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Biomedical subjects

E M Gentry

Publications and source records attributed to E M Gentry.

At least 19 recordsLinked to original sources
PubMed1993

Addressing the public's concerns about human immunodeficiency virus transmission in health-care settings.

BACKGROUND: The 1990 report of a cluster of patients infected with the human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) associated with a Florida dentist with acquired immunodeficiency syndrome attracted considerable media coverage and legislative attention. A number of polls found that the public favored mandatory HIV-antibody testing of health-care workers. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Atlanta, Ga, conducted a two-phase study to understand how public concerns regarding potential HIV transmission in health-care settings can be addressed by the medical and public health communities. METHODS: Sixteen focus group discussions in nine US cities were conducted to explore the public's perceptions, concerns, and behavioral responses regarding HIV transmission in health-care settings. Using this information, a questionnaire was developed and administered to a nationwide probability telephone sample of 1150 adults. RESULTS: Concern about contracting HIV in health-care settings was highest for emergency department treatment and lowest for treatment by a personal physician. Two factors directly related to patient care, ie, the health-care professional's willingness to discuss acquired immunodeficiency syndrome and the presence of acquired immunodeficiency syndrome educational materials in the waiting room, were considered useful factors for determining potential risk of transmission of HIV in a health-care setting. CONCLUSIONS: Public concern about the potential for HIV transmission in health-care settings remains high. Active steps on the part of health-care professionals, such as providing educational materials and initiating discussions about infection control procedures and about HIV and acquired immunodeficiency syndrome, could likely have positive effects in terms of alleviating these concerns.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1993

Using indices to differentiate dimensions of knowledge regarding modes of HIV transmission in the U.S. population, 1987-1989.

The number of HIV-infected individuals is increasing, making it important for the public to understand not only how HIV is transmitted but also the lack of transmission risk associated with casual contact. Using CDC's National Center for Health Statistics National Health Interview Survey, we divided modes of transmission items into two areas of knowledge: "True Transmission" and "False Transmission." Items were recoded with scores from 3 for the most correct response to 0 for the most incorrect response for each of three items related to true and each of eight items related to false transmission. Item and principal components factor analyses yielded two distinct dimensions (true factor loadings from 0.68 to 0.76, false factor loadings from 0.56 to 0.74). Mean scores of 8.3 (range 0-9) and 15.9 for 1987 (range 0-24) for true and false transmission indices, respectively, provide evidence that the population is highly knowledgeable about true modes of transmission but far less so about false modes. Knowledge levels have increased between 1987 and 1989, most meaningfully in the area of false transmission. Use of these indices will facilitate the monitoring over time of differential knowledge, attitudes, and beliefs related to HIV and AIDS.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1992

The pediatrician's role in encouraging parent-child communication about the acquired immunodeficiency syndrome.

OBJECTIVE: We explored whether communication from pediatrician to parent to child might assist in education about and prevention of human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) infection by comparing parents of children aged 10 through 17 years who did discuss acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS) with their children with parents of children aged 10 through 17 years who did not discuss AIDS with their children. RESEARCH DESIGN: Secondary analyses of the National Health Interview Survey, a general population survey with items on AIDS. We compared the relative importance of various characteristics in distinguishing parents who did discuss AIDS from those who did not. Variables included whether the parents had received an informational brochure about AIDS from a health care provider. RESULTS: Twenty percent of respondents had at least one child between ages 10 and 17 years; 62% of these parents had discussed AIDS with their children. This percentage was greater for parents living in metropolitan statistical areas with fewer than 100,000 persons compared with parents living in larger cities (73.6% vs 62.7%). Seventy-four percent of women (n = 4745) had spoken to their children about AIDS; only 49% of men (n = 3271) had done so. This gender difference was present in both one- and two-parent households. Hispanics were significantly less likely than non-Hispanics to have discussed AIDS with their children (men, 38.9% vs 49.9%; women, 62.6% vs 74.2%). Gender by far was most strongly associated with talking to children about AIDS, followed by self-assessed knowledge, knowing someone infected with the HIV, and actual knowledge about HIV and AIDS. Parents who reported reading an AIDS-related brochure were significantly more likely to have spoken with their children than were parents who had not read such a brochure (76.2% vs 57.4%). Thirty-seven percent of parents receiving a brochure received one from a health care provider. CONCLUSIONS: Pediatricians can assist in efforts to prevent HIV infection and AIDS by educating parents, especially mothers, about AIDS; by providing them with well-designed brochures about AIDS; and by encouraging them to discuss HIV with their children in a developmentally appropriate manner.

Acquired Immunodeficiency Syndrome↗
PubMed1988

Alcohol use and health behavior lifestyles among U.S. women: the behavioral risk factor surveys.

Alcohol use is a complex behavior, occurring in the context of an overall health lifestyle. We used data from a nationally representative telephone survey (N = 12,467 women) to examine associations between binge drinking, chronic drinking, and other health behaviors. Certain health-risk behaviors (e.g., smoking, drunk driving, and seatbelt nonuse) tend to cluster with alcohol misuse. These may act synergistically, thus augmenting the negative health effects of alcohol misuse. Conversely, some health behaviors (e.g., eating or exercising, particularly in response to stress) are negatively associated with alcohol misuse and may serve similar functions for some women. Finally, binge drinking occurs more frequently among women who may have relatively restrictive eating behaviors and higher levels of interpersonal stress. Our findings suggest that alcohol prevention and treatment programs should address sociodemographic and health lifestyle factors that initially predispose an individual to engage in health-risk behaviors and should recognize the interdependent patterns of behaviors associated with alcohol misuse. This approach will help prevent substitutions, recurrence, or induction of detrimental behaviors and will identify potentially negative interactions between existing concurrent health-risk behaviors.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1987

The relative impact of smoking and oral contraceptive use on women in the United States.

Women who smoke and use oral contraceptives (OCs) are at increased risk for cardiovascular and cerebrovascular disease. To study the prevalence of smoking and OC use and other behaviors affecting health, 28 states and the District of Columbia conducted telephone surveys during 1981 through 1983. More than 22,000 US adults were interviewed, of whom 5779 women aged 18 to 44 years were studied. Data were weighted to represent the US population. Overall, 7.4% of US women aged 18 to 44 years reported smoking and using OCs; 1.1% reported smoking 25 or more cigarettes per day while using OCs. Although women aged 18 to 24 years were most likely to smoke and use OCs, combined smoking and OC use contributed substantially to the number of excess cases of myocardial infarctions occurring among US women aged 35 to 44 years. However, regardless of OC use, smoking accounted for most of the excess cases. Therefore, health care providers need to intensify their efforts to reduce smoking among their patients.

Adult↗
PubMed1987

Drinking-driving and health lifestyle in the United States: Behavioral Risk Factors Surveys.

National patterns of self-reported drinking-driving were examined using aggregated Behavioral Risk Factor Survey data. Drinking-driving is reported by 6.1% of U.S. adults, is almost three times more prevalent among men than women and is most prevalent in 18-24-year-old men (15.4%). Sociodemographic characteristics of self-reported drinking drivers correspond with those characteristics based on alcohol-associated motor vehicle accident and arrest data. Heavy smokers and those who fail to use seatbelts are more likely to drink and drive than those without these health-risk behaviors. Men reporting stress in interpersonal relationships are more likely to drink and drive. Individuals who drink or smoke in response to stress are more likely to drink and drive than those who exercise in response to stress. The concurrent practice of drinking-driving with lack of seatbelt use, use of alcohol in response to stress and smoking probably contributes substantially to the risk of accident and serious injury among drinking drivers and has implications for both prevention and treatment programs.

Accidents, Traffic↗
PubMed1987

Alcohol and body weight in United States adults.

Alcohol contributes more than 10 per cent of the total caloric intake of adult drinkers in the United States. However, the effect of alcohol on body weight has not been adequately studied in the general population. The association between weight and frequency of alcohol consumption was examined in two national cross-sectional surveys: the Second National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (HANESII; n = 10,929) and the Behavioral Risk Factor Surveys (BRFS; n = 18,388). Linear multiple regression was used to estimate the independent effect of alcohol on weight, adjusting for smoking, age, diet practices, physical activity, race, education, and height. Among men, alcohol had only a slight effect on weight in either survey. However, among women, alcohol was associated with a substantial reduction in weight, which was as large as the effect of smoking. Compared with nondrinkers, women who consumed alcohol 7-13 times per week had the greatest reduction in weight: -3.6 kg (95% confidence limits [CL] = -5.6, -1.5 kg) in HANESII and -3.2 kg (95% CL = -4.9, -1.5 kg) in BRFS. Alcohol confounded the association between smoking and weight, and among women it accounted for nearly 45 per cent of the weight-lowering effect of smoking. Alcohol also diminished the weight-lowering effect of smoking in men, while in women the smoking effect was slightly enhanced. Further studies are needed to understand the causal mechanisms by which alcohol is associated with body weight.

Adult↗
PubMed1986

Failure to use seat belts in the United States. The 1981-1983 Behavioral Risk Factor Surveys.

Although seat belt use could prevent thousands of highway deaths and save billions of dollars annually, most Americans do not routinely buckle up. To understand better this phenomenon and other health-related behaviors, 28 states, the District of Columbia, and the Centers for Disease Control, Atlanta, surveyed over 22,000 US adults from 1981 through 1983. Overall, 76% of US adults reported not using seat belts. Blacks, 18- to 24-year-olds, persons with no more than a high school education, and persons with other risk behaviors (especially drunk driving) were least likely to use seat belts. Legislation by the states and education by physicians can increase seat belt use and reduce morbidity and mortality due to motor vehicle collisions.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1986

Overweight adults in the United States: the behavioral risk factor surveys.

Using data on 19,405 adults from telephone interviews across the US, 1981-1983, we examined the sociodemographic characteristics, health-risk behaviors, body image, and dieting of overweight adults classified by the 1959 Metropolitan Life Insurance tables for weight and height. By self-report, 23% were overweight vs 29% in 1960-62. This modest decline in overweight remained after age-adjusting the 1981-1983 rate to the 1960 population. In 1981-1983, more blacks and Hispanics than whites were overweight [rate ratio (RR) = 1.43]. After adjustment for age and education, more over- than average-weight adults had uncontrolled hypertension, were binge drinking, and had a sedentary lifestyle. Among overweight men and women, 72% and 52%, respectively, were not dieting. Overweight adults acknowledging they were overweight were dieting more often than those without this perception (RR = 1.53). Results are discussed in light of research documenting weight gain and overweight as independent risk factors for cardiovascular disease incidence and mortality.

Adult↗
PubMed1981

Measuring children: one reference for all.

Growth standards developed in industrialised countries are appropriate for measuring child growth in developing countries. From data collected among privileged groups of children in developing countries, we have concluded that child growth is mainly influenced by socioeconomic status and not by race or by ethnicity. Height, weight, and age data were collected from 2366 children aged 6-59 months in Egypt, Togo, and Haiti. These children were chosen from private day-care centres, paediatricians' offices, and families of military and Government officials. These data were compared with the NCHS/CDC reference population, which is representative of healthy U.S. children. Distributions of weight-for-height and height-for-age values for the privileged group and the reference population were nearly identical. The 5th, 50th, and 95th centiles height-for-age of the privileged group did not differ greatly from the reference population. The privileged group, however, was heavier than the reference population at heights greater than 100 cm for the 50th and 95th centiles. Overweight appears to be a greater problem in those privileged groups than in the reference population. Since growth in privileged children in these developing countries and in the U.S. children is similar, we feel that use of the NCHS/CDC reference is justified for measuring nutrition status of preschool children in developing countries.

Anthropometry↗
PubMedDate not supplied

Monitoring the exposure of "America Responds to AIDS" PSA campaign.

The "America Responds to AIDS" campaign is the focal point of an integrated mass communications system for AIDS education and information dissemination developed by the National AIDS Information and Education Program of the Centers for Disease Control. Television and radio public service announcements are an integral part of the campaign. One measure of their success is the extent to which they are aired on both national and local levels. Since 1987, the total dollar value for air time donated to the "America Responds to AIDS" campaign is more than $65 million, representing 47 percent of all donations of air time for AIDS public service announcements. These results suggest that the campaign has been successful in reaching a large proportion of the public.

Acquired Immunodeficiency Syndrome↗
PubMedDate not supplied

Screening mammography for women 50 years of age and older: practices and trends, 1987.

Recently, public and private efforts have been mounted to promote screening mammography. To assess recent trends in the percentage of women 50 years of age and older who have had a screening mammogram, we analyzed data from interviews from women from 33 states who participated in the 1987 Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System. Our study group included 8,402 women 50 years of age and older who had visited a physician for a routine checkup in the last year; among these 8,402 women, only 29% reported having had a screening mammogram in the past year. However, of the women in the study group, the percentage who had a screening mammogram in the last year showed a relative increase of 38% during 1987, from 24% for women interviewed in the first quarter of 1987 to 33% for women interviewed in the fourth quarter. However, not all groups of patients benefited equally from the observed trend--the absolute and relative increases in the percentage of women screened were lowest for women who were older, less educated, in low-income groups, and who had poor personal health practices. Although the percentage of women 50 years of age and older who reported being screened increased dramatically during 1987, special efforts are needed to reach the patient groups that are being left behind in the trend toward increased use of screening mammograms.

Age Factors↗
PubMedDate not supplied

Design, characteristics, and usefulness of state-based behavioral risk factor surveillance: 1981-87.

Since 1981, the Centers for Disease Control has collaborated with State health departments and the District of Columbia to conduct random digit-dialed telephone surveys of adults concerning their health practices and behaviors. This State-based surveillance system, which yields data needed in planning, initiating, and supporting health promotion and disease prevention programs, is described in this paper. Standard methods and questionnaires were used to assess the prevalence of personal health practices and behaviors related to the leading causes of death, including seatbelt use, high blood pressure control, physical activity, weight control, cigarette smoking, alcohol use, drinking and driving, and preventive health practices. Between 1981 and 1983, 29 States (includes the District of Columbia) conducted one-time telephone surveys. Beginning in 1984, most States began collecting data continuously throughout the year, completing approximately 100 interviews per month (range 50-250), with an average of 1,200 completed interviews per year (range 600-3,000). The raw data were weighted to the age, race, and sex distribution for each State from the 1980 census data. This weighting accounts for the underrepresentation of men, whites, and younger persons (18-24 years) in the telephone surveys and, for many health practices, provides prevalence estimates comparable with estimates obtained from household surveys. Nearly all (86 percent) of the States distributed selected survey results to other State agencies, local health departments, voluntary organizations, hospitals, universities, State legislators, and the press. The majority (60 percent) of States used information from the surveys to set State health objectives, prepare State health planning documents, and plan a variety of programs concerning antismoking, the prevention of chronic diseases, and health promotion. Further, nearly two-thirds (65 percent) used results to support legislation, primarily related to the use of tobacco and seatbelts. Most of the States (84 percent) reported that alternative sources for such data (prevalence of behavioral risk factors) were unavailable. Currently in 1988, over 40 State health departments are conducting telephone surveys as part of the Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System. This system has proved to be (a) flexible--it provides data on emerging public health problems, such as smokeless tobacco use and AIDS, (b) timely--it provides results within a few months after the data are collected, and (c) affordable--it operates at a fraction of the cost of comparable statewide in-person surveys. The system enables State public health agencies to continue to plan,initiate, and guide statewide health promotion and disease prevention programs and monitor their progress over time.

Adolescent↗
PubMedDate not supplied

The Behavioral Risk Factor Surveys: IV. The descriptive epidemiology of exercise.

Telephone interview data from aggregated state surveys showed that about 21 percent of the U.S. adult population expends greater than or equal to 3 kcal/kg-day in vigorous leisure-time exercise. Three kilocalories per kilogram-day is equivalent to the amount commonly recommended to maximally reduce the incidence of coronary heart disease. Approximately 36 percent of the U.S. population reported no vigorous leisure-time exercise. Men, younger persons, and the more highly educated were most likely to expend greater than or equal to 3 kcal/kg-day, but for no subgroup did the rate exceed 30 percent. People who did not smoke, were not obese, and who did wear seat belts are also more likely to expend energy in vigorous leisure-time exercise. The prevalence of alcohol misuse is similar for all exercise categories. The proportion of people who expend greater than or equal to 3 kcal/kg-day is unrelated to self-reported occupational physical effort. Given the established and presumed benefits of physical activity, a substantial portion of the U.S. population would probably benefit from regular, vigorous, leisure-time exercise.

Adolescent↗
PubMedDate not supplied

The behavioral risk factor surveys: I. State-specific prevalence estimates of behavioral risk factors.

The prevalence of most behavioral risk factors varies substantially among states. The prevalence of current cigarette smoking ranges from 22 percent to 38 percent. Estimates of alcohol use show geographic clustering, with lower rates in the southeastern states. The prevalence of sedentary lifestyle, uncontrolled hypertension, overweight, and seatbelt use differs markedly among states. These findings represent an initial step toward the analysis of state-specific baseline risk-factor data for use in developing state programs aimed at reducing the leading causes of death in the United States.

Adult↗