Biomedical subjects

Erica Frank

Publications and source records attributed to Erica Frank.

27 records · Page 2Linked to original sources

PubMed2003

Transgenerational persistence of education as a health risk: findings from the Women Physicians' Health Study.

OBJECTIVE: Whereas the effect of socioeconomic status (SES) on morbidity and mortality is well known, little is known about its transgenerational persistence. METHODS: We studied SES and health data from the U.S. Women Physicians' Health Study (WPHS). WPHS studied 4,501 women physicians, a group with relatively homogeneously high income, occupational prestige, and educational attainment. RESULTS: In logistic regression models controlling for age and ethnicity, those with better educated mothers ate more fruits and vegetables and were less likely to have a gun in their home; those with better educated fathers were more likely to have a regular physician. There was no significant difference by parents' educational levels in exercise habits, fat consumption, compliance with prevention recommendations, current health status, or history of smoking, hypertension, or dyslipidemia. CONCLUSIONS: Parents' (especially mothers') educational levels affect their adult children's health habits and outcomes, even if those adult children are physicians. However, at least among physicians, this differential is small after only one generation of improved SES.

Adult↗

PubMed2003

Health and professional characteristics of lesbian and heterosexual women physicians.

OBJECTIVE: To determine whether lesbian and heterosexual female physicians differ on health, professional, and demographic characteristics. METHODS: The Women Physicians' Health Study (WPHS), a mailed questionnaire sample survey, was completed by 4501 women physicians (59% response rate), of whom 115 were identified as lesbians and 4177 were identified as heterosexuals. Lesbian and heterosexual were defined by response to items about self-identification and sexual behavior. Dependent variables are self-reported health status and behavior and professional characteristics. RESULTS: Lesbians weighed more and were more likely to report histories of depression or sexual abuse, family histories of alcoholism, and orientation-related workplace harassment (all p = .01). On the other hand, they were more likely to comply with mammogram screening (p < .01). CONCLUSIONS: Many health status and behavior differences found in other studies of lesbian and heterosexual women were less pronounced here. This may be because the population of female physicians is more homogeneous, but perhaps also because the size of our lesbian sample was limited (n = 115). However, even with the buffer of high socioeconomic status and medical education, lesbian physicians seem to have a somewhat higher cumulative risk of disease compared to their heterosexual female colleagues.

Adult↗

PubMed2003

Exercise counseling and personal exercise habits of US women physicians.

OBJECTIVES: This paper examines the personal exercise habits of women physicians and the effect of those habits on how they counsel their patients on exercise. METHODS: Using the Women Physicians' Health Study (WPHS), a national questionnaire-based survey (n=4501), we analyzed responses of women physicians regarding personal and clinical exercise-related practices. RESULTS: Nearly all (96%) women physicians reported exercising. Forty-nine percent exercised enough to meet the American College of Sports Medicine (ACSM) recommendations, and these physicians were more likely to be unmarried, to be white, to have light stress at home and work, to have female physicians, to be in good health, and to not feel overweight. Physicians complying with ACSM recommendations also were more likely to counsel patients on exercise, to counsel confidently, and to be trained in counseling. Those having a high priority to exercise more were more likely to counsel on exercise. Fifty-nine percent of female primary care practitioners and 33% of female specialists counseled typical patients at least yearly on exercise. CONCLUSION: Women physicians are relatively good exercise role models for their patients. However, many (especially those not regularly exercising themselves) could more frequently counsel their patients regarding exercise.

Adult↗

PubMed2002

Characteristics of women internists.

OBJECTIVE: The authors wished to describe characteristics of US women general and subspecialized internists and to compare them with each other and with other US women physicians. DESIGN/SETTING/PATIENTS: The authors used data from the Women Physicians' Health Study (WPHS), a national questionnaire-based study of 4501 women physicians. RESULTS: Women internists reported less (P < or =.01) career satisfaction than did other women physicians. Women general internists were also more likely than other women primary care physicians to report severe work stress and were more likely than other women internists and other primary care women physicians to want to change their specialty if reliving their lives. Compared with other subspecialties, subspecialized women internists were more likely to report working too much, and reported lower personal incomes and more hours of nonclinical work than did other women internists or other women specialists. For virtually all 14 examined counseling practices, subspecialized women internists reported more interest and confidence regarding counseling (and usually by substantial margins), and believed that they were better trained in counseling than were other women subspecialists. Women general internists performed somewhat better regarding counseling than did other women primary care practitioners, although this differential was neither as consistent nor as strong as those among women subspecialists. CONCLUSION: US women general and subspecialized internists differ in a number of ways from each other and from other US women physicians. Particularly significantly, US women internists report several risk factors for career dissatisfaction, and, in fact, have less career satisfaction than do other women physicians.

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PubMed2002

Personal and professional nutrition-related practices of US female physicians.

BACKGROUND: The extent to which female physicians personally and clinically adhere to dietary recommendations is unknown and has implications for patients. OBJECTIVES: We aimed to identify US female physicians' personal and professional nutrition- and weight-related habits and to identify which, if any, of their personal habits predicted their clinical practices. DESIGN: Our sample included the 4501 respondents to the Women Physicians' Health Study, a large, cross-sectional, questionnaire-based study of the health behaviors and counseling practices of US female physicians. RESULTS: Forty-three percent of physicians performed nutrition counseling, and 50% performed weight counseling with patients at least yearly. Forty-six percent thought that discussing nutrition was highly relevant to their practices, 47% thought the same about discussing weight, and 21% stated that they had received extensive related training. Primary care physicians, obstetricians-gynecologists, pediatricians, vegetarians, and those with a personal history of obesity were more likely to provide nutrition and weight counseling to patients. Female physicians report regularly performing more nutrition and weight counseling than they do most other types of prevention-related counseling. Female physicians report relatively healthy diet-related habits, and these personal habits are related to their likelihood to counsel their patients about nutrition and weight. CONCLUSIONS: Nutrition and weight-related issues are important to female physicians in both their personal and professional lives, and these 2 spheres influence each other.

Adult↗

PubMed2002

Smoking cessation counseling: training and practice among women pediatricians.

We examined characteristics associated with smoking cessation counseling among a national sample of 579 women pediatricians. Fifty-two percent of women pediatricians had received at least some training in cessation counseling and 41% counseled smoking patients at least once per year. Prevalence of counseling increased by amount of training; 20.7% of those with no training counseled at least once per year versus 62.0% of those with extensive training. Pediatricians 50-70 years of age were 1.8 times as likely as those 30-39 years of age to perform frequent counseling (p<0.01). Programs to promote smoking cessation training and counseling among pediatricians are needed.

Adult↗

PubMed2002

Declines in smokers' understanding of tobacco's hazards between 1986 and 1998: a report from north Georgia.

BACKGROUND: The prevalence of smoking in the general US population has declined significantly over the past few decades. Despite this, few studies have examined changes in cigarette attributes perceived by less educated, rural, or southern populations. METHODS: A survey was administered to individuals in clinic waiting rooms of two small cities in northwest Georgia in 1986-1987 and 1997-1998. RESULTS: Smokers surveyed in 1997-1998 ascribed more positive characteristics and fewer health risks and other negative characteristics to smoking than did smokers surveyed in 1986-1987. However, nonsmokers in 1997-1998 were more likely than nonsmokers in 1986-1987 to consider smoking to be negative and offensive, and ex-smokers in the second survey were more likely than ex-smokers in the first survey to consider smoking to be addictive. CONCLUSIONS: While substantial successes have been made in improving smoking cessation rates nationally, efforts to further reduce rates by changing smokers' perceptions may require new strategies for some populations.

Adult↗

PubMedDate not supplied

Pro bono work and nonmedical volunteerism among U.S. women physicians.

OBJECTIVE: To determine women physicians' rates of pro bono work and nonmedical volunteerism. We examined data from the Women Physician's Health Study (WPHS), a cross-sectional survey conducted in 1993-1994 of 4501 U.S. women physicians aged 30-70 years. RESULTS: Of this group, 71% participated in either pro bono work (among those participating, a median of 4 hours/week), nonmedical volunteering (2 hours/week), or both. Predictors of pro bono work were subspecialty training, practice site, practice location, on-call nights, work hours, and hours nonmedical volunteering. Predictors of nonmedical volunteering were age, ethnicity, marital status, number of children, religion, practice site, practice location, work hours, political identification, and the performance of pro bono services. CONCLUSIONS: A substantial majority of women physicians volunteer their time. These data on characteristics of volunteers can help us understand and motivate physicians giving behaviors.

Adult↗

PubMedDate not supplied

Clinical and personal relationships between oral contraceptive and hormone replacement therapy use among US women physicians.

OBJECTIVE: To examine relationships between a history of oral contraceptive (OC) use and current use of or intention to use hormone replacement therapy (HRT). DESIGN: The Women Physicians' Health Study examined a stratified random sample of US women MDs, aged 30 to 70 years (4,501 respondents; a 59% response rate). RESULTS: Among postmenopausal physicians who previously used OCs, current HRT use was significantly associated ( < 0.05) with being younger, living somewhere besides the East Coast, being sexually active, being an obstetrician/gynecologist, having no history of breast cancer, having a longer use of OCs, and being posthysterectomy. Among premenopausal physicians, intended future HRT use was significantly associated with being white, being an obstetrician/gynecologist, being in good health, living somewhere besides the East Coast, being a longer user of OCs, and having more extensive, recent continuing medical education. Among women who had taken both OCs and HRT, there were no significantly elevated rates in any of the 15 health conditions we examined (after controlling for family history). Postmenopausal physicians who took HRT (and premenopausal OC-using physicians intending to take HRT) were significantly more likely to counsel their patients on HRT use. Among post-OC HRT-users, 44% counseled their postmenopausal female patients on HRT at least yearly versus 22% of post-OC HRT-nonusers (74% v 45% among such primary care physicians). CONCLUSIONS: Physicians' personal OC/HRT use may strongly affect their patient counseling practices. HRT use after OC use was not associated with any obvious increases in examined diseases in this population.

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