Biomedical subjects

David Herrick

Publications and source records attributed to David Herrick.

3 recordsLinked to original sources

PubMed2006

Council tax valuation band predicts breast feeding and socio-economic status in the ALSPAC study population.

BACKGROUND: Breast-feeding rates in the UK are known to vary by maternal socio-economic status but the latter function is imperfectly defined. We test if CTVB (Council Tax Valuation Band - a categorical assessment of UK property values and amenities governing local tax levies) of maternal address predicts, in a large UK regional sample of births, (a) breast-feeding (b) personal and socio-economic attributes of the mothers. METHODS: Retrospective study of a subset (n.1390 selected at random) of the ALSPAC sample (Avon Longitudinal Study of Parents and Children), a large, geographically defined cohort of mothers followed from early pregnancy to 8 weeks post-delivery. Outcome measures are attitudes to breast-feeding prior to delivery, breast-feeding intention and uptake, demographic and socio-economic attributes of the mothers, CTVB of maternal home address at the time of each birth. Logistic regression analysis, categorical tests. RESULTS STUDY SAMPLE: 1360 women divided across the CTVBs--at least 155 in any band or band aggregation. CTVB predicted only one belief or attitude--that bottle-feeding was more convenient for the mother. However only 31% of 'CTVB A infants' are fully breast fed at 4 weeks of life whereas for 'CTVB E+ infants' the rate is 57%. CTVB is also strongly associated with maternal social class, home conditions, parental educational attainment, family income and smoking habit. CONCLUSION: CTVB predicts breast-feeding rates and links them with social circumstances. CTVB could be used as the basis for accurate resource allocation for community paediatric services: UK breast-feeding rates are low and merit targeted promotion.

Adult↗

PubMed2005

The search for genenotype/phenotype associations and the phenome scan.

All the approaches to the search for genotype/phenotype associations have their share of problems. Comparing the genome scan and candidate gene approaches, the former makes fewer assumptions at the genetic level or about mechanism but has greater statistical difficulties while the latter partially solves the statistical problem but makes more assumptions at both genetic and mechanistic levels. Among current difficulties is a lack of information about the nature of gene variant/phenotype associations: the frequency with which different classes of gene or sequence are involved; the type of genetic variation most commonly involved; the appropriate genetic models to apply to analysis. The overarching problem is that of multiple testing, one solution to which is to integrate genetic information to create a smaller number of compound variables. At the other end of the scale, decisions about the level of complexity at which to pitch the identification of phenotypes also affect the multiple testing problem: whether to pitch them at the level of disease outcomes, or at any of the multiple levels of intermediate phenotypes or traits. The third issue is how best to deal with gene/gene or gene/environment interactions, or whether to ignore them. Only as more genotype/phenotype associations emerge, by whatever means, will the numbers of results allow these questions to be answered. We describe here a new approach to genotype/phenotype association studies, the phenome scan, in which dense phenotypic information in human cohorts is scanned for associations with individual genetic variants. We believe that this approach can generate data that will be useful in answering generic questions about genotype/phenotype associations as well as in discovering novel ones.

Environmental Exposure↗

PubMed2005

Common visual defects and peer victimization in children.

PURPOSE: To investigate whether wearing glasses, having manifest strabismus, or having a history of wearing an eye patch predisposes preadolescent children to being victimized more frequently at school and whether the impact may be different on boys than on girls. METHODS: Data were examined on 6536 children from the Avon Longitudinal Study of Parents and Children (ALSPAC) based in the United Kingdom. At 7.5 years, the children undertook a detailed eye examination by orthoptists, including a cover test and visual acuity assessment. At 8.5 years, trained psychologists assessed the children's bullying involvement as either victim or perpetrator for overt and relational bullying, in a standard interview. RESULTS: Children currently wearing glasses or with a history of wearing eye patches were 35% to 37% more likely to be victims of physical or verbal bullying, even after adjustment for social class and maternal education. No interactions were found between sex and visual problems in the prediction of bullying. CONCLUSIONS: For those children who require glasses, opticians should be aware of the risks of bullying, and strategies should be developed and discussed that help reduce their vulnerability.

Aggression↗