowing. Using a rotary mower attached to the John Deere 1520 tractor, the farmer mowed an area near the roadway that had a gradual downward slope. The tractor was not equipped with a Rollover Protective Structure (ROPS) or seatbelt. After mowing two rows, he made a left turn to begin the third pass when the back tire began to slip in the moist soil underneath the grass. Due to the momentum and weight of the tractor and attachment, the farmer was unable to stop the vehicle. …

!!Tractor Hazard Alert!!, Kentucky Injury Prevention And Research Center

Kentucky Haz Alerts--Tractors/Logging

Since January, at least six Kentucky farmers have been killed in tractor rollovers in which terrain changes caused by recent heavy rainfalls were a factor. In addition to mud and wet, slick grass, the rain created marshy areas and holes where none had been before; often these places are invisible due to weeds and tall grass.

Bulldozer Operator Killed In Rollover, Kentucky Injury Prevention And Research Center

Fatality Case Reports--Other

A 56-year-old bulldozer operator was killed while clearing land on a steep hillside. He was self-employed and used the John Deere 450C bulldozer that he owned for logging on his own property, as well as doing work for others when needed. He owned mountain property near his home and he used the bulldozer to clear a series of paths in the hills for logging. At approximately 8 pm on the day of the incident, he was using the bulldozer to clear a path leading downhill where he planned to put a sawmill. As he was grading, he backed the bulldozer …

Farmer Killed When Tractor Overturns On Embankment, Kentucky Injury Prevention And Research Center

Fatality Case Reports--Tractors/Logging

A 44-year-old cattle farmer was killed when the tricycle tractor he was operating overturned. As was his usual practice, the victim had backed the tractor out of the shed near his home, turned to the right and was driving forward, down the embankment to the road which led to the highway. His cattle barn and pasture were located a short distance from his house (1-2 miles), and he regularly drove the tractor there to tend the cattle. On this day, however, the tractor flipped as he came over the embankment, rolling onto the victim. He died at the scene. In …

Sawmill Worker Killed By Circular Saw, Kentucky Injury Prevention And Research Center

Fatality Case Reports--Other

A 32-year-old laborer (the victim) at a sawmill died as a result of injuries received when he lost his balance and fell onto the log carriage directly in front of the 56-inch circular saw. He had been using a cane hook to turn the logs for repeated passes through the saw. After hooking a log, he somehow lost his balance and fell backward onto the carriage; the saw cut him from his shoulders through his midsection. A co-worker (the sawyer) was present, but had been facing another direction and did not see the victim fall. When the sawyer turned around …

Farmer Killed When Tractor Turns Over, Kentucky Injury Prevention And Research Center

Fatality Case Reports--Tractors/Logging

A 56-year-old farmer was killed when the tricycle tractor he was operating on a hillside overturned. He had been going up and down the hill to bring loads of dirt in the tractor's front-end loader in order to bury a calf. The hillside was relatively steep, and the ground was wet from recent rains. As he attempted to turn with the loader filled and raised, the tractor rolled over several times, crushing the victim. He died at the scene. In order to prevent similar incidents, the FACE investigator recommends:

• Older tractors should be retrofitted with rollover protective structures (ROPS) and …

Logger Killed During Tree Felling, Kentucky Injury Prevention And Research Center

Fatality Case Reports--Tractors/Logging

A 61-year-old male logger was killed when he was hit by the tree he was felling. On the day of the incident, he was working on a steep mountainside with his son and another logger. At approximately 10 am, the victim was felling a tree approximately 14 inches in diameter. As viewed from the bottom of the hill, a small tree about 6 inches in diameter stood about 6 feet to the right of the tree that was being felled. Lying on the ground directly behind those two vertical trees was a log 4-5 inches in diameter; it lay perpendicular …

Ua66/14/4 Kentucky Partnership Newsletter, Vol. Iv, No. 2, Kentucky Partnership For Farm Family Health & Safety

University Organizations

Newsletter created by and about the Kentucky Partnership for Farm Family Health & Safety.

Farmer Killed On Tractor During Logging Operations, Kentucky Injury Prevention And Research Center

Fatality Case Reports--Tractors/Logging

A 21-year-old male was killed when he and his 19-year-old brother were engaged in logging activities their grandparents' farmland. They both had grown up helping with the family farm and for the last two years their primary source of income was cutting trees on the land to sell for firewood. After cutting down the trees, the normal routine was for the younger brother to operate the tractor to pull the trees to a clearing where they would be cut into pieces. Although the victim had experience operating tractors, he had never performed that particular task. Because there was no drawbar …

Pug Mill Operator Killed After Entanglement, Kentucky Injury Prevention And Research Center

Fatality Case Reports--Other

On November 19, 1996, a 25-­year­-old female pug mill operator at a brick manufacturing plant was killed after her clothing became caught in a rotating shaft. She was strangled as the rotating shaft tightened her clothing around her neck, restricting her airway. In order to prevent similar incidents from occurring, FACE investigators recommend:

• Machines with rotating parts should have guards to prevent worker contact
• Employers should designate a competent person to conduct regular safety inspections and coordinate routine safety and injury prevention meetings
• Employers should provide a kill switch (panic bar) within reach of the pug mill that stops the …

Where Do Elderly Veterans Obtain Care For Acute Myocardial Infarction: Department Of Veterans Affairs Or Medicare?, S M. Wright, J Daley, E S. Fisher, G E. Thibault

Dartmouth Scholarship

To examine Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) and Medicare hospitalizations for elderly veterans with acute myocardial infarction (AMI), their use of cardiac procedures in both systems, and patient mortality. DATA SOURCES: Merging of inpatient discharge abstracts obtained from VA Patient Treatment Files (PTF) and Medicare MedPAR Part A files. A retrospective cohort study of male veterans 65 years or older who were prior users of the VA medical system (veteran-users) and who were initially admitted to a VA or Medicare hospital with a primary diagnosis of AMI at some time from January 1, 1988 through December 31, 1990 (N = …

Ua25/2 Connections, Wku Human Resources

WKU Archives Records

Newsletter created by WKU Human Resources for the faculty and staff of WKU regarding personnel issues and benefits.

Prenatal Cocaine Exposure And Mother–Infant Interaction: Implications For Occupational Therapy Intervention, Heather Miller-Kuhaneck

Occupational Therapy Faculty Publications

The literature from multiple disciplines on in utero cocaine exposure and mother–infant interaction and attachment was examined for possible relationships and implications for occupational therapists. Maternal cocaine use and neurobehavioral deficits in neonates prenatally exposed to cocaine may result in interactional difficulties between mother and infant. Knowledge of child development, sensory regulation, and infant cues will enable therapists to assist the mother in creating positive interactive experiences between herself and her child.

Logger Killed When Struck By Tree, Kentucky Injury Prevention And Research Center

Fatality Case Reports--Tractors/Logging

A 59-year-old male was killed when he was struck by a tree while logging on a mountainside. The victim was working with two other men doing contract work for a local lumber company. All three men were full-time loggers and had many years of experience. On the morning of the incident, the men were working on a steep mountainside. One logger was working at the top of the hill operating a skidder that he owned to pull the cut trees up the hill. At the time of the incident, the victim was working about 30-35 feet from the top of …

City Of Gardner, Massachusetts Inventory Of Existing And Removed Tanks, Center For Economic Development

Center for Economic Development Technical Reports

The purpose of this project is to provide the City of Gardner with a list of contaminated sites in the Rear Main Street Area. During the past month, I have been researching potential brownfield locations within this corridor, and inputting them into a working database. Overall, the problem identified is that the city has little knowledge of how much land is contaminated within its city. Therefore, the goal of my project was to identify the parcels in the Rear Main Street Area that have been contaminated with hazardous materials.

The Prevalence Of Child Sexual Abuse: Integrative Review Adjustment For Potential Response And Measurement Biases, Kevin M. Gorey

Social Work Publications

This integrative review synthesizes the finding of 16 cross-sectional surveys (25 hypotheses) on the prevalence of child abuse among nonclinical, North American samples. It is essentially a research literature on sexual abuse; only one of the studies assessed physical abuse, and there has not yet been a single study of prevalent child emotional abuse nor neglect. The following summative inferences were made: (1) response rates diminished significantly over time, M = 68% prior to 1985 and M = 49% for more recent surveys, p < .05; (2) unadjusted estimates of the prevalent experience among women and men of childhood sexual abuse was 22.3% and 8.5%, respectively; (3) study response rates and child abuse operational definitions together accounted for half of the observed variability in their abuse prevalence estimates, R2 = .500, p < .05; (4) female and male child sexual abuse prevalence estimates adjusted for response rates (60% or more) were respectively, 16.8% and 7.9%, and adjusted for operational definitions (excluding the broadest, noncontact category) they were 14.5% and 7.2%; (5) after adjustment for response rates and definitions, the prevalence of child sexual abuse was not found to vary significantly over the three decades reviewed. Given the large human costs, both personal and social, of child abuse, and the identified gap in the requisite knowledge needed to steer effective preventive and treatment interventions, it is time to invest in a large, methodologically rigorous, population-based study of child abuse which, if it does nothing else, spares no expense in ensuring very high participation.

Hazard Communication: A Review Of The Science Underpinning The Art Of Communication For Health And Safety, Barbara Sattler, B Lippy, T Jordan

Nursing and Health Professions Faculty Research and Publications

This report was commissioned by the United States Occupational Safety and Health Administration to review the state of scientific inquiry supporting our knowledge regarding key elements of chemical hazard communication programs: labeling, warnings, material safety data sheets, and worker training. This endeavor supports the international effort to harmonize laws, regulations, and consensus standards affecting the ways in which information about hazardous chemicals is communicated. The international effort can be divided into three major functions: classifying health and environmental hazards, classifying physical hazards; and communicating hazard information. This last component involves the determination of what information will be communicated to users …