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Biomedical subjects

J A Stevens

Publications and source records attributed to J A Stevens.

At least 37 records · Page 2Linked to original sources
PubMed1997

Physical activity, functional limitations, and the risk of fall-related fractures in community-dwelling elderly.

This case-control study examines the association of vigorous and mild physical activity with fall-related fractures in a community-dwelling population age 65 and older in South Florida. Vigorous physical activity was defined as exercising, doing heavy housecleaning, or other hard labor three or more times per week in the month prior to the index date; mild physical activity was defined as the number of hours per day subjects reported spending on their feet. A case was any subject who sustained a fall-related fracture (ICD-9CM-800 through ICD-9CM-829) over a 21-month period (n = 471). Controls were at 10% random sample selected from the Health Care Financing Administration Medicare files (n = 712). The presence of any limitation in activities of daily living (ADL) significantly modified the effect of vigorous physical activity. Physically active subjects with no limitations (ADL = 0) were less likely to sustain a fall-related fracture than were inactive subjects with an adjusted odds ratio (aOR) of 0.6, (0.5-0.8 95% CI), and active subjects with any limitation (ADL > or = 1) had an aOR of 3.2 (1.1-9.8 95% CI). Limiting this analysis to 159 hip fracture cases produced similar results. Mild physical activity was not associated with fracture. These results suggest that vigorous physical activity is associated with a lower fracture risk among elderly persons who have no limitation in ADL and with a higher risk among those with any limitations.

Accidental Falls↗
PubMed1997

An evaluation of the accuracy and efficiency of a school screening model that uses a questionnaire.

The role of the school nurse is changing to meet the increasing needs for health promotion and health education. However, the evolution is being hampered by the inefficient work practices involved in undertaking some of the more traditional tasks such as school screening. A survey questionnaire model of screening was developed and trialed with a sample of students and parents and then compared with the results of the more traditional one to one screening programme. The questionnaire survey model was evaluated for accuracy and efficiency against the traditional screening model. The questionnaire method exhibited a relatively low error rate and required one third of the time to complete when compared with the traditional screening programme. The implications of these findings as well as the advantages and limitations of each model are examined in the discussion.

Bias↗
PubMed1997

Chronic medical conditions and risk of fall injury events at home in older adults.

OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the association between selected chronic medical conditions (CMCs) and fall injury events at home among community-dwelling older persons. DESIGN: Population-based case-control study. SETTING: The general community. PARTICIPANTS: Persons aged 65 and older living at home, excluding those using a wheelchair; 467 cases and 691 control subjects were studied. MEASUREMENTS: The main independent variables were self-reported histories of 10 CMCs: diabetes, high blood pressure, anemia, heart attack, Parkinson's disease, stroke, emphysema, cancer (other than skin), cataracts, and glaucoma. RESULTS: The final multivariate model included variables for age, sex, body mass, dependency in activities of daily living, current exercise (three or more times per week), mental status scores, and three CMCs. Persons with a history of stroke or anemia had an increased risk of a fall injury event: for stroke the adjusted odds ratio (aOR) equalled 1.7 (95% confidence interval (CI), 1.0-3.0); for anemia the aOR equalled 1.5 (95% CI, 1.0-2.2). Those with a history of high blood pressure had decreased risk (aOR = .7, 95% CI 0.5-0.9). CONCLUSIONS: Persons 65 and older with a self-reported history of anemia or stroke are at increased risk of a fall injury event in the home, whereas those with a self-reported history of high blood pressure are at decreased risk.

Accidental Falls↗
PubMed1996

Risk factors for injuries from in-line skating and the effectiveness of safety gear.

BACKGROUND: Of the estimated 22.5 million people participating in in-line skating in the United States in 1995, about 100,000 were sufficiently injured so as to require emergency department care. We investigated the effectiveness of wrist guards, elbow pads, knee pads, and helmets in preventing skating injuries. METHODS: We used data from the 91 hospital emergency departments participating in the National Electronic Injury Surveillance System, a national probability sample of randomly selected hospitals with 24-hour emergency departments. Injured in-line skaters who sought medical attention between December 1992 and July 1993 were interviewed by telephone. We conducted a case-control study of skaters who injured their wrists, elbows, knees, or heads as compared with skaters with injuries to other parts of their bodies. RESULTS: Of 206 eligible injured subjects, 161 (78 percent) were interviewed. Wrist injuries were the most common (32 percent); 25 percent of all injuries were wrist fractures. Seven percent of injured skaters wore all the types of safety gear; 46 percent wore none. Forty-five percent wore knee pads, 33 percent wrist guards, 28 percent elbow pads, and 20 percent helmets. The odds ratio for wrist injury, adjusted for age and sex, for those who did not wear wrist guards, as compared with those who did, was 10.4 (95 percent confidence interval, 2.9 to 36.9). The odds ratio for elbow injury, adjusted for the number of lessons skaters had had and whether or not they performed trick skating, was 9.5 (95 percent confidence interval, 2.6 to 34.4) for those who did not wear elbow pads. Non-use of knee pads was associated with a nonsignificant increase in the risk of knee injury (crude odds ratio, 2.2; 95 percent confidence interval, 0.7 to 7.2). The effectiveness of helmets could not be assessed. CONCLUSIONS: Wrist guards and elbow pads are effective in protecting in-line skaters against injuries.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1995

A standardized instrument to assess hazards for falls in the home of older persons.

Hazards in the home are implicated in up to half of all falls among older persons. Yet, the instruments used to identify these hazards usually have been unstandardized, have lacked specific definitions of hazards, and have not been evaluated. Therefore, in 1988, as part of the Study to Assess Falls among the Elderly, in Miami Beach, Florida, the authors evaluated the reliability of a standardized instrument used for assessing the training of evaluators and assessing home environments. Based on up to 176 observations for each potential hazard, the interviewers' assessment of hazards such as throw rugs, tripping hazards, light switch hazards, and hazardous bath surfaces had good overall reliability (kappa = 0.65-0.92). Their assessment of grab-bars and hazardous furniture was unreliable (kappa = 0.18-0.35). Variations in the reliability reflect the difficulty in creating definitions that are simple to be understood and used, yet detailed enough to produce sensitive and specific survey items. Investigators studying falls among older persons should use standardized definitions to train evaluators and assess environmental hazards.

Accidental Falls↗
PubMed1992

Histologic types of benign breast disease and the risk for breast cancer. The Cancer and Steroid Hormone Study Group.

Specific histologic types of benign breast disease (BBD) may increase breast cancer risk. The authors analyzed data from a population-based, case-control study of women aged 20 to 54 with newly diagnosed breast cancer and control subjects randomly selected from the general population. A panel of pathologists classified the histologic findings of biopsy slides for 433 women with breast cancer and 261 control subjects, all of whom had a history of biopsy for BBD, as to the presence of epithelial hyperplasia, atypia, and other histologic features. When compared with women who had never had a breast biopsy, women with BBD without hyperplasia had an odds ratio of 1.5 (95% confidence limits [CL] 1.3 to 1.9), women with hyperplasia without atypia had an odds ratio of 1.8 (CL = 1.3, 2.4), and women with hyperplasia and atypia had an odds ratio of 2.6 (CL = 1.6, 4.1). Fibroadenoma was an independent risk factor for breast cancer (odds ratio = 1.7; CL = 1.1, 2.5). These findings suggest that women with BBD with epithelial hyperplasia either with or without atypia and women with fibroadenoma should be monitored carefully because of their elevated risk for breast cancer.

Adenofibroma↗
PubMed1992

Alcohol as a risk factor for fall injury events among elderly persons living in the community.

OBJECTIVE: To determine if alcohol use is a risk factor for fall injury events among community-dwelling older persons. DESIGN: Case-control study. SETTING: South Miami Beach, Florida. PARTICIPANTS: 320 persons 65 or older who sought treatment at six area hospitals for injuries resulting from falls; 609 controls, matched for sex and age, selected randomly from Health Care Financing Administration (Medicare) files. MAIN INDEPENDENT VARIABLES: Self-reported current alcohol use. RESULTS: No association was found between fall injury events and average weekly alcohol use. CONCLUSIONS: Further efforts at reducing injuries to older persons from falls should concentrate on other modifiable risk factors, including adequate treatment of underlying medical conditions, reducing inappropriate psychotropic medication use, and installing safety devices in the home.

Accidental Falls↗
PubMed1992

[Prevalence of smoking among women in reproductive age in Puerto Rico].

The prevalence of smoking in Puerto Rican women was estimated on the basis of data from 3,157 women 15 to 49 years of age who had been surveyed in the 1982 Evaluation of Fertility and Family Planning in Puerto Rico. The weighted prevalence was 15.5%, with a 95% confidence interval of 13.8 to 17.1. The prevalence varied by age group, education, marital status, place of residence at age 15, and consumption of alcohol. The prevalence of smoking increased in successive birth cohorts while the mean age at initiation of the habit tended to decline. The data suggest that in Puerto Rico smoking is on the rise among younger women.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1991

Race and weight change in US women: the roles of socioeconomic and marital status.

BACKGROUND: The prevalence of overweight among Black women in the US is higher than among White women, but the causes are unknown. METHODS: We examined the weight change for 514 Black and 2,770 White women who entered the first Health and Nutrtion Examination Survey (1971-75) at ages 25-44 years and were weighed again a decade later. We used multivariate analyses to estimate the weight-change effectgs associated with race, family income, education, and marital change. RESULTS: After multiple adjustments, Black race, education below college level, and becoming married during the follow-up interval were each independently associated with an increased mean weight change. Using multivariate logistic analyses, Black race was not independently associated with an increased risk of major weight gain (change greater than or equal to +13 kg), but it was associated with a reduced likelihood of major weight loss (change less than or equal to -7 kg) (odds ratio - 0.64 [95% CI -0.41, 0.97])]. Very low family income was independently associated with the likelihood of both major weight gain (OR - 1.71 [95% CI - 1.15, 2.55]) and major weight loss (OR - 1.86 [95% CI - 1.18, 2.95]). CONCLUSIONS: Amont US women, Black race is independently associated with a reduced likelihood of major weight loss, but not with major weight gain. Women at greatest risk of weight gain are those with education below college level, those entering marriage, and those with very low family income.

Adult↗
PubMed1990

The incidence of fall injury events among the elderly in a defined population.

Falls are a leading cause of death from injury among older persons in the United States, and about one in three older persons falls each year. Yet, reliable estimates of the incidence of fall injury events in a population-based setting are not readily available. Therefore, the authors analyzed population-based surveillance data, between July 1985 and June 1987, from the Study to Assess Falls Among the Elderly, Miami Beach, Florida. The rate of fall injury events coming to acute medical attention increased exponentially with age for both elderly men and women (predominantly white), reaching a high for those aged 85 years or more of 138.5 per 1,000 for males and 158.8 per 1,000 for females. Compared with males, females had a higher incidence of fractures other than skull. Males were nearly twice as likely to die, however, following a fall injury event than were females. Of those fall injury events identified through the surveillance system, about 42% resulted in hospital admission. The mean length of hospital stay was 11.6 days overall and was 15.5 days for hip fracture, 9.8 days for skull fracture/intracranial injury, 11.2 days for all other fractures, and 9.1 days for all other injuries. About 50% of fall injury events that occurred at home and required hospital admission resulted in a person being discharged to a nursing home.

Accidental Falls↗
PubMed1987

Viral hepatitis as a major cause of maternal mortality in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia.

Causes of maternal mortality were investigated in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, from September 1981 to September 1983. Viral hepatitis ranked third among the leading causes of maternal mortality behind septic abortion and puerperal sepsis. There were 26 deaths from viral hepatitis during the 2-year study period for a hospital maternal mortality rate of 91.0 per 100,000 live births. Although 30% of women who died of all maternal causes received antenatal care in Addis Ababa, only 13% of women who died from viral hepatitis in our hospital study received antenatal care. Low socio-economic status (SES) has been shown to be associated with low antenatal care utilization and with an increased risk of protein malnutrition. Malnutrition is considered a predisposing factor for liver damage. Suggestions for reducing hepatitis transmission and maternal mortality through education, better hygiene, and improved sanitation are discussed.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1987

Alcohol treatment outcome evaluation methodology: state of the art 1980-1984.

The methodology of alcohol treatment outcome studies published during two sequential intervals from 1976 through mid-1984 is critically reviewed. Although considerable methodological improvements have occurred over time, major methodological deficiencies continue to characterize much of the literature, with inadequate reporting of subjects' pretreatment characteristics (e.g., severity of dependence) being the most striking problem. Pervasive differences across studies regarding the types of data gathered and the ways in which findings are reported seriously impede attempts to compare studies and weaken the types of conclusions that can be drawn about treatment efficacy in general. It is suggested that journal editors establish standards of reporting for follow-up studies.

Alcoholism↗
PubMed1985

Cancer incidence rates among blacks in urban and rural Georgia, 1978-82.

The records of the Atlanta Cancer Surveillance Center were reviewed for all incident cases of cancer diagnosed among Black residents of the catchment areas during calendar years 1978 through 1982. The resultant age-adjusted overall cancer incidence rates for urban Blacks were greater than those for rural Blacks. The largest urban excess was found for cancers of the buccal cavity and pharynx. Urban residence also was associated with lung and prostate cancers among males, and pancreatic cancers among females.

Adult↗
PubMed1981

Effect of antacid on bioavailability of theophylline from rapid and timed-release drug products.

Magnesium aluminum hydroxide suspension (an antacid) was given concurrently with either theophylline anhydrous tablets or theophylline anhydrous timed-release capsules to 13 volunteers using a four-way crossover design. Serum theophylline was measured by reversed-phase high-pressure liquid chromatography. The serum level-time curves were individually fitted to an oral absorption one-compartment open model. The pharmacokinetic parameters (mean +/- SD) KA, K, AUC, and F/V for theophylline from the rapid release theophylline anhydrous tablets were 2.1 +/- 1.3 hr-1, 0.15 +/- 0.06 hr-1, 89.2 +/0 39 microgram hr/ml, and 0.0023 +/- 0.002 kg/ml, respectively; from the anhydrous timed-release capsules, they were 0.27 +/- 0.08 hr-1, 0.20 +/- 0.07 hr-1, 79.0 +/- 27 microgram hr/ml, and 0.0030 +/- 0.007 kg/ml, respectively. The concurrent administration of 15 ml of antacid (magnesium aluminum hydroxide suspension) with the theophylline products did not significantly affect any of these pharmacokinetic parameters. The extent of theophylline bioavailability from all drug products was consistent and similar as shown by the F/V and AUC values.

Adult↗