PubMed Health⌕ Search

Biomedical subjects

M K Serdula

Publications and source records attributed to M K Serdula.

63 records · Page 4Linked to original sources
PubMed1982

Rubella seroepidemiology in Hawaii.

To determine rubella susceptibility levels 10 years after the introduction of the rubella vaccine in Hawaii, a large-scale serosurvey was conducted in conjunction with a campaign to raise the immunity levels of adolescent and adult women. Each woman tested for rubella antibody was asked her age, ethnic group, migration history, number of siblings, vaccination history, and the occupation of the head of the household. In the period from September 1977 through June 1979, serum specimens acceptable for analysis were collected from 3,852 women; 23.8% were susceptible (haemagglutination inhibition antibody titre less than 8) to rubella. A statistical analysis by fitting log-linear models revealed that rubella vaccination history, birthplace, ethnic group, number of siblings and island of residence appear to be factors related to rubella susceptibility. Although caution must be used in comparing this survey with previous surveys, the relatively low rubella susceptibility rate found in this survey may represent a true decrease in rubella susceptibility due to the rubella vaccination programme.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1981

Saturday night fever: a common-source outbreak of rubella among adults in Hawaii.

During the summer of 1977, an epidemic of rubella occurred among adults in Hawaii. The highest attack rate was in women 20-24 years old (226/100,000), with almost total sparing of young schoolchildren. A case-control investigation implicated a specific discotheque as a common place of exposure for persons with onset of disease during the epidemic peak (chi 2 = 12.9,p less than 0.001). A piano player/singer at the discotheque was the apparent source of the virus transmission. The large number of cases linked to this musician suggests that airborne transmission occurred while he was singing rather than by direct person-to-person contact. Rubella vaccine was given to 6523 women in public clinics held during the epidemic. Despite screening for pregnancy and birth control usage, 23 women (3.5/1000) became pregnant within three months after receiving the vaccine. Eleven of 12 women who reportedly contracted natural rubella while pregnant elected to terminate their pregnancies; the 12th had a normal appearing infant. The susceptibility rate for all adults tested for rubella hemagglutination inhibition antibody was 36.9%, a rate similar to the found in earlier surveys in Hawaii. The occurrence of this epidemic confirms the changing epidemiology of rubella with respect to age distribution and supports the view that vaccination of young children may not be sufficient to protect adult women from exposure to rubella, especially in areas where a high proportion of adults remain susceptible.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1979

Frequency of systemic lupus erythematosus in different ethnic groups in Hawaii.

A survey of systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) patients was conducted in civilian general hospitals on Oahu, Hawaii for the years 1970-75. One hundred sixty-eight cases were ascertained, of which 107 were considered "definite." Age-adjusted prevalence rates per 100,000 were estimated for definite cases at the end of 1975 as follows: white 5.8, Chinese 24.1, Filipino 19.9, part-Hawaiian 20.4, and Japanese 18.2. There was a heavy preponderance of females in each ethnic group, averaging 90% of the definite cases overall. Review of vital statistics for the United States and Hawaii during this period showed age-adjusted SLE mortality rates per million as follows: U.S. white 3.04, U.S. non-white 8.82, Hawaii white 1.89, Hawaii non-white 14.46. The cause of the very high SLE prevalence and mortality in the Oriental and Polynesian people of Hawaii is not clear.

Adolescent↗
PubMedDate not supplied

Use of nonprescription weight loss products: results from a multistate survey.

CONTEXT: Lifestyle changes to lose weight can be difficult; hence, both prescription and nonprescription diet products are appealing. Usage patterns of the nonprescription products phenylpropanolamine (PPA) and ephedra are of particular interest because of recent safety concerns. OBJECTIVE: To estimate the prevalence of overall and specific nonprescription weight loss product use by demographic characteristics, prescription diet pill use, diabetic status, and lifestyle choices. DESIGN AND SETTING: The Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System, a random-digit telephone survey conducted in 1998 in 5 states: Florida, Iowa, Michigan, West Virginia, and Wisconsin. PARTICIPANTS: Population-based sample of 14 679 noninstitutionalized adults 18 years or older. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: Prevalence of nonprescription weight loss product use in 1996-1998. RESULTS: Seven percent reported overall nonprescription weight loss product use, 2% reported PPA use, and 1% reported ephedra product use. Overall use was especially common among young obese women (28.4%). Moreover, 7.9% of normal-weight women reported use. There was no difference in nonprescription weight loss product use by daily consumption of fruits and vegetables; however, more users than nonusers reported being physically active (for those who exercised >/=30 minutes 5 times per week, odds ratio, 1.5; 95% confidence interval, 1.2-2.0). Among prescription weight loss product users, 33.8% also took nonprescription product. CONCLUSIONS: With increasing rates of obesity, nonprescription product use is likely to increase. Clinicians should know about their patients' use of both prescription and nonprescription weight loss products.

Adult↗
PubMedDate not supplied

Smoking prevalence in the United States and Taipei City, Taiwan.

Although there are extensive antismoking efforts in the United States, smoking is a largely ignored health issue in Taiwan. In fact, tobacco advertising has increased dramatically since U.S. tobacco was first imported in 1987. We compared estimates of smoking prevalence of 83,281 Americans and 5,023 persons in Taipei, Taiwan, in 1986-1988. Among men, current smoking prevalence was higher in Taipei (49%) than in the United States (29%). In contrast, former smoking prevalence among men was substantially lower in Taipei (5%) than in the United States (32%). Young adults and those with lower and middle education levels had the highest smoking prevalence in both surveys. Among women, the current smoking prevalence was only 8% in Taipei, compared to 25% in the United States. The former smoking prevalence among Taipei women (1%) was also lower than among U.S. women (18%). Our findings indicate the need for expanding antismoking efforts in Taiwan, especially among men and among persons with lower and middle education levels.

Adolescent↗
PubMedDate not supplied

Premarital rubella screening program: from identification to vaccination of susceptible women in the state of Hawaii.

Premarital rubella screening programs are effective in identifying women of childbearing age who are susceptible to rubella. There is concern, however, that once identified, susceptible women may not be subsequently vaccinated. Therefore, a study was conducted to test the effectiveness of a motivational letter mailed at the time of serologic testing. Rubella-susceptible women identified by a premarital screening program were randomly divided into two groups: one group of 134 received a motivational letter and one group of 143 did not. Three months later, 52 percent of the women in the motivational group had been vaccinated, compared with only 24 percent (P less than 0.05) of the women in the control group. In this study, a motivational letter was found to lead to a significant increase in rubella vaccination rates among susceptible women. With the increasing emphasis on rubella vaccination programs for adult women, active approaches are necessary to identify and vaccinate susceptible women.

Adult↗