Public Health Commons^™

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 …

Superior Vena Cava Obstruction In Small-Cell Lung Cancer, Roscoe Chan, A. Dar, Edward Yu, Larry Stitt, Francis Whiston, Pauline Truong, Mark Vincent, Walter Kocha

Edward Yu

PURPOSE: To identify prognostic or treatment factors influencing the response of superior vena cava obstruction (SVCO), time to SVCO recurrence, and overall survival of SCLC patients with SVCO at presentation; and to assess the role of retreatment in patients with SVCO at recurrent or persistent disease. METHODS AND MATERIALS: Between January 1983 and November 1993, 76 consecutive patients who had small-cell lung cancer (SCLC) with SVCO were treated in our institution. Analysis was done according to the disease status at diagnosis of SVCO. The first analysis concerned a group of 50 patients who had SVCO at initial presentation. The second …

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.

Asthma Mortality In The United States Has Risen But Is Similar To That In England And Wales, David M. Mannino

David M. Mannino

No abstract provided.

An International Comparison Of Cancer Survival: Toronto, Ontario, And Detroit, Michigan, Metropolitan Areas, Kevin M. Gorey

Social Work Publications

OBJECTIVES: This study examined whether socioeconomic status has a differential effect on the survival of adults diagnosed with cancer in Canada and the United States.

METHODS: The Ontario Cancer Registry and the National Cancer Institute's Surveillance, Epidemiology, and End Results (SEER) program provided a total of 58,202 and 76,055 population-based primary malignant cancer cases for Toronto, Ontario, and Detroit, Mich, respectively. Socioeconomic data for each person's residence at time of diagnosis were taken from population censuses.

RESULTS: In the US cohort, there was a significant association between socioeconomic status and survival for 12 of the 15 most common cancer sites; …

Parasite Biodiversity And Emerging Pathogens: A Role For Systematics In Limiting Impacts On Genetic Resources, Eric P. Hoberg

Harold W. Manter Laboratory of Parasitology: Faculty and Staff Publications

Emergence of pathogenic organisms continues as a threat to overall biodiversity and genetic resources. Macroparasites including helminths constitute a potential threat to economically important resources in agriculture and conservation biology. Limitation of this threat can be achieved through survey and inventory for biodiversity and the application of systematics to understand the host range , biogeography and history of faunas. Systematics constitutes the foundation for recognition of endemic and introduced elements of faunas and the basis for predicting the behavior of pathogens introduced to new ecological settings or host groups. The basis for emergence of pathogens has both a deep historical …

Premature Mortality From Chronic Diseases In Brazil. [Portuguese], Paulo A. Lotufo

Paulo A Lotufo

This thesis evaluated the pattern of chronic diaseases mortality in Brazil during the 1980´s. We studied the age strata from 35-years-old to 64-years-old to analyze the chronic disease-related premature deaths. The questions are the following: 1. Are chronic disease-related premature deaths higher in Brazil than abroad? 2. Is premature mortality higher in males than in females? Which is the best indicator for premature mortality, age-adjusted rates or the impact of deaths elimination by Chiang’ method? Are there geographic or temporal differences in chronic diseases mortality rates among Brazilian metropolitan areas? 5. Which are the social and economics determinants of chronic …

Emergency Department Visits And Hospitalizations For Respiratory Disease On The Island Of Hawaii, 1981-1991: Annual Trends On The Island Of Hawaii And Weekly Variability In Hilo, David M. Mannino, Samuel M. Ruben, Fred C. Holschuh, Timothy C. Holschuh, Michael D. Wilson, Tami Holschuh

David M. Mannino

This study examined trends in and patterns of emergency department visits and hospitalizations for respiratory disease on the island of Hawaii from 1981 to 1991. We found that emergency department visit rates and hospitalization rates for both asthma and COPD for 1987 to 1991 increased in all regions of the island in comparison with such rates for 1981 to 1986. Rates of emergency department visits and hospitalizations for chronic obstructive pulmonary disease or COPD, but not asthma, were significantly higher in the high-exposure Kona side of the island than in the intermittent-exposure Hilo side of the island during 1983 and …

Functioning And Well-Being Of Patients In A Consultation-Liaison Psychiatry Clinic, Steven A. Epstein, Junius Gonzales, Patricia Stockton, David M. Goldstein, Bonnie L. Green

Publications from Provost Junius J. Gonzales

Outpatient consultation-liaison (C-L) psychiatry clinics are valuable settings for research and teaching endeavors. However, little is known about psychiatric symptoms and health status of persons treated in such settings. In this study, 80 persons seen in an outpatient C-L psychiatry clinic were compared with 100 persons seen in a mood disorder clinic on a variety of self-report instruments. Outpatient C-L clinic patients were found to have significantly poorer health status than mood clinic patients on the following domains as measured by the RAND instrument: general health perception, pain, physical functioning, and role functioning due to physical problems. Both groups had …

Smoking And Mortality From Cerebrovascular Disorders In Brazil [Portuguese]L: Comparative Study Of Capital Cities Of Metropolitan Regions, 1988 [Porug, Paulo A. Lotufo

Paulo A Lotufo

The role of smoking as risk factor for stroke is controversial. An ecological design study was performed to test the association between stroke mortality and smoking in Brazil. Lung cancer mortality was used as a surrogate for smoking habit.The mortality rate for stroke (ICD-9:430-438) and lung cancer (ICD-9: 162) were determined in the following metropolitan areas: Belém, Recife, Salvador, Belo Horizonte, Rio de Janeiro, São Paulo, Curitiba and Porto Alegre for males and females between 30 years-old and 69 years-old. ANOVA test was used to compare both age-adjusted mortality rates. A negative association by ANOVA was determined between age-adjusted rates …

Tendencias De Mortalidade Por Doencas Cardiovasculares No Estado De Sao Paulo [Portuguese], Paulo A. Lotufo

Paulo A Lotufo

No abstract provided.

Doenças Cardiovasculares: Panorama Da Mortalidade No Brasil., Paulo A. Lotufo

Paulo A Lotufo

No abstract provided.

Student Evaluations Of Teaching Effectiveness: The Interpretation Of Observational Data And The Principle Of Faute De Mieux, B. Burt Gerstman

Faculty Publications

Student opinion surveys are important but widely misunderstood tools for evaluating teaching effectiveness. In this brief review, an analogy is drawn between the use and interpretation of observational data for public health and biomedical research and the use of student opinion data in evaluating teach ing effectiveness. Sources of systematic error in the form of selection bias, information bias, and confounding are defined and illustrated. Original data concerning intermittent "quid pro quo" confounding (i.e., the effect of expected grades on student evaluations of teaching) are presented. Finally, the principle of faute de mieux ("lack of anything better") and the interpretation …

Student Evaluations Of Teaching Effectiveness: The Interpretation Of Observational Data And The Principle Of Faute De Mieux, B. Burt Gerstman

B. Burt Gerstman

Student opinion surveys are important but widely misunderstood tools for evaluating teaching effectiveness. In this brief review, an analogy is drawn between the use and interpretation of observational data for public health and biomedical research and the use of student opinion data in evaluating teach ing effectiveness. Sources of systematic error in the form of selection bias, information bias, and confounding are defined and illustrated. Original data concerning intermittent "quid pro quo" confounding (i.e., the effect of expected grades on student evaluations of teaching) are presented. Finally, the principle of faute de mieux ("lack of anything better") and the interpretation …

The Association Of Near Poverty Status With Cancer Incidence Among Black And White Adults, Kevin M. Gorey

Social Work Publications

This cumulative incidence study was accomplished among adults in Upstate New York metropolitan areas (Buffalo, Rochester, Syracuse and Albany--1979-1986). It used a new ecological socioeconomic status measure--near poverty status (i.e., below 200% of the federally established poverty criterion, including the poor and near poor)--and observed its association with site-specific cancer incidence (lung, stomach, cervix uteri, prostate, colon, rectum and breast). Findings were: 1) near poverty status is directly associated with each cancer site's incidence and the strength of the associations are similar among blacks and whites for each one and 2) the prevalence of exposure, of living in high near …

Mortality From Asthma In State Of Sao Paulo (1970-92), Paulo A. Lotufo

Paulo A Lotufo

No abstract provided.

Cigarette Smoking: An Independent Risk Factor For Impotence?, David M. Mannino, R. Monina Klevens, W. Dana Flanders

David M. Mannino

The authors sought to determine whether current cigarette smoking was associated with impotence among middle-aged men. This is a secondary analysis of a cross-sectional survey of 4,462 US Army Vietnam-era veterans aged 31–49 years who took part in the Vietnam Experience Study in 1985–1986. The main outcome measurement was the odds ratio for reported impotence, which was calculated by comparing current smokers with nonsmokers while controlling for multiple confounders. The study sample consisted of 1,162 never smokers, 1,292 former smokers, and 2,008 current smokers. The prevalence of impotence was 2.2% among never smokers, 2.0% among former smokers, and 3.7% among …

Psychosocial Determinants Of Age-Appropriate Immunizations Of Infants In Norfolk, Virginia, Hoda Youssef Atta

Health Services Research Dissertations

This study represents an investigation of psychosocial factors affecting age-appropriate immunizations of infants in Norfolk, Virginia. A household survey was conducted in Norfolk, Virginia, from 4/93-8/93, to assess immunization coverage of children 12-30 months of age. This survey included a total of 389 children in the target age range. A subset of 201 mothers were randomly selected and reinterviewed to assess their knowledge and attitudes and the relationships of these factors to age-appropriate immunizations at 12 months of age. Sixty-two percent of children were not age-appropriately immunized at 12 months of age. Almost all mothers (99%) considered vaccines to be …

Prevalence Of Fatty Liver In Japanese Children Ages 4 To 12 Years Old : Relationship To Obesity : An Epidemiological Ultrasonographic Survey, Kunihiko Tominaga

Loma Linda University Electronic Theses, Dissertations & Projects

The prevalence of fatty liver disease in children is not well established and its relationship to childhood obesity is poorly defined. The present study of 810 northern Japanese school-aged children (4-12 years old), determined the prevalence of fatty liver and its relationship to gender and degree of obesity. Diagnosis of fatty liver was assessed by real-time ultrasonography.

RESULTS: 1. The overall prevalence of fatty liver is 2.6 %. 2. Fatty liver prevalence is higher for boys (3.4 %) than for girls (1.8 %), although not statistically significant (P = 0.15). 3. Fatty liver occurs in children as young as 6 …

Cancer Differentials Among Us Blacks And Whites: Quantitative Estimates Of Socioeconomic-Related Risks, Kevin M. Gorey

Social Work Publications

This article analyzes 10 studies that assessed the association of socioeconomic status (SES) with cancer occurrence among blacks and whites in the United States. The following summative inferences were made: the associations of SES with cancer are similar among blacks and whites; cancers of organ sites with the most intimate environmental interfaces have the strongest SES-cancer associations (stomach, lung, cervix, and rectum); the prevalence of exposure to low socioeconomic-related risks such as poverty are approximately fourfold greater among blacks; the all-site population attributable risk percent due to low socioeconomic exposure among blacks is estimated to be four times that of …

Do The Medical History Or Physical Examination Predict Low Lung Function?, David M. Mannino, Ruth A. Etzel, W. Dana Flanders

David M. Mannino

Background: We sought to determine whether an abnormal respiratory history or chest physical examination could be used to identify men with low lung function.Methods: We analyzed pulmonary function, physical examination, and questionnaire data from 4461 middle-aged male Vietnam-era army veterans.Main Results: The study sample consisted of 1161 never smokers, 1292 former smokers, and 2008 current smokers. Clinical indicators of respiratory disease (respiratory symptoms, respiratory signs, or a history of respiratory disease), were present in 26.1% of the never smokers, 31.7% of the former smokers, and 47.2% of the current smokers. We defined low forced expiratory volume in 1 second as …

Classification Of Radiographs For Pneumoconiosis: A Comparison Of Digitized Images And Conventional Radiographs, David M. Mannino, Rd Kennedy, Tk Hodous

David M. Mannino

To purchase full article: http://radiology.rsna.org/content/187/3/791.abstract

The classification of pneumoconiosis on 108 paired radiographs obtained in coal miners was compared by using conventional radiograph film images and digitized images of those conventional film images. Conventional film images and digitized images were each independently read in a random order in two separate sessions by three radiologists certified as "B" readers. Overall, the digitized images were perceived as being of better quality than the conventional film images (radiograph quality grade 1, 48% [617 of 1,292 classifications] vs 37% [482 of 1,296], respectively; P < .001). The mean International Labour Office (ILO) scores for small-opacity profusion were similar between the digitized images and conventional film images (3.14 vs 3.24, respectively; P = .19). The mean absolute differences in small-opacity profusion score between radiograph pairs were also similar (0.74 vs 0.77, respectively; P = .50). No difference in the ILO type of opacity was noted between the display modes. Interpretation of digitized images for pneumoconiotic small opacities was shown to be an acceptable alternative to interpretation of conventional film images; the important problem of reader variability affects both display modes.

Diet And Colon Cancer Risk In The Population Of Thailand, Nithat Sirichotiratana

Loma Linda University Electronic Theses, Dissertations & Projects

Epidemiological studies have emphasized environmental influences, especially a diet high in animal fat and low in fiber, as major risk factors for colon cancer. In order to examine the relationship between dietary fat and fiber and occurrence of colon cancer, patient medical records from the National Cancer Institute between 1981-1991 were used for the first hospital-based case-control study of diet and colon cancer in Thailand. These records included a total of 168 cases and 357 controls. Data on the frequency consumption of various food items were obtained by using an existing food frequency questionnaire, completed as part of patient’s history …

Mathematical Transmission Model Of The Spread Of Hiv Through Sexual Contact And Iv Drug Usage Among Heterosexuals In Western Australia, B. Glockner

Theses : Honours

The human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) and its latter stage, the acquired immune deficiency syndrome (AIDS), are still a major health problem in the world and the full extent of the epidemic is unknown. The HIV virus in Australia has been spread mainly through homosexual contact, but this mode of transmission is decreasing while transmission from heterosexual contact and from IV drug use is increasing. The proposed mathematical model concentrates on transmission of the HIV virus through heterosexual contact and IV drug use among heterosexuals in Western Australia. The model parameters will be estimated from surveys conducted by the Australian National …

The Prevalence Of Elder Care Responsibilities Among The Work Force Population: Response Bias Among A Group Of Cross-Sectional Surveys, Kevin M. Gorey, Robert W. Rice, Gary C. Brice

Social Work Publications

This review synthesizes the findings of 17 independent studies dealing with the prevalence of elder care responsibilities among the work force population. Across-study, summative findings were: (a) approximately one fifth (M = 21.1%) to one quarter (Md = 23.1%) of employees provide care for an elderly dependent; primary study findings varied by a factor of nearly 25, ranging from a high estimate of 46.0% to a low of 1.9%; (b) the average response rate was fairly low (M = 45.0% and Md = 41. 1%), indicating that the studies captured only slightly more than one third, but less than half …

Preliminary Epidemiological Interpretation Of The Intrinsic And Extrinsic Factors Contributing To The Coverage And Participation Rates Of The Vaccination Program In Arssi, Ethiopia, Muchie Kidanu

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Many immunization programs in developing countries arr now undergoing a period of rapid utilization. Innovative strategies, such as immunization holidays, are being tried. Political commitment and enthusiasm are high. There is a strong desire by health professionals to protect the lives of many children from the untimely death and/or disability resulting from infectious diseases preventable by vaccination.

Evaluation of an immunization program can benefit other elements of the health system, particularly those that are not amenable to objective evaluation as immunization. In this case, immunization can serve as an indicator of the overall performance of the health system. The problems …

Effects Of Surgery On The Mental Status Of Older Persons. A Meta-Analytic Review, Arthur G. Cryns, Kevin M. Gorey, Marion Z. Goldstein

Social Work Publications

The data bases of 18 empirical studies were combined into one comprehensive data set and subjected to meta-analysis. The following trends were observed: (1) surgery has a significantly decompensating impact on the mental status of older persons, and the average effect size observed is modest (r = .37); (2) for all mental status measures included in the review (cognition, delirium and affect), effect size appears to be significantly moderated by patient age; (3) patient sex may be predictive of the kind of mental impairment that is most likely to occur within an older surgery population, with women manifesting a greater …

Ua12/2/1 College Heights Herald, Vol. 65, No. 19, Wku Student Affairs

WKU Archives Records

WKU campus newspaper reporting campus, athletic and Bowling Green, Kentucky news. This issue contains articles:

• Hernes, Thomas. Officials Seek Gift for Recreation Center – Preston Health & Activities Center
• Lawson, Jamie. Graduate Ron Jerrell Tells 400 His Story of AIDS
• Summers, Kaye & Allison Tutt. Hilltopper Athletic Foundation Raises Support, $660,000
• Summers, Kaye & Allison Tutt. Students, School Lend Services to Athletics
• Eugene Evans to Outline Goals at Open Forum
• Potter Lot Closed Until Tomorrow
• University Logo to be Unveiled Today
• Kinslow, Gina. Central Women Get Tucked In – Minton Hall, Barnes-Campbell Hall
• Green, Travis. Associated Student Government Wants AIDS …

Herpes Simplex Virus Type 2 Antibodies: High Prevalence In Monogamous Women In Costa Rica, Mark W. Oberle, Luis Rosero-Bixby, Francis K. Lee, Maria Sanchez-Braverman, A J. Nahmias, Mary Guinan

Public Health Faculty Publications

We studied the prevalence of antibody to Herpes simplex virus types I and 2 (HSV-I and HSV-2) in 766 randomly selected Costa Rican women 25-59 years of age in a national household survey in 1984-1985. Overall, 97.1% were seropositive for HSV-l and 39.4% for HSV -2. Only 1.1% of HSV -2 seropositive women gave a history of symptomatic genital herpes. HSV-2 virus antibody increased with age and with the number of lifetime sexual partners. HSV -2 seroprevalence among women who reported only 1 lifetime sexual partner was almost twice as high as the prevalence among women who denied sexual experience …

The Acquired Immunodeficiency Syndrome In New England: An Epidemiological Review Of The First Six Years, Laureen M. Kunches, Jeanne M. Day

New England Journal of Public Policy

Between 1981 and 1987 — the six-year period following initial recognition of the acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS) — 1,475 cases were reported among residents of the six New England states. Of nearly 40,000 cases nationwide, 3.8 percent occurred among New England residents, though the region 's population represents 5.5 percent ofthe total United States population. The groups most affected include homosexual or bisexual men (65 percent) and intravenous drug users (20 percent). However, in the two southernmost states — Rhode Island and Connecticut — 32 to 40 percent of all cases have used intravenous drugs. In these states, the male:female …