Medicine and Health Sciences Commons^™

Immigrant Granite Installer Killed After Falling With Homemade Construction Box, Kentucky Injury Prevention And Research Center

Fatality Case Reports--Falls

On a summer day in 2009, a 50-year-old granite installer and his two sons were working alone at a construction site when the granite installer fell out of a second story window and was killed. The three granite installers worked for a subcontractor hired to install granite vanity tops and sinks in a newly constructed hotel. Work had commenced at 7:00 AM that morning. They were installing the second set of ten vanities for the day. All ten vanities, with back and side splash pieces, had been loaded onto a homemade three-sided construction box and lifted via a forklift to …

Are There Differences In The Smoking Identities Of Adolescents Boys And Girls?, Chizimuzo T.C. Okoli, Iris Torchalla, Pamela A. Ratner, Joy L. Johnson

Chizimuzo T.C. Okoli

Purpose:

To assess sex-disaggregated differences in youth characterizations of their own smoking behaviour

Background:

•Smoking identities represent psychosocial constructions of how adolescents who smoke perceive themselves in relation to their smoking behaviour (e.g, ex-smoker, social smoker, occasional smoker, e.t.c.)

•These smoking identities converge (or diverge) with established taxonomies used to describe youth smoking behaviour

•Few quantitative studies have examined differences in smoking identity between boys and girls

Truck Drivers Killed After Exiting Semi Tractors And Being Struck By Other Semi Tractors In Distribution Center, Kentucky Injury Prevention And Research Center

Kentucky Haz Alerts--Motor Vehicle

To prevent truck driver injuries while traversing distribution facilities:

• Drivers of yard tractors should ensure that a clear path is visible before moving the vehicle. Truck drivers should not approach such vehicles on foot until acknowledgment of contact has been made between both drivers.
• Do not enter behind the trailer until other vehicle drivers behind have come to a complete stop and parked the vehicle.
• Always wear reflective vests while traversing a distribution facility.
• Employers should develop and implement a comprehensive safety plan that addresses truck driver pedestrian traffic in freight distribution facilities.
• All air lines and electrical connections should …

Is Exposure To Peer And Family Smoking Associated With Youths' Initial Smoking Experiences?, Chizimuzo T.C. Okoli, Chris G. Richardson, Joy L. Johnson

Chizimuzo T.C. Okoli

Background:

- Peers and family member’s smoking is associated with adolescent smoking.

- Sensitivity to the initial smoking experience, determined by positive (for e.g., feeling relaxed, high, and good) and/or negative (for e.g., feeling nervous, sick, coughing) symptoms upon initial smoking experimentation, is also associated with youth smoking.

- However, the effect of peer and family member’s smoking on the initial smoking experiences of adolescents has not been previously studied.

- We present the findings of a cross-sectional analysis assessing the association between exposure to smoking from peers and family members on the symptoms of the initial smoking experience of …

Prevalence Of Copd Among Symptomatic Patients In A Primary Care Setting, Barbara Yawn, David M. Mannino, Thomas Littlejohn, Gary Ruoff, Amanda Emmett, Ibrahim Raphiou, Glenn Crater

David M. Mannino

Objective: Spirometry is recognized as the gold standard assessment for the diagnosis of COPD. However, spirometry continues to be underused, perpetuating the underdiagnosis of COPD. The aim of this study was to evaluate the prevalence of COPD in a primary care setting in patients with a smoking history and self-reported chronic bronchitis symptoms.

Research design and methods: This was a multi-center, cross-sectional study. The primary assessment was the percentage of patients with airway obstruction (post-bronchodilator FEV1/FVC ratio ≤ 0.70) compared to those without obstruction (post-bronchodilator FEV1/FVC ratio > 0.70).

Results: Airflow obstruction consistent with COPD was confirmed in 26% of patients …

Ethnic Disparities In Cervical Cancer Survival Among Texas Women, Ann L. Coker, Christopher P. Desimone, Katherine S. Eggleston, Arica L. White, Melanie Williams

CRVAW Faculty Journal Articles

Objective: The aim of this work was to determine whether minority women are more likely to die of cervical cancer. A population-based cohort study was performed using Texas Cancer Registry (TCR) data from 1998 to 2002.

Methods: A total of 5,166 women with cervical cancer were identified during 1998–2002 through the TCR. Measures of socioeconomic status (SES) and urbanization were created using census block group-level data. Multilevel logistic regression was used to calculate the odds of dying from cervical cancer by race, and Cox proportional hazards modeling was used for cervical cancer-specific survival analysis.

Results: After adjusting for age, SES, …

Workers Killed While Working With Granite, Kentucky Injury Prevention And Research Center

Kentucky Haz Alerts--Other

To prevent injuries while working with granite:

• A job hazard analysis should be conducted each day before work commences.
• Employees should be trained in proper material handling procedures that include handling and transport of granite slabs.
• Use slab carts or slab racks to transport granite slabs and use tie-downs to secure the granite slabs to the forklift.
• Work should only be performed when the general contractor has a competent person on the job site.

Assessing Secondhand Tobacco Smoke Exposure Among Persons With Severe And Persistent Mental Illness, Chizimuzo T.C. Okoli, Joy L. Johnson, Leslie Malchy

Chizimuzo T.C. Okoli

Background

• Secondhand tobacco smoke (SHS) exposure increases the risk for cancer, respiratory illness, and cardiovascular disease.

• Individuals with severe and persistent mental illness (SPMI) have a higher smoking prevalence than the general population, placing them at increased risk for related morbidity and mortality.

• Given the higher smoking prevalence in this population, the risk for SHS exposure among smokers and nonsmokers with SPMI should be an issue of concern. Yet, SHS exposure in this population is understudied.

• The purpose of our study was to examine the correlates of SHS exposure in this population. Our specific aims were …

Association Of Ambient Ozone Exposure With Airway Inflammation And Allergy In Adults With Asthma, Sumita B. Khatri, Fernando C. Holguin, P. Barry Ryan, David M. Mannino, Serpil C. Erzurum, W. Gerald Teague

David M. Mannino

Rationale

Previous studies have demonstrated associations of high ozone levels with increased epidemiologic as well as lung function measures of asthma activity.

Objectives

In an observational study during the summer months, we hypothesized that higher ambient ozone levels are associated with more frequent symptoms, higher airway and systemic inflammation, as well as worse lung function in asthmatics as compared with non-asthmatic individuals.

Methods

Thirty-eight asthmatics and thirteen healthy control subjects residing in metropolitan Atlanta were enrolled during peak ozone season. Medical histories, quality-of-life questionnaires, spirometry, serum immunoglobulin (IgE), peripheral eosinophil counts, and exhaled nitric oxide (NO) were obtained during study …

Workers Killed While Working With Granite, Kentucky Injury Prevention And Research Center

Kentucky Haz Alerts--Falls

To prevent injuries while working with granite:

• A job hazard analysis should be conducted each day before work commences.
• Employees should be trained in proper material handling procedures that include handling and transport of granite slabs.
• Use slab carts or slab racks to transport granite slabs and use tie-downs to secure the granite slabs to the forklift.
• Work should only be performed when the general contractor has a competent person on the job site.

Bridging The Care Continuum: Patient Information Needs For Specialist Referrals., Carol L. Ireson, Svetla Slavova, Carol L. Steltenkamp, F. Douglas Scutchfield

Preventive Medicine and Environmental Health Faculty Publications

BACKGROUND: Information transfer is critical in the primary care to specialist referral process and has been examined extensively in the US and other countries, yet there has been little attention to the patient's perspective of the information transfer process. This cross-sectional study examined the quality of the information received by patients with a chronic condition from the referring and specialist physician in the specialist referral process and the relationship of the quality of information received to trust in the physicians.

METHODS: Structured telephone interviews were conducted with a random sample of 250 patients who had experienced a referral to a …

Workers Electrocuted While Working In Elevated Buckets, Kentucky Injury Prevention And Research Center

Kentucky Haz Alerts--Motor Vehicle

To prevent worker electrocutions while working near over-head power lines:

• Employers should implement and enforce a formal written electrical safety training program that includes work around overhead lines.
• An observer should be designated by the employer to perform an electrical hazard
• evaluation prior to commencing new work activities.
• A hazard assessment of the job site and route of travel, including aerial and ground hazards and obstacles, within the job site should be performed by a competent person before work commences.

Setting Standards For Pulmonary Function Measurements: What Is Reasonable?, David M. Mannino

David M. Mannino

Comment on

Specific conductance criteria for a positive methacholine challenge test: are the American Thoracic Society guidelines rather generous? [Respir Care. 2009]

http://rc.rcjournal.com/content/54/9/1161.full.pdf

Solid Waste Driver Dies After Single Vehicle Rollover, Kentucky Injury Prevention And Research Center

Fatality Case Reports--Motor Vehicle

On the morning of a fall day in 2008, a 59 year-old male solid waste worker (Driver 1) entered the cab of a company solid waste truck parked in his driveway and drove to a restaurant a few miles away. After leaving the restaurant, the driver was observed weaving by another solid waste driver (Driver 2) at least two times in the northbound lane of a two-lane state highway. After he had driven 1.8 miles in a little over 2 minutes away from the restaurant, the driver entered a right-hand curve in the highway. While in the curve, the driver …

Opportunities For Comparative Research In Public Health Pbrns : A Baseline Analysis Of Local Practice Settings, Glen P. Mays, Sharla A. Smith, Elaine B. Wootten, Sylvia J. Porchia

Health Management and Policy Presentations

This analysis describes the organizational and operational characteristics of local public health agencies participating in an initial cohort of five (5) public health PBRNs in the U.S. We examine variation in practice settings within and between PBRNs; compare practice settings to state and national norms; and identify opportunities for comparative research that can be conducted through PBRNs.

Bridging The Gaps: Biomedicine, Complementary And Alternative Medicine In A Holistic Approach, Hatim A. Omar, Joav Merrick

Pediatrics Faculty Publications

The 4^th international conference on holistic health and medicine was held during September 24-26, 2008 in Lexington, Kentucky in the United States of America. This conference brought many participants from 23 countries, both mainstream health care providers as well as holistic health practitioners to address the latest in knowledge and research, and in turn to find ways to collaborate and work together to provide the best possible care for their patients and clients. These conferences are held to build bridges between the various fractions of medicine and health care providers. The scientific program included plenary sessions, keynotes, workshops and …

Cancer Information-Seeking Experiences: The Implications Of Hispanic Ethnicity And Spanish Language, Robin C. Vanderpool, Julie Kornfeld, Lila Finney Rutten, Linda Squiers

Health, Behavior & Society Faculty Publications

BACKGROUND: Strategies to support cancer information-seeking among Hispanics are needed.

METHODS: We analyzed data from the 2005 Health Information National Trends Survey (HINTS) to explore cancer information-seeking experiences among respondents according to ethnicity and language of interview.

RESULTS: Over 80% of Spanish-speaking Hispanics had never looked for cancer information. Compared to English-speaking respondents, Spanish-speaking Hispanics who sought cancer information indicated their search took a lot of effort (67%), was hard to understand (54%), and frustrating (42%). Spanish-speaking Hispanics noted minimal confidence in obtaining cancer information.

CONCLUSIONS: Language and cultural differences must be considered in the design, implementation, and dissemination of …

Driver Of A Semi-Tractor Pulling Twin Trailers Fatally Injured In Single Vehicle Crash, Kentucky Injury Prevention And Research Center

Fatality Case Reports--Motor Vehicle

In the spring of 2008, a 40-year-old tractor-trailer driver died after his vehicle left the interstate highway, crashed, and was engulfed in flames. The tractor drifted over the fog line and rumble strip onto the right shoulder, began to skid and left the highway. The tractor slid through the grass beside the roadway, struck a concrete culvert, sideswiped a small tree and then hit a large tree head-on. The tractor and trailers then skidded back down the embankment toward the highway where the entire unit came to rest. The tractor and lead trailer overturned onto the driver’s side. The second …

Coal Truck Driver Dies In Rollover After Tire On Trailer Fails, Kentucky Injury Prevention And Research Center

Fatality Case Reports--Motor Vehicle

In the fall of 2006, a twenty-three year old male tractor-trailer driver who was hauling coal, died when a rear outer tire on the trailer failed. After the tire failed, the trailer slipped off the right side of the road, overturned, and went over an embankment. The trailer remained attached to the tractor as both went over the embankment, flipping the entire unit upside down. A witness called emergency medical services who arrived and called the county coroner. The coroner arrived and declared the driver dead at the scene. It was determined by Kentucky State Police that the driver was …

Public Health Systems And Services Research: Dataset Development, Dissemination, And Use, F. Douglas Scutchfield, Nikki Lawhorn, Rick Ingram, Debra Joy Pérez, Rick Brewer, Michelyn Bhandari

Preventive Medicine and Environmental Health Faculty Publications

Public health systems and services research (PHSSR) is defined as "a field of study that examines the organization, financing, and delivery of public health services within communities and the impact of those services." PHSSR is a relatively young field and suffers from a paucity of research resources. In this article, we describe the development and utility of a data resource, housed on the Health Services and Sciences Research Resources website maintained by the National Library of Medicine, which provides easy access to instruments, indices, and datasets that are relevant to PHSSR researchers. We also investigate efforts to promote the use …

Life Expectancy And Years Of Life Lost In Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease: Findings From The Nhanes Iii Follow-Up Study, Robert M. Shavelle, David R. Paculdo, Scott J. Kush, David M. Mannino, David J. Strauss

David M. Mannino

Rationale

Previous studies have demonstrated that chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) causes increased mortality in the general population. But life expectancy and the years of life lost have not been reported.

Objectives

To quantify mortality, examine how it varies with age, sex, and other risk factors, and determine how life expectancy is affected.

Methods

We constructed mortality models using the Third National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey, adjusting for age, sex, race, and major medical conditions. We used these to compute life expectancy and the years of life lost.

Measurements and main results

Pulmonary function testing classified patients as having …

The Effect Of Sex On Asthma Control From The National Asthma Survey, James Temprano, David M. Mannino

David M. Mannino

Background Previous studies have demonstrated conflicting results with regard to differences in asthma control between the sexes.

Objective We sought to identify sex differences in short-term and long-term measures of asthma control in adults from the National Asthma Survey.

Methods This study analyzed data from the National Asthma Survey (Four-State sample) sponsored by the National Center for Environmental Health, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Asthma control was compared between the sexes based on short-term (recent symptoms, asthma attacks, and albuterol use) and long-term (asthma attacks, work days lost, and urgent-care visits and hospitalizations in the prior year) measures. Composite …

The Tobacco Dependence Clinic (Tdc): Providing Smoking Cessation For A Drug Treatment Population, Milan Khara, Chizimuzo T.C. Okoli, Deanna Barlow, Catherine Hanley

Chizimuzo T.C. Okoli

BACKGROUND: Drug treatment populations are disproportionately affected by tobacco use morbidity and mortality. However, with adequate intervention, individuals in drug treatment settings can succeed in their efforts towards smoking cessation. The Tobacco Dependence Clinic (TDC) is a program that provides smoking cessation counseling and pharmacotherapy for clients through the Addiction Services program of the Vancouver Coastal Health Authority, British Columbia, Canada. OBJECTIVES: To a) describe smoking cessation services and programs provided by the TDC, and b) evaluate 26 week smoking cessation outcomes of drug treatment clients in the TDC. METHODS: Participants of the TDC program receive a structured 8 week …

Smoking Cessation And Drug Treatment: Identifying Gaps, Milan Khara, Chizimuzo T.C. Okoli, Ric M. Procyshyn, Joy Johnson, Alasdair Barr, Lorraine Greaves

Chizimuzo T.C. Okoli

BACKGROUND: An estimated 70% - 90% of individuals in drug treatment con-currently smoke cigarettes. Although individuals in drug treatment settings are motivated and can succeed in smoking cessation, there is still a lack of systematic knowledge regarding the long-term abstinence, methods employed for successful cessation, and the barriers to smoking cessation in this population.

OBJECTIVES: To: a) describe types of smoking cessation interventions (i.e., cognitive-behavioral and/or pharmacotherapy) employed in drug treatment settings, b) determine the effectiveness of such interventions, and c) identify gaps in knowledge regarding smoking cessation interventions among the drug treatment populations

METHODS: A comprehensive review of the …

Action Required: Revisiting Better Practices In Smoking Cessation Interventions For Pregnant Girls And Women, Chizimuzo T.C. Okoli, Lorraine Greaves, Joan Bottorff, Lenora Marcellus, Charmaine Enns, Richard Stanwick

Chizimuzo T.C. Okoli

Background

Despite considerable medical and research attention, smoking in pregnancy remains a serious public health problem, especially among young and disadvantaged women in high income countries and general populations of women in low and middle income countries. Facilitating successful and enduring smoking cessation during pregnancy and preventing relapse is therefore an ongoing public health challenge globally

Objectives

This Canadian project is aimed at better breaking the cycle of smoking during pregnancy, or quitting and relapsing during postpartum; especially for young, disadvantaged women. Equally, it will address the apparent blockages to effective uptake by health professionals, of research evidence and better …

Are Adolescents Smoking Identities Valid Descriptors Of Their Smoking Behaviour?, Chizimuzo T.C. Okoli, Chris G. Richardson, Pamela A. Ratner, Joy L. Johnson

Chizimuzo T.C. Okoli

Background: Studies have raised concerns regarding mismatches between researchers’ and adolescents’ characterizations of youth smoking behaviour; which may impede tobacco use prevention and cessation programs to reach their intended youth audience. Understanding how youth’s characterize their own smoking behaviour is an important factor for designing tailored interventions.

Objective: To address observations that youths’ smoking identities are valid descriptors of their smoking behaviour we examined the relationships between youths’ self-reported smoking identities, their perceived levels of addiction, and established taxonomies of smoking behaviour.

Methods: Cross-sectional data were collected on demographics, perceived extent of addiction to tobacco, smoking history, and self-reported smoking …

Semi-Truck Driver Dies After Striking A Bridge Abutment, Kentucky Injury Prevention And Research Center

Fatality Case Reports--Motor Vehicle

At approximately 11:45 PM on a spring night in 2008, a semi-tractor driver accompanied by a driver trainee began his route from a warehouse loading dock in Kentucky. The driver departed with a single axle day cab pulling a 28’ refrigerated trailer loaded with detergent, refrigerated and frozen foods.

An hour later, the semi driver was driving in the right hand northbound lane on a four-lane interstate when he came upon a crash scene. A southbound mini-van had been struck by another vehicle, crossed the median, and had come to rest across the right hand northbound lane. To avoid striking …

Retrofitting Tractors With Rollover Protective Structures: Perspective Of Equipment Dealers, Shalome M. Tonelli, Kelley J. Donham, Kerry Leedom-Larson, Wayne Sanderson, Mark A. Purschwitz

Biosystems and Agricultural Engineering Faculty Publications

This study was one of a cluster of studies that originated via requests for proposals from the NIOSH National Agricultural Tractor Safety Initiative. The present study design consisted of several steps: (1) formation of an advisory group, (2) development and testing of a standard paper self-responding survey instrument, (3) sample selection of farm equipment dealers, (4) administration of the survey, (5) assessment and analysis of the survey, and (6) in-person response panel of dealers (n = 80) to review results of the questionnaire for further definition and sharpening of the recommendations from the survey. A key finding is that most …

Early Activities For Public Health Pbrns, Glen P. Mays

UKCPHSSR Research Briefs and Reports

Launching a successful public health practice-based research network requires a planned approach to developing the necessary infrastructure, relationships, and scientific direction.

Concepts Of Contraception For Adolescents With Obesity: Pathways Of Judicial Moderation, Donald E. Greydanus, Hatim A. Omar, Artemis Tsitsika

Pediatrics Faculty Publications

All sexually active youth, whether obese or normal weight, should be offered counseling regarding contraception and appropriate contraceptive methods. However, obese youth who are sexually active may be less likely than their normal weight peers to use contraceptives correctly. Methods of contraception for obese adolescents are reviewed in this discussion. Combined oral contraceptives (COCs) and the contraceptive patch have higher failure rates in obese versus normal weight females, though failure rates are lower than noted with barrier contraceptives. The risk for venous thrombosis is higher in obese youth on COCs. Progestin-only pills and the levonorgestrel intrauterine system appear to be …