Medicine and Health Sciences Commons^™

The Association Between Graduated Driver Licensing Laws And Travel Behaviors Among Adolescents: An Analysis Of Us National Household Travel Surveys, Motao Zhu, Peter Cummings, Songzhu Zhao, Thomas Rice

Faculty & Staff Scholarship

Background: Young novice drivers have crash rates higher than any other age group. To address this problem, graduated driver licensing (GDL) laws have been implemented in the United States to require an extended learner permit phase, and create night time driving or passenger restrictions for adolescent drivers. GDL allows adolescents to gain experience driving under low-risk conditions with the aim of reducing crashes. The restricted driving might increase riding with parents or on buses, which might be safer, or walking or biking, which might be more dangerous. We examined whether GDL increases non-driver travels, and whether it reduces total travels …

Primary School Teachers’ Opinions And Attitudes Towards Stuttering In Two South African Urban Education Districts, Kristen Abrahams, Michal Harty, Kenneth O. St. Louis, Lehana Thabane, Harsha Kathard

Faculty & Staff Scholarship

Background: As teachers form an important part of the intervention process with children who stutter in primary school, the primary aim was to describe primary school teachers’ attitudes in South Africa. The secondary aim was to compare teachers’ attitudes towards stuttering in South Africa with those from a pooled group of respondents in the Public Opinion Survey of Human Attributes–Stuttering (POSHA-S) database from different countries collected in 2009–2014.

Method: A quantitative, cross-sectional survey research design was used. Primary schools in two education districts in Western Cape, South Africa, were sampled. The POSHA-S, a selfadministered questionnaire, was completed by a cluster …

Perceptions Of The Role Of West Virginia’S Cooperative Extension Service In Tobacco Control Coalitions, Donald Reed, Dana Lester, Kathy Danberry, Peggy Lambert Fink, Sherry Owens

Faculty & Staff Scholarship

Despite the fact that the consequences of tobacco use are well identified and known, it remains the single most preventable cause of disease and death in the United States. In West Virginia alone, the adult prevalence of cigarette smoking is 26.8%. This study researches the perceptions of the Cooperative Extension Service’s involvement and role in county-level coalitions that address tobacco use in West Virginia. The research findings provide practical areas to increase the role of the Extension Service in these vital efforts to save lives, reduce economic hardships on families, and reduce the health-care burden on the state government

Examining Road Traffic Mortality Status In China: A Simulation Study, Helai Huang, Qingyi Yin, David C. Schwebel, Li Li, Guoqing Hu

Faculty & Staff Scholarship

Background Data from the Chinese police service suggest substantial reductions in road traffic injuries since 2002, but critics have questioned the accuracy of those data, especially considering conflicting data reported by the health department. Methods To address the gap between police and health department data and to determine which may be more accurate, we conducted a simulation study based on the modified Smeed equation, which delineates a non-linear relation between road traffic mortality and the level of motorization in a country or region. Our goal was to simulate trends in road traffic mortality in China and compare performances in road …

Tetryl Exposure: Forgotten Hazards Of Antique Munitions, Walla A. Alfaraj, Brian Mcmillan, Alan M. Ducatman, Charles L. Werntz Iii

Faculty & Staff Scholarship

Background: Older yet still abundant munitions such as tetryl present easily forgotten health hazards and associated needs for worker protection.

Case presentation: Symptoms and findings from 22 workers who were exposed to tetryl are summarized.

Conclusions: This study highlights the health hazards from exposure to tetryl. Occupational health professionals need to maintain vigilance to protect workers from the risks of handling older munitions.

Chinese Smokers’ Behavioral Response Toward Cigarette Price: Individual And Regional Correlates, Tingzhong Yang, Sihui Peng, Lingwei Yu, Shuhan Jiang, William B. Stroub, Randall R. Cottrell, Ian R. H. Rockett

Faculty & Staff Scholarship

Background:
Many studies have explored smokers’ behavioral response to cigarette prices at the individual level, but none have factored in regional variation and determinants. This study addresses these research gaps in the Chinese context.

Methods:
A cross-sectional multistage sampling process was used to recruit participants in 21 cities in China. Individual-level information was collected using standardized questionnaires. City-level variables were retrieved from a nationall database. Multilevel logistic regression analysis was used to assess price sensitivity variation at both individual and city levels.

Results:
A cross-sectional multistage sampling process was used to recruit participants in 21 cities in China. Individual-level information …

Who Actually Receives Cell Phone Use While Driving Citations And How Much Are These Laws Enforced Among States? A Descriptive, Cross-Sectional Study, Toni M. Rudisill, Motao Zhu

Faculty & Staff Scholarship

Objectives: While numerous cell phone use while driving laws have been passed among states, little information exists regarding who gets cited for these traffic infractions and how much these laws are enforced at the state-level within the USA.

Design: Cross-sectional, descriptive study.

Setting: 14 states and the District of Columbia.

Participants: Those receiving cell phone use while driving citations within included states from 2007 to 2013.

Primary outcome: Demographic characteristics of cited drivers were assessed. Rates of infractions per 100 000 licensed in-state drivers per year for various cell phone use while driving violations were calculated.

Results: Drivers were cited …

Sociodemographic Correlates Of Tobacco Consumption In Rural Gujarat, India, Payal Kahar, Ranjita Misra, Thakor G. Patel

Faculty & Staff Scholarship

Background. The purpose of this study was to examine occupation-, education-, and gender-specific patterns of tobacco use and knowledge of its health effects among 23,953 rural Asian Indians ≥18 years in Gujarat. Methodology. A statewide, community-based, cross-sectional survey was conducted in 26 districts of Gujarat (December 2010–May 2015), using face-to-face interviews by trained community health workers called SEVAKS. Results. Mean age was 39.8 ± 15.2 years. Eighteen percent of respondents used tobacco in various forms. Tobacco consumption was significantly higher among males (32%), 18–34 years’ age group (35%), those who were self-employed (72%), and those with elementary education (40%). The …

Perceived Discrimination And Health Outcomes Among Asian Indians In The United States, Ranjita Misra, Haslyn Hunte

Faculty & Staff Scholarship

Background: Perceived interpersonal discrimination while seeking healthcare services is associated with poor physical and mental health. Yet, there is a paucity of research among Asian Americans or its subgroups. This study examined the correlates of reported interpersonal discrimination when seeking health care among a large sample of Asian Indians, the 3rd largest Asian American subgroup in the US, and identify predictors of adverse self-rated physical health, a well-accepted measure of overall health status.

Methods: Cross-sectional survey. Participants comprised of 1824 Asian Indian adults in six states with higher concentration of Asian Indians.

Results: Mean age and years lived in the …