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Laura Green

Publications and source records attributed to Laura Green.

9 recordsLinked to original sources
PubMed2005

Food service workers' self-reported food preparation practices: an EHS-Net study.

This study was conducted by the Environmental Health Specialists Network (EHS-Net), a network of environmental health specialists and epidemiologists at federal and state health agencies, whose mission is to improve environmental health practice. One of EHS-Net's primary goals is to improve the understanding of the underlying causes of foodborne illness using a system-based approach. As part of this ongoing effort, EHS-Net analyzed data from a telephone survey of food service workers designed to increase our understanding of food preparation practices (a cause of foodborne illness) in restaurants. Results indicated that risky food preparation practices were commonly reported. Respondents said that at work they did not always wear gloves while touching ready-to-eat (RTE) food (60%), did not always wash their hands or change their gloves between handling raw meat and RTE food (23% and 33%), did not use a thermometer to check food temperatures (53%), and had worked while sick with vomiting or diarrhea (5%). Several factors were associated with safer food preparation practices. Workers responsible for food preparation reported washing their hands and wearing gloves when handling RTE food more often than workers not responsible for food preparation. Workers who cooked reported changing their gloves more often than workers who did not cook. Older workers and managers reported washing their hands more often than younger workers and non-managers. Workers in chain restaurants more frequently reported using thermometers than workers in independently owned restaurants. This study provides valuable information concerning the prevalence of food preparation practices and factors that may impact those practices. Additional research is needed to better understand those factors.

Adult↗
PubMed2003

Gender in elderly suicide: analysis of coroners inquests of 200 cases of elderly suicide in Cheshire 1989-2001.

OBJECTIVES: The aim of this study is to review gender differences in elderly suicide in relation to specific social aspects of the suicidal process and health care contact before death. Such information may have practical value in identifying and targeting vulnerable elderly in whom suicide may be potentially preventable. METHODS: Data were extracted from the records of coroner's inquests into all reported suicide of persons aged 60 and over, in Cheshire over a period of 13 years 1989-2001. The Coroner's office covers the whole county of Cheshire (population 1 000 000). RESULTS: Men were less likely to have been known to psychiatric services (Odds Ratio [OR] 0.4 95% 0.2-0.6) and with less frequently reported history of previous attempted suicide compared to women (OR 0.5 95% Confidence Intervals [CI] 0.2-1). All deceased from ethnic minorities were men, none of whom had been known to psychiatric services. There was no significant difference between women and men in relation to, physical or psychiatric morbidity, GP contact prior to suicide, intimation of intent or living alone. Of suicide victims not known to services a surprisingly high proportion of 38% and 16% were found to have psychiatric morbidity in men and women respectively. CONCLUSION: Suicide is an important problem in the elderly with gender playing an important part in their social behaviour but a high proportion of the deceased were not known to local services. Primary Care professionals have an important role to play in reducing elderly suicide as most contact with the health service in elderly suicide seem to be with GPs.

Aged↗