Lead exposure and ALS.
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Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis↗
Biomedical subjects
C A Molgaard
Publications and source records attributed to C A Molgaard.
The association between teacher attitudes, behavioral intentions, and smoking and the prevalence of smoking among seventh-grade students.
Seventh-grade students and teachers from twenty-three middle and junior high schools were surveyed to determine the association between teacher attitudes, behavioral intentions, and smoking behavior and the prevalence of student smoking. Teacher attitudes toward smoking policies were found to be strongly related to the current smoking behavior of the teacher but not consistently related to student smoking. In addition, teacher likelihood of intervening showed a modest association with teacher smoking status, with current smokers generally indicating being the least likely to intervene for student possession or use of cigarettes. Teacher intentions to intervene were strongly associated with the prevalence of smoking among boys but not girls.
Adolescent↗
HTLV-I among U.S. Marines stationed in a hyperendemic area: evidence for female-to-male sexual transmission.
Among 5,255 active duty United States Marines on permanent tour in Okinawa, Japan, screened for human T-cell leukemia/lymphoma virus type I (HTLV-I) seropositivity, 3 (0.06%) were confirmed by Western blot analysis to have core and envelope reactivity. All three seropositive individuals have a history of prolonged sexual contact with Okinawan women, and two of the three individuals are married to seropositive Okinawan wives. Two gave a prior history of gonorrhea, while all three were negative for syphilis (MHA-TP) and hepatitis B. No other risk factors associated with HTLV-I seropositivity in the United States were identified. A banked sample from one individual, obtained 8 months after initial sexual relations with his HTLV-I-seropositive Okinawan spouse and 20 months before being retested in the survey, showed a pattern suggesting seroconversion. Although based on small numbers, these data suggest that female-to-male transmission of HTLV-I occurs in the absence of other cofactors, e.g., ulcerative genital lesions.
Adult↗
Depression late after combat: a follow-up of Finnish World War Two veterans from the seven countries east-west cohort.
An analysis from the Finnish East and West Cohort of the Seven Countries Study tested the hypothesis that front line service during modern warfare is associated with depression later in life. World War Two-era Finnish combat veterans were compared to Finnish veterans who were non-combatants. Both groups were followed from 1959 to 1984. Dependent variables were the Zung depression scale and other measures of psychosocial adaptation and mental health. Analysis of variance of Zung scores by combat exposure was close to statistical significance (p = 0.0501). Even if statistical significance had been reached, it is felt that the absolute magnitude of the differences between the populations appear quite trivial. A significant association was found for those who had participated in over nine battles and when grouping depression, sleeplessness, paranoia, hallucinations, schizophrenia, and other mental illness into the general category of any mental illness (O.R. = 4.414; 95% C.I. = 1.113, 17.503). This seems to support the residual stress hypothesis pertaining to modern combat exposure.
Adult↗
Prevalence of alcohol consumption among older persons.
Percent prevalences of alcohol consumption were determined in a cross-sectional study of randomly chosen residents of San Diego County, California aged 45 years and over. The study sample (N = 2,105) showed statistically significant drinking differences between Whites (n = 819), Blacks (n = 629), and Mexican-Americans (n = 657). Overall, the highest prevalence of drinking occurred among the White elderly. The common belief that socioeconomic conditions are inversely associated with a high prevalence of drinking was not supported in this sample. Statistically significant differences in age-specific and sex-specific percent prevalences of alcohol intake were also found. There was a generally decreasing prevalence of alcohol consumption with advancing age, which existed regardless of ethnicity. Initial empirical measures and a better understanding of drinking correlates will identify those elderly persons at risk and provide the basis for future interventions in the areas of applied epidemiology and health promotion.
Black or African American↗
Stages of adolescent tobacco-use acquisition.
The present study extended the results of previous research in applying the "stages of acquisition" model to the onset of smokeless tobacco as well as cigarette use. Three expert judges classified an initial pool of items as to whether they represented "precontemplation," "contemplation," "action," or "maintenance" stages of smokeless tobacco acquisition. Fifty items with adequate inter-rater reliability were combined with 21 previously developed items pertaining to cigarette smoking acquisition in an overall tobacco acquisition questionnaire, which in turn was administered to 358 junior and senior high public school students. Three distinct components labeled precontemplation, action, and maintenance were delineated through principal component analyses. Coefficient alphas and discriminant analyses according to self-reported use demonstrated adequate reliability and validity for the new smokeless tobacco- and previously developed smoking-acquisition scale.
Adolescent↗
Epidemiology of head trauma and neurocognitive impairment in a multi-ethnic population.
This study tested two hypotheses. These were: (1) that mild cognitive impairment of the type that may characterize early-onset dementia of the Alzheimer type varies by ethnic group among the noninstitutionalized elderly, and (2) that head trauma is a risk factor associated with the development of this disease. The study sample consisted of a cohort of 2,105 Black, Mexican-American and White subjects aged 45 years and over at baseline in 1985-1987 in San Diego, Calif. Intellectual functioning was measured by Pfeiffer's Short Portable Mental Status Questionnaire. Percent prevalence of test failure after Pfeiffer's adjustment for education and ethnicity was highest for Whites (5.7%, CI = 4.26, 7.57) and lowest for Blacks (1.3%, CI = 0.61, 2.63), with Mexican-Americans intermediate (3.5%, CI = 2.28, 5.29). The difference between Blacks and Whites was statistically significant at the 0.05 level. Females failed more often (4.2%, CI = 3.15, 5.56) than males (3.1%, CI = 2.13, 4.47) across all ethnic groups, but the difference was not statistically significant after Pfeiffer's adjustment for education and ethnicity. Self-reported head traumas and other possible risk factors for dementia of the Alzheimer type were examined by logistic regression in a case-control analysis. A statistically significant association (OR = 8.577, CI = 3.056, 24.064) was noted for those with mild intellectual impairment who reported head traumas in a multivariate environment.
Black or African American↗
Mad cows and Englishmen: bovine spongiform encephalopathy.
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Animals↗
Methodological issues concerning the sensitive query in AIDS/alcohol research: sample size estimates for randomized response procedures.
Quantification of sample size requirements for two common models of the RRT as compared to conventional survey techniques demonstrates that Campbell is fundamentally correct. However, the absolute increase in sample size necessitated by either model of the RRT is not of such a magnitude as to make use of the method always impractical. Where the appropriate sample size exists, it may well be the method of choice for selected issues pertaining to AIDS and alcohol research.
Acquired Immunodeficiency Syndrome↗
A discriminant analysis of severe alcohol consumption among older persons.
A cross-sectional study among older persons (N = 1034) utilized multivariate stepwise discriminate analysis to determine the predictive value of variables affecting alcohol intake. Fifteen per cent of our study sample was classified as severe drinkers. Alcohol consumption before age 40, smoking, male gender and marital status were predictors of severe drinking. In addition, the unimpaired Older Americans Resource and Services (OARS) objective summary ratings for physical status and activities of daily living (ADL) were associated with severe drinking. Assessing the factors that predict alcohol consumption may help to identify initially those persons at possible risk, lending to heuristic and theoretical alcohol prevention policies among the aged.
Activities of Daily Living↗
Prevention of tobacco use among adolescents in public schools in San Diego County, U.S.A.
Project S.H.O.U.T. (which stands for "Students Helping Others Understand Tobacco") is a tobacco-use prevention project funded by the United States National Cancer Institute for preventing the use of cigarettes and smokeless tobacco (snuff and chewing tobacco) in public schools in San Diego County, California. Based on principles of behavior modification, Project S.H.O.U.T. teaches students how to anticipate and overcome negative peer pressure to use tobacco and reinforces them for having done so. Preliminary results indicate that the prevalence of tobacco use among students receiving peer pressure resistance skills training was somewhat but not statistically significantly lower than the control group after one year of intervention. In addition, students in a third lottery condition, who were reinforced for simply not using tobacco, showed lower prevalence rates compared to controls. Additional support for the efficacy of the intervention program was provided by the refusal skills assessment test, which indicated that students exposed to the intervention were able to refuse tobacco offers more effectively than the control students. Our results indicate that tobacco use prevention experts should do more than provide decision-making and behavioral skills for resisting tobacco use, but should also reinforce the non-use of tobacco.
Adolescent↗
Recruiting survey respondents to mailed surveys: controlled trials of incentives and prompts.
Three controlled experiments tested the efficacy of 1) a postcard or telephone prompt, 2) a lottery, 3) monetary incentives, and 4) questionnaire length to recruit adult survey respondents to a random sample of residences in San Diego, California, during 1986-1988. In experiment 1, the group randomly assigned to receive a telephone call prenotification plus the lottery incentive responded 26-66% more frequently than did controls (p = 0.02) after a single mailing. The postcard plus lottery was 17-54% more effective than no intervention with controls (p = 0.05). A second mailing of the survey weakened these effects. In experiment 2, the group randomly assigned to receive a two-page survey with the lottery announcement responded 69% more frequently after one mailing (p = 0.03) and 53% more frequently after a second mailing (p = 0.04) than the group that received an eight-page survey without the lottery incentive. The shorter form alone or the lottery alone did not increase response rates significantly relative to the long form without a lottery. In experiment 3, a monetary incentive of $5.00 contingent on response to the second mailing of the survey increased the rate of response from initial "nonresponders" by 100% relative to control who received no incentive (p = 0.03) and 75% over those who received $1.00 not contingent on response (p = 0.04). Little sampling bias and no reactivity was attributable to the recruitment procedures.
Adult↗
Occupational low-back injury in a hospital employee population: an epidemiologic analysis of multiple risk factors of a high-risk occupational group.
A case-control study was carried out using 84 cases of employee back injuries and 168 controls (matched triplets) at Children's Hospital and Health Center, San Diego. The objective was to examine the impact of multiple individual and work-related risk factors for low-back injury from hospital employee health records. Hospital workers include occupational groups historically regarded as being at high risk, particularly nurses and others involved in patient care. In terms of traditional risk factors, significant associations were found for history of low-back pain or "slipped disc" by self-report and for history of previous back injury. Working the day shift also was significant (odds ratio [OR] = 2.23, P less than 0.005). Marital status (single) approached significance (OR = 1.65, confidence interval [CI] = 0.091, 2.99), as did low body weight (OR = 1.47, Cl 0.70, 3.10). No significant association was found between cigarette smoking and low-back injury. Possible work site health promotion interventions to lower the risk of low-back injury in this population are suggested.
Adult↗
Neuroepidemiology of human T-lymphotrophic virus type-I-associated tropical spastic paraparesis.
Tropical spastic paraparesis (TSP) is a chronic neurological syndrome of gradual onset involving the pyramidal tracts and upper motor neurons, resulting in weakness and stiffness of the lower extremities, hyperactive tendon reflexes, spasticity, low back pain, and urinary disturbances. Clusters of endemic TSP have been noted in Africa, the Seychelles Islands, Colombia, and the Caribbean. Recently, studies have linked human T-lymphotrophic virus type-I (HTLV-I) with the endemic form of the disease. In Japan a very similar clinical syndrome has been identified as HTLV-I-associated myelopathy and may be a non-tropical version of the same disease. The purpose of the present review is to examine the role HTLV-I may play in the pathogenesis of these myelopathies from a neuroepidemiological point of view.
Adult↗
Generic tobacco use among four ethnic groups in a school age population.
The prevalence of overall or "generic" tobacco use among Hispanic, white, Black and Asian youths in grades four, seven, ten and twelve was compared in San Diego, California (n = 4980). Significant differences in generic tobacco use between ethnic groups were found in the 4th, 10th and 12th grades, but were greatest in the 10th grade. Only white youths demonstrated a sharp increase in regular tobacco use (once a month or more) between 7th and 10th grade. Overall, the prevalence of regular use was highest among whites (25.8%), followed by Hispanics (19.7%), Blacks (17.6%) and Asians (12.6%). Marijuana, alcohol, and other drug use explained approximately 40 percent of the variance in tobacco use in each ethnic group. Other predictors varied by ethnicity and included socioeconomic status, happiness of student, strictness of parent, adult tobacco use at home, accessibility to marijuana, and gender.
Adolescent↗
Maternal alcoholism and anorexia nervosa: a possible association?
The use of modern epidemiological and biostatistical methods has been lacking in the research literature on anorexia nervosa. The present study utilized a retrospective case control design in which 40 cases of anorexia nervosa were matched to two separate control series, one being population based and one being clinic based. Odds ratio of 4.00 (p less than 0.006) and 7.67 (p less than 0.001) were obtained for family history of alcoholism and family history of psychological disorders, respectively, among the families of anorexia nervosa cases. The implications of this result for treatment planning and implementation are discussed.
Adolescent↗
The social epidemiology of smoking during pregnancy among Mexican women.
The association between maternal tobacco smoke exposure and hazards to reproduction has been investigated since the turn of the century. Numerous studies have demonstrated an increased risk to the developing fetus as a result of maternal smoking. This risk continues to manifest itself postnatally into childhood. The present study examined both risk factors for and consequences of smoking behavior among a sample of 50 pregnant women consecutively admitted to the obstetrics ward of the Tijuana General Hospital, Tijuana, Mexico. A questionnaire completed postpartum examined social, cultural, and economic variables for the mother, and physical variables of the newborn. Twenty-one subjects were smokers and 29 were nonsmokers. The number of previous pregnancies per subject was significantly higher in the group of smoking mothers. Overall, 86.2% of the nonsmoking mothers had three or fewer pregnancies versus 52.4% of the smoking mothers (p less than or equal to 0.005). It was also noted that the smoking subjects tended to be light smokers (90% reported smoking ten or fewer cigarettes a day, with an average of 4.27 years of smoking history). No difference in knowledge of the harmful effects of smoking during pregnancy was observed between the two groups; however, the proportion of subjects whose mothers and siblings also smoked was significantly higher (p less than or equal to 0.005 and p less than or equal to 0.01, respectively) in the smoking groups. The results are discussed in terms of antismoking prevention and health promotion programs for the developing world.
Adult↗
Benefits of a back care and light duty health promotion program in a hospital setting.
Back injuries are a common and expensive problem in industry in terms of both direct and indirect costs. A dramatic increase in the costs of workers' compensation for work-related back injuries occurred from 1981-1985 in a hospital setting. During this five-year period, costs of back injuries rose from $36,384 to $272,751, a 750% increase, and the incidence per thousand employees rose from 21 in 1981 to 33 in 1985. A back care education program was instituted by the Physical Therapy Department and Employee Health Service for all departments within the hospital, with content tailored to individual job requirements. Because employees who have had one back injury are at risk for reinjury, an "at risk" program was also developed. For those injured employees without time off work and without need for medical care, a private session with a physical therapist is required to assess musculoskeletal problems and to review posture and body mechanics directly related to specific job tasks. Those employees unable to work in their usual positions are assigned to temporary modified jobs as part of the Light Duty Program. In 1986, following the institution of these two programs in the hospital, the cost of back injuries dramatically decreased to $72,296, a $200,000 drop, and the incidence per thousand employees fell to fifteen. The efficacy of this health promotion intervention program was confirmed both in the cost benefit to the hospital as well as in reduction in incidence of low back injury.
Back Pain↗