PubMed Health⌕ Search

Biomedical subjects

H Wechsler

Publications and source records attributed to H Wechsler.

At least 19 recordsLinked to original sources
PubMed2005

Competitive foods and beverages available for purchase in secondary schools--selected sites, United States, 2004.

School Health Profiles is conducted biennially to assess characteristics of school health programs. State and local departments of education and health select either all public secondary schools within their jurisdictions or a systematic, equal-probability sample of public secondary schools to participate in School Health Profiles. At each school, the principal and lead health education teacher were sent questionnaires to be self-administered and returned to the state or local agency conducting the survey. In 2004, a total of 27 states and 11 large urban school districts obtained weighted data from their survey of principals. The findings in this report indicate that the majority of secondary schools in 27 states and 11 large urban school districts allow students to purchase snack foods or beverages from vending machines or at the school store, canteen, or snack bar. The types of competitive foods and beverages available for purchase varied across states and large urban school districts. Overall, fruits or vegetables were less likely to be available for purchase than the other types of foods or beverages. Bottled water and soft drinks, sports drinks, or fruit drinks that are not 100% juice were most likely to be available for purchase.

Carbonated Beverages↗
PubMed2003

Students' opinion of tobacco control policies recommended for US colleges: a national survey.

OBJECTIVE: Comprehensive tobacco control policies for US colleges and universities have been proposed by several groups in order to counter the rising use of tobacco by students enrolled in these institutions. Student opinion of these policies is not known, and concern about student opposition is one barrier that deters administrators from adopting the policies. This study measured student support for recommended college tobacco control policies. DESIGN: Mailed survey of US college students (2001 Harvard School of Public Health College Alcohol Study). SETTING: 119 nationally representative, four-year colleges and universities in the USA. PARTICIPANTS: 10,904 randomly selected undergraduate students enrolled at participating schools. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: Students' opinion of 7 proposed tobacco control policies. RESULTS: A majority of students supported each policy. Over three quarters of students favoured smoke-free policies for all college buildings, residences, and dining areas, while 71% supported prohibiting tobacco advertising and sponsorship of campus social events, 59% favoured prohibiting tobacco sales on campus, and 51% supported smoke-free campus bars. All policies had more support among non-smokers than smokers (p < 0.001). Among smokers, support for policies was inversely related to intention to quit and intensity of tobacco consumption. Because college students' tobacco consumption is low, a majority of smokers favoured banning smoking in college buildings and dining areas and prohibiting tobacco marketing on campus. CONCLUSIONS: Student support for proposed campus tobacco control policies is strong, even among smokers, and broadly based across demographic subgroups. These findings should provide reassurance to college administrators who are considering adopting these policies.

Adolescent↗
PubMed2002

Tobacco use by Massachusetts public college students: long term effect of the Massachusetts Tobacco Control Program.

OBJECTIVE: To assess tobacco use among Massachusetts public college students and compare students who attended high school in Massachusetts and were exposed to the Massachusetts Tobacco Control Program (MTCP) with students who attended high school outside Massachusetts and were unexposed to the programme. DESIGN: Analysis of the 1999 Massachusetts College Alcohol Survey. SETTING: Four year public colleges and universities in Massachusetts (n = 11). SUBJECTS: 1252 randomly selected students (response rate 56%). MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: Self report of current (past 30 day), past year, and lifetime use of cigarettes, cigars, and smokeless tobacco. RESULTS: One third of students had used a tobacco product in the past month and 46.4% had used tobacco in the past year. Cigarettes accounted for most of this tobacco use. Total tobacco use was higher among males than females but cigarette smoking did not differ by sex. Tobacco use was lower among athletes and higher among students who used alcohol or marijuana. Current tobacco use was lower among public college students who had attended high school in Massachusetts compared with those who attended high school in another state (31.5% v 42.6%, p = 0.006). This difference persisted after adjustment for age, sex, race, parental education, and students' college residence (adjusted odds ratio (OR) 0.67, 95% confidence interval (CI) 0.46 to 0.97, p = 0.034). CONCLUSION: Tobacco use is common among Massachusetts public college students. Students who were exposed to the MTCP during high school are less likely to use tobacco than their peers who were not exposed to this programme. The MTCP may have reduced tobacco use among this group of young adults.

Adolescent↗
PubMed2001

Cigarette use by college students in smoke-free housing: results of a national study.

BACKGROUND: Cigarette-smoking rates have increased in recent years among college students. Smoke-free residences offer a possible means of reducing or preventing smoking. However, their use has as yet not been evaluated. This paper examines whether students residing in smoke-free residences are less likely to smoke cigarettes than students in other campus residences, and if such lower rates apply to all types of students and colleges. METHODS: The Harvard School of Public Health College Alcohol Study surveyed a nationally representative sample of college students at 128 U.S. 4-year colleges regarding tobacco use and related behaviors in the spring of 1999. The responses of students living in smoke-free and unrestricted residences at 101 campuses were compared. RESULTS: Current smoking prevalence was significantly lower among residents of smoke-free housing (21.0%) as compared with residents of unrestricted housing (30.6%, p<0.0001). The lower rate of current cigarette use was consistent with all types of student and college characteristics with few exceptions. Current cigarette use was significantly lower for those living in smoke-free housing than for residents of unrestricted housing among students who were not regular smokers before age 19 (10% vs 16.9%, p<0.0001), but not among students who smoked regularly before age 19. CONCLUSIONS: Smoke-free residences may help protect those students who were not regular smokers in high school from smoking in college. However, the difference in smoking rates may be due to self-selection of students into smoke-free residences. Since smoke-free options also protect students from second-hand smoke and dormitory fires, colleges should provide these types of residences for all students who request them, and should also encourage others to choose them.

Adolescent↗
PubMed2001

College smoking policies and smoking cessation programs: results of a survey of college health center directors.

College students' cigarette smoking rose dramatically during the 1990s. Little is known about what colleges do to address the problem. Health center directors at 393 4-year US colleges provided information (response rate: 65.1%) about college policies addressing smoking and the availability of smoking cessations programs. Of the health center directors surveyed, 85% considered students' smoking a problem; yet only 81% of colleges prohibit smoking in all public areas and only 27% ban smoking in all indoor areas, including students' rooms in dormitories and in private offices. More than 40% of the respondents reported that their schools did not offer smoking cessation programs and that the demand for existing program was low. Colleges need to do more to discourage student tobacco use. Recommended actions include campus-wide no-smoking policies that apply to student residences and identification of new ways of providing smoking prevention and cessation services.

Administrative Personnel↗
PubMed2001

Alcohol and college athletes.

PURPOSE: This study examines heavy episodic alcohol consumption and associated harms in collegiate athletes in the United States. The factors which may promote or deter such use are explored. METHODS: Randomly selected students in a nationally representative sample of 4-yr colleges in the United States completed self-report questionnaires in the spring of 1997. Athletes were defined as students who participated in one or more hours of intercollegiate athletics per day. Heavy episodic or "binge" drinking for men was defined as consuming five or more alcoholic drinks on at least one occasion in the past 2 wk and four or more for women. Athletes were compared with other students at their colleges. RESULTS: Athletes reported more binge drinking, heavier alcohol use, and a greater number of drinking-related harms. Athletes are more likely to exhibit the strong social ties found to be associated with binge drinking. Athletes, despite drinking more heavily than other students, report greater exposure to alcohol prevention efforts and possess unique motivations to limit their alcohol use. CONCLUSIONS: Athletes are a high-risk group for binge drinking and alcohol-related harms. Although special educational programs have targeted this group they have not sufficiently impacted the problem. Future prevention efforts targeted for athletes should address the unique social and environmental influences on athletes. Programs should also take advantage of motives of athletes for self-limiting alcohol intake. Colleges, athletic departments, coaches, and sports medicine professionals are urged to act to help reduce athletes risk of alcohol-related harms.

Adult↗
PubMed2001

Knee surgery assistance: patient model construction, motion simulation, and biomechanical visualization.

We present a new system that integrates computer graphics, physics-based modeling, and interactive visualization to assist knee study and surgical operation. First, we discuss generating patient-specific three-dimensional (3-D) knee models from patient's magnetic resonant images (MRIs). The 3-D model is obtained by deforming a reference model to match the MRI dataset. Second, we present simulating knee motion that visualizes patient-specific motion data on the patient-specific knee model. Third, we introduce visualizing biomechanical information on a patient-specific model. The focus is on visualizing contact area, contact forces, and menisci deformation. Traditional methods have difficulty in visualizing knee contact area without using invasive methods. The approach presented here provides an alternative of visualizing the knee contact area and forces without any risk to the patient. Finally, a virtual surgery can be performed. The constructed 3-D knee model is the basis of motion simulation, biomechanical visualization, and virtual surgery. Knee motion simulation determines the knee rotation angles as well as knee contact points. These parameters are used to solve the biomechanical model. Our results integrate 3-D construction, motion simulation, and biomechanical visualization into one system. Overall, the methodologies here are useful elements for future virtual medical systems where all the components of visualization, automated model generation, and surgery simulation come together.

Biomechanical Phenomena↗
PubMed2001

Recent trends in participation in physical education among US high school students.

To examine recent trends in physical education (PE) enrollment, daily attendance in PE, and being physically active in PE among high school students in the United States, this study analyzed data from the 1991, 1993, 1995, and 1997 national school-based Youth Risk Behavior Surveys (n = 55,734). Logistic regression analyses were conducted to test for significant linear time trends among the total student population and demographic subgroups (gender, race/ethnicity, and grade). Although PE enrollment in the total student population did not change from 1991 (48.9%) to 1997 (48.8%), the prevalence of students who attended PE daily, and the prevalence of students who were physically active > 20 minutes in an average PE class both decreased significantly among nearly all demographic subgroups. The prevalence of students who were physically active > 20 minutes in daily PE classes decreased from 34.2% in 1991 to 21.7% in 1997 (p < 0.001). To reverse current trends, high schools should implement daily PE classes that emphasize participation in lifelong health-related physical activity for all students.

Adolescent↗
PubMed2001

Alcohol use and problems at colleges banning alcohol: results of a national survey.

OBJECTIVE: This study examines student alcohol use and associated problems, including drinking and driving, at U.S. colleges that ban alcohol for all students on campus. METHOD: A nationally representative sample of students (N = 11,303, 61% women) attending U.S. colleges completed questionnaires regarding alcohol use and related behaviors in the spring of 1999. The responses of 2,252 students at 19 ban schools were compared with those of 9,051 students at 76 nonban schools. RESULTS: Students at ban colleges were 30% less likely to be heavy episodic drinkers and more likely to abstain from alcohol. The lower rates of heavy episodic drinking apply to students whether or not they were heavy episodic drinkers in high school. However, among drinkers, students at ban schools engaged in as much extreme drinking as drinkers at schools that do not ban alcohol and experienced the same rate of alcohol-related problems. At schools that ban alcohol, fewer students experienced secondhand effects of the drinking of others than did students at nonban schools. Students at ban schools were not more likely to drink and drive than were students at nonban schools. CONCLUSIONS: A campus ban on alcohol may support abstention from alcohol use and reduce heavy episodic drinking and the associated secondhand effects in college. Since this is a correlational study, we cannot determine whether the lower rates of heavy episodic drinking are due to the ban or to other factors (e.g., self-selection of students to these schools). Ban schools do not enroll fewer high school heavy episodic drinkers.

Adolescent↗
PubMed2001

Drinking levels, alcohol problems and secondhand effects in substance-free college residences: results of a national study.

OBJECTIVE: This study examines alcohol use, associated problems and secondhand effects among residents of substance-free and alcohol-free housing on U.S. college campuses. METHOD: In the spring of 1999, a nationally representative sample of students completed survey questionnaires regarding alcohol use and related behaviors. The responses of 2,555 (61.25% female) students living in different types of residences (substance-free, alcohol-free and unrestricted) at the 52 campuses at which these housing options existed were compared. RESULTS: Substance-free residences were not substance-free; however, residents drank less heavily and experienced fewer alcohol-related problems and secondhand effects than students living in unrestricted housing. They were less likely (three fifths) to engage in heavy episodic drinking. The difference between students in substance-free and unrestricted housing was greatest for students who had not been heavy episodic drinkers in high school and for those on campuses with lower overall levels of heavy episodic drinking. In contrast, students who lived in alcohol-free halls were no less likely to be heavily involved in alcohol use than were students in unrestricted housing. CONCLUSIONS: Residence in substance-free housing was associated with lower likelihood of heavy episodic drinking in college for students who were not heavy episodic drinkers in high school. Whether or not this is a causal relationship or a result of self-selection needs to be examined in a prospective study. These living arrangements are also associated with lower levels of secondhand effects. College administrators may want to consider offering or increasing their substance-free housing options as one possible method of decreasing heavy student drinking.

Adult↗
PubMed2000

US college students' use of tobacco products: results of a national survey.

CONTEXT: Adults aged 18 to 24 years, many of whom are in college, represent the youngest legal targets for tobacco industry marketing. Cigarette smoking has been described among college students, but little is known about non-cigarette tobacco use by college students or cigar use by adults of any age. OBJECTIVES: To assess the prevalence of all forms of tobacco use (cigarettes, cigars, pipes, and smokeless tobacco) among US college students and to identify student- and college-level factors associated with use of each product. DESIGN: The Harvard College Alcohol Survey, a self-administered survey conducted in 1999. SETTING: One hundred nineteen nationally representative US 4-year colleges. SUBJECTS: A total of 14,138 randomly selected students (60% response rate). MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: Self-report of current (in the past 30 days), past-year, and lifetime use of cigarettes, cigars, pipes, smokeless tobacco, and all tobacco products. RESULTS: Nearly half (45.7%) of respondents had used a tobacco product in the past year and one third (32.9%) currently used tobacco. Cigarettes accounted for most of the tobacco use (28.5% current prevalence), but cigar use was also substantial (37.1% lifetime prevalence, 23.0% past-year prevalence, and 8.5% current prevalence) and combinations of the 2 were common. Total tobacco use was higher in men than in women (37. 9% vs 29.7%; P<.001), despite nearly identical current cigarette smoking rates between the sexes (28.5% for women vs 28.4% for men), because of greater use of cigars (current prevalence, 15.7% vs 3.9%; P<.001) and smokeless tobacco (current prevalence, 8.7% vs 0.4%; P<. 001) by men. Tobacco use was significantly higher among white students (P<.001), users of other substances (alcohol and marijuana) (P<.001), and students whose priorities were social rather than educational or athletic (P<.05). Among students who had used both cigars and cigarettes, only 8.9% smoked cigars at an earlier age than they had smoked cigarettes. CONCLUSION: Our study indicates that tobacco use is common among college students and is not limited to cigarettes. College appears to be a time when many students are trying a range of tobacco products and are in danger of developing lifelong nicotine dependence. National efforts to monitor and reduce tobacco use of all types should expand to focus on college students and other young adults. JAMA. 2000;284:699-705

Adolescent↗
PubMed2000

Environmental correlates of underage alcohol use and related problems of college students.

BACKGROUND: Underage alcohol use is a major contributor to morbidity and mortality in adolescents and young adults. This study examined drinking levels and ensuing problems among college students and factors associated with binge drinking. METHOD: The Harvard School of Public Health College Alcohol Study conducted a self-administered survey. The participants include a random sample of 7061 students aged <21 years (defined as underage drinkers), and 4989 between ages 21 and 23 in 1997 at 116 nationally representative 4-year colleges in 39 states. The outcomes of the study include self-reports of alcohol use, binge drinking (defined as five or more drinks in a row for men and four or more for women at least once in a 2-week period), alcohol-related problems, preferred type of drink, access to alcohol, and price paid per drink. RESULTS: Underage students drink less often but have more drinks per occasion, are more likely to drink in private settings (off-campus, dormitory, and fraternity parties), and pay less per drink than do of-age students. Correlates of underage binge drinking include residence in a fraternity or sorority (odds ratio [OR]=6.2), very easy access to alcohol (OR=3.3), obtaining drinks at lower prices (OR=2.1, for under $1 each or a set fee for unlimited drinks), and drinking beer (OR=9.5). CONCLUSIONS: Effective controls on price, access, and fraternity and off-campus parties, and reinforcing minimum drinking age laws are needed to reduce the high levels of binge drinking and related health and behavioral problems of underage students.

Adolescent↗
PubMed2000

Physical activity, food choice, and weight management goals and practices among US college students.

INTRODUCTION: Physical activity and a healthy diet have been recommended to help reverse the increasing prevalence of overweight among adolescents and adults in the United States. METHODS: Data is from the 1995 National College Health Risk Behavior Survey. A representative sample of US undergraduate college students (n = 4609) were analyzed to examine associations of physical activity and food choice with weight management goals and practices. RESULTS: Based on self-reported height and weight, 35% of students were overweight or obese (body mass index > or = 25.0). Nearly half (46%) of all students reported they were trying to lose weight. Female students were less likely than male students to be overweight, but more likely to be trying to lose weight. Among female and male students, using logistic regression to control for demographics, trying to lose weight was associated with participation in vigorous physical activity and strengthening exercises, and consumption of < or = 2 servings/ day of high-fat foods. Female and male students who reported using exercise to lose weight or to keep from gaining weight were more likely than those who did not to participate in vigorous, strengthening, and moderate physical activity, and were more likely to eat > or = 5 servings/day of fruits and vegetables and < or = 2 servings/day of high-fat foods. Among students who were trying to lose weight, only 54% of females and 41% of males used both exercise and diet for weight control. CONCLUSION: Colleges should implement programs to increase student awareness of healthy weight management methods and the importance of physical activity combined with a healthy diet.

Adult↗
PubMed2000

Increased use of marijuana and other illicit drugs at US colleges in the 1990s: results of three national surveys.

AIMS: To examine rates and patterns of marijuana and other illicit drug use among different types of students and colleges in 1999, and changes in use since 1993. DESIGN: Self-administered mail survey (Harvard School of Public Health College Alcohol Study). SETTING: One hundred and nineteen nationally representative US 4-year colleges. PARTICIPANTS: A representative sample of 15,403 randomly selected students in 1993, 14,724 students in 1997 and 14,138 students in 1999. MEASUREMENTS: Self-reports of marijuana and other illicit drug use in the past 30 days and in the past year, cigarette use, drinking behavior, and age of initiation of smoking, drinking and using marijuana. FINDINGS: The prevalence of past 30-day marijuana use rose from 12.9% to 15.7% between 1993 and 1999, an increase of 22%. Almost all of this change occurred by 1997. An increase was observed at 66% of the 119 colleges. The prevalence of 30-day and annual marijuana use increased in nearly all student demographic subgroups except for Hispanic students, and at all types of colleges except for colleges with low binge drinking rates. Rates of illicit drug use in the past 30 days increased slightly for other illicit drugs in the 4-year interval except for LSD. Nine out of 10 students (91%) who used marijuana in the past 30 days used other illicit drugs, smoked cigarettes and/or engaged in binge drinking. Of students who used any other illicit drug in the past 30 days, 87% used another substance or binge drank. Twenty nine per cent of past 30-day marijuana users first used marijuana and 34% began to use marijuana regularly at or after the age of 18, when most were in college. CONCLUSIONS: Use of marijuana and other illicit drugs has increased on campuses across the United States in most student subgroups and all types of colleges. This may reflect earlier increases in middle schools and secondary schools among this cohort. However, nearly one-third of students initiated marijuana use in college and one of three began to use it regularly. Intervention efforts should be directed at college students, as well as secondary school students.

Adult↗
PubMed2000

College students define binge drinking and estimate its prevalence: results of a national survey.

Data from the 1999 College Alcohol Study were used to examine how students define the term binge drinking, to determine how much binge drinking the students think exists on their campuses, and to analyze how students' estimates compare with aggregated self-reports of student drinking. The findings indicate that the median of the students' definitions of binge drinking is 6 drinks in a row for men and 5 for women, 1 drink higher than the definition used by researchers. Students' definitions of binge drinking vary with their own drinking levels, suggesting that dissenting views of the research definition may represent voices of the heaviest drinkers. At the median, students estimated that 35% of all students were binge drinkers. Half (47%) of the students underestimated the binge drinking rate at their school, 29% overestimated it, and 13% were accurate. Although programs designed to reduce the frequency or prevalence of binge drinking by emphasizing healthier norms would be most useful in addressing binge drinkers who overestimate drinking norms, this group includes only 13% of college students.

Adult↗