Public Health Commons^™

Sources Of Variation In Nutrient Intakes Among Men In Shanghai, China, Hui Cai, Gong Yang, Yong-Bing Xiang, James R. Hébert, Da-Ke Liu, Wei Zheng, Xiao-Ou Shu

Faculty Publications

Background and objective: Random errors, from any source, will attenuate epidemiological risk estimates. Before we launched the Shanghai Men’s Health Study (SMHS), a large population-based cohort study investigating the diet–cancer association among Chinese men, a dietary calibration study was conducted among 96 men aged 40–75 years (mean age 56.5 years), with biweekly 24-hour dietary recalls (24HDRs) implemented over a 1-year period. Data from this study were analysed to evaluate the nature and magnitude of variances for intake of 26 nutrients among SMHS participants, to compare variance ratios of 26 nutrients among Chinese men and women and individuals in other studies, …

Are Specific Language Impairment And Dyslexia Distinct Disorders?, Hugh W. Catts, Suzanne M. Adlof, Tiffany Hogan, Susan Ellis Weismer

Faculty Publications

Purpose - The purpose of this study was to determine whether specific language impairment (SLI) and dyslexia are distinct developmental disorders.

Method - Study 1 investigated the overlap between SLI identified in kindergarten and dyslexia identified in 2nd, 4th, or 8th grades in a representative sample of 527 children. Study 2 examined phonological processing in a subsample of participants, including 21 children with dyslexia only, and 43 children with SLI only, 18 children with SLI and dyslexia, and 165 children with typical language/reading development. Measures of phonological awareness and nonword repetition were considered.

Results - Study 1 showed limited but …

The Relationship Between Leisure-Time Physical Activity And The Metabolic Syndrome: An Examination Of Nhanes Iii, 1988-1994, Katrina D. Dubose, Cheryl L. Addy, Barbara E. Ainsworth, Gregory A. Hand, J. Larry Durstine

Faculty Publications

No abstract provided.

Recruitment And Retention Of Emergency Medical Technicians: A Qualitative Study, P. Daniel Patterson, Janice C. Probst, Katherine H. Leith, Sara J. Corwin, M. Paige Powell

Faculty Publications

Emergency medical technicians (EMTs) are critical to out-of-hospital care, but maintaining staff can be difficult. The study objective was to identify factors that contribute to recruitment and retention of EMTs and paramedics. Information was drawn from three focus groups of EMT-Basic, EMT-Intermediate, and EMT-Paramedic personnel recruited from participants at an annual conference. Thoughts and feelings of EMTs and paramedics were investigated using eight questions designed to explore entry into emergency medical services, what it is like to be an EMT or paramedic, and the EMT educational process. Data were analyzed at the group level for common themes using NVivo. For …

A Preliminary Test Of A Student-Centered Intervention On Increasing Physical Activity In Underserved Adolescents, Dawn K. Wilson, Alexandra E. Evans, Joel Williams, Gary Mixon, John R. Sirard, Russell R. Pate

Faculty Publications

Background - Previous studies have shown that choice and self-initiated behavior changes are important for increasing intrinsic motivation and physical activity (PA), however, little of this research has focused on underserved adolescents.

Purpose - This study examined the effects of a 4-week student-centered intervention on increasing PA in underserved adolescents.

Methods - Twenty-eight students in the intervention school were matched (on race, percentage on free or reduced-price lunch program, gender, and age) with 20 students from another school who served as the comparison group (30 girls, 18 boys; ages 10-12 years; 83% African American; 83% on free or reduced-price lunch). …

Revised Adult Treatment Panel Iii Guidelines And Cardiovascular Disease Mortality In Men Attending A Preventive Medical Clinic, Chris I. Ardern, Peter T. Katzmarzyk, Ian Janssen, Timothy S. Church, Steven N. Blair

Faculty Publications

Background - National Cholesterol Education Program Adult Treatment Panel III guidelines recommended therapeutic lifestyle changes (TLC) and drug therapy to reduce cardiovascular disease (CVD) risk. These guidelines have been revised recently (ATP III-R); however, the risk of CVD mortality within each intervention window and the effects of cardiorespiratory fitness (CRF) and metabolic syndrome on CVD mortality within the framework of the guidelines are unknown.

Methods and Results - Risk factor and CRF data from 19,125 men (aged 20 to 79 years) who attended a preventive medical clinic between 1979 and 1995 were used. Mortality follow-up was completed until December 31, …

Cardiorespiratory Fitness Is Inversely Associated With The Incidence Of Metabolic Syndrome: A Prospective Study Of Men And Women, Michael J. Lamonte, Carolyn E. Barlow, Radim Jurca, James B. Kampert, Timothy S. Church, Steven N. Blair

Faculty Publications

Background - Few studies have reported the relationship between cardiorespiratory fitness and metabolic syndrome incidence, particularly in women.

Methods and Results - We prospectively studied 9007 men (mean±SD, age, 44±9 years; body mass index, 25±3 kg/m²) and 1491 women (age, 44±9 years; body mass index, 22±2 kg/m²) who were free of metabolic syndrome and for whom measures of waist girth, resting blood pressure, fasting lipids, and glucose were taken during baseline and follow-up examinations. Baseline cardiorespiratory fitness was quantified as duration of a maximal treadmill test. Metabolic syndrome was defined with NCEP ATP-III criteria. During a …

Psychometric Properties Of The Self-Efficacy For Exercise Questionnaire In A Diverse Sample Of Men And Women, Sarah Wilcox, Patricia A. Sharpe, Brent E. Hutto, Michelle L. Granner

Faculty Publications

Background: Self-efficacy is a consistent correlate of physical activity, but most self-efficacy measures have not been validated in diverse populations. This study examined the construct, criterion-related, and convergent validity and internal consistency of the Self-Efficacy for Exercise Questionnaire. Methods: African American and Caucasian adults (N = 1919) from two adjacent counties in South Carolina were identified through a list-assisted random digit-dialed telephone survey. Psychometric properties of the measure were assessed by gender, race, age, education, and body weight subgroups. Results: Across all subgroups, a single-factor solution explained 93 to 98% of the common variance in an exploratory factor analysis, …

Calibration And Evaluation Of An Objective Measure Of Physical Activity In Preschool Children, John R. Sirard, Stewart G. Trost, Karin A. Pfeiffer, Marsha Dowda, Russell R. Pate

Faculty Publications

Background: The purposes of this study were 1) to establish accelerometer count cutoffs to categorize activity intensity of 3 to 5-y old-children and 2) to evaluate the accelerometer as a measure of children's physical activity in preschool settings. Methods: While wearing an ActiGraph accelerometer, 16 preschool children performed five, 3-min structured activities. Receiver Operating Characteristics (ROC) curve analyses identified count cutoffs for four physical activity intensities. In 9 preschools, 281 children wore an ActiGraph during observations performed by three trained observers (interobserver reliability = 0.91 to 0.98). Results: Separate count cutoffs for 3, 4, and 5-y olds were established. Sensitivity …

Influence Of Cardiorespiratory Fitness On The Association Between C-Reactive Protein And Metabolic Syndrome Prevalence In Racially Diverse Women, Michael J. Lamonte, Barbara E. Ainsworth, J. Larry Durstine

Faculty Publications

No abstract provided.

Prevention Research Centers: Contributions To Updating The Public Health Workforce Through Training, Adele L. Franks, Ross C. Brownson, Carol Bryant, Kelli Mccormack Brown, Steven P. Hooker, Delores M. Pluto, Dennis M. Shepard, Russell R. Pate, Elizabeth A. Baker, Kathleen N. Gillespie, Terry L. Leet, Margret A. O'Neall, Eduardo J. Simoes

Faculty Publications

Because public health is a continually evolving field, it is essential to provide ample training opportunities for public health professionals. As a natural outgrowth of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's Prevention Research Centers Program, training courses of many types have been developed for public health practitioners working in the field. This article describes three of the Prevention Research Center training program offerings: Evidence-Based Public Health, Physical Activity and Public Health for Practitioners, and Social Marketing. These courses illustrate the commitment of the Prevention Research Centers Program to helping create a better trained public health workforce, thereby enhancing the …

Comparisons Between Rail-Trail Users And Nonusers And Men And Women's Patterns Of Use In A Suburban Community, Philip J. Troped, Ruth P. Saunders, Russell R. Pate

Faculty Publications

Background: Physical activity research on trails is limited. We compared rail-trail users and nonusers on demographics, physical activity, and barriers/concerns about trail use; and described use among men and women. Methods: Four hundred thirteen adults completed a physical activity survey during fall 1998. Chi-square statistics and t-tests were used to compare trail users to nonusers, and men and women on trail use. Results: More trail users (79%) performed recreational physical activity ≥ 3 d/wk, compared to nonusers (47%). Walking was the most common activity for trail users and nonusers. Both groups shared concerns about safe access to the trail …

Correlates Of Physical Activity In Persons With Arthritis: Review And Recommendations, Sarah Wilcox, Cheryl Der Ananian, Patricia A. Sharpe, Jennifer Robbins, Theresa Brady

Faculty Publications

Background: Physical activity (PA) is important for arthritis self-management. A better understanding of the PA correlates in persons with arthritis will help inform interventions. Methods: Computer searches were conducted on PubMed, PsychInfo, Current Contents, and Cinahl databases. Reference lists of extracted articles were also searched. Thirty-six studies published between 1976 and February 2004 met inclusion criteria. Results: PA correlates are presented for sociodemographic, psychological, health-related, social, and environmental categories. Self-efficacy, perceived benefits and barriers, mental well-being, prior PA, and pain received the most consistent support as PA correlates, whereas sociodemographic, social, and environmental variables were the least studied. Too few …

Scale And Shape Issues In Focused Cluster Power For Count Data, Robin C. Puett, Andrew B. Lawson, Allan B. Clark, Tim E. Aldrich, Dwayne E. Porter, Charles E. Feigley, James R. Hébert

Faculty Publications

Background: Interest in the development of statistical methods for disease cluster detection has experienced rapid growth in recent years. Evaluations of statistical power provide important information for the selection of an appropriate statistical method in environmentally-related disease cluster investigations. Published power evaluations have not yet addressed the use of models for focused cluster detection and have not fully investigated the issues of disease cluster scale and shape. As meteorological and other factors can impact the dispersion of environmental toxicants, it follows that environmental exposures and associated diseases can be dispersed in a variety of spatial patterns. This study simulates …

Association Between Dietary Carbohydrates And Body Weight, Yunsheng Ma, Barbara Olendzki, David Chiriboga, James R. Hébert, Youfu Li, Wenjun Li, Mary Jane Campbell, Katherine Gendreau, Ira S. Ockene

Faculty Publications

The role of dietary carbohydrates in weight loss has received considerable attention in light of the current obesity epidemic. The authors investigated the association of body mass index (weight (kg)/height (m)²) with dietary intake of carbohydrates and with measures of the induced glycemic response, using data from an observational study of 572 healthy adults in central Massachusetts. Anthropometric measurements, 7-day dietary recalls, and physical activity recalls were collected quarterly from each subject throughout a 1-year study period. Data were collected between 1994 and 1998. Longitudinal analyses were conducted, and results were adjusted for other factors related to body …

The Effect Of Social Desirability And Social Approval On Self-Reports Of Physical Activity, Swann A. Adams, Charles E. Matthews, Cara B. Ebbeling, Charity G. Moore, Joan E. Cunningham, Jeanette Fulton, James R. Hébert

Faculty Publications

The purpose of this investigation was to examine social desirability and social approval as sources of error in three self-reported physical activity assessments using objective measures of physical activity as reference measures. In 1997, women (n = 81) living in Worcester, Massachusetts, completed doubly labeled water measurements and wore an activity monitor for 14 days. They also completed seven interviewer-administered 24-hour physical activity recalls (PARs) and two different self-administered 7-day PARs. Measures of the personality traits “social desirability” and “social approval” were regressed on 1) the difference between physical activity energy expenditure estimated from doubly labeled water and each …