PubMed Health⌕ Search

Biomedical subjects

R Hingson

Publications and source records attributed to R Hingson.

At least 19 recordsLinked to original sources
PubMed1992

Alcohol, drugs, and adolescent sexual behavior.

In a 1990 Massachusetts-wide random digit-dial telephone survey of 16-19 year olds, 66% reported sexual intercourse of whom 64% had sex after drinking and 15% after other drug use. Thirty-seven percent always used condoms. Forty-nine percent were more likely to have sex if they and their partner had been drinking, and 17% used condoms less often after drinking. Fewer, 32%, said they would be more likely to have sex if they and their partner had used drugs, with 10% less likely to use condoms after drug use. Since so few adolescents consistently use condoms, the greatest risk for HIV, sexually transmitted diseases, and unwanted pregnancy is the increased likelihood of having sex after drinking or drug use, not the decreased likelihood of condom use after drinking and drug use.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1990

Acquired immunodeficiency syndrome transmission: changes in knowledge and behaviors among teenagers, Massachusetts statewide surveys, 1986 to 1988.

Despite substantial progress, adolescents remain at high risk for human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) infection. Two independent random digit dial statewide Massachusetts surveys of 16- to 19-year-old persons conducted August through September 1986 and 1988 revealed that the proportion of teenagers who had discussed acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS) in schools increased from 52% to 82%. Knowledge about how AIDS is transmitted was also significantly higher in 1988. The proportion of teenagers using drugs other than alcohol and marijuana declined from 13% to 9%, and intravenous drug use declined from 1% to 0.1%. At the same time, among sexually active teenagers, the proportion who reported changes in sexual behavior to avoid AIDS increased from 16% to 34%. The proportion who adopted condom use to avoid AIDS increased from 2% to 19%. However, the overall proportion of teenagers who reported sexual intercourse in the past year increased significantly from 55% to 61%. In 1988, among sexually active teenagers, 37% never used condoms and 33% used them only some of the time. Of all respondents, 18% reported unprotected sex with more than one partner in the previous year, and 3% reported unprotected sex with intravenous drug users. Although mass media and school education may increase knowledge and stimulate some teenagers to change behavior, for others more personal forms of counseling may be needed. The effects of increasing physician counseling warrant special study. Teenagers who had spoken to physicians about AIDS were much more likely to have adopted condom use to avoid HIV exposure. However, although 80% of adolescents saw a physician in the past year, only 13% were counseled about AIDS.

Acquired Immunodeficiency Syndrome↗
PubMed1989

Effects of maternal marijuana and cocaine use on fetal growth.

To investigate the effects on infants of the use of marijuana and cocaine during pregnancy and to compare the importance of urine assays with that of interviews in ascertaining drug use, we prospectively studied 1226 mothers, recruited from a general prenatal clinic, and their infants. On the basis of either interviews or urine assays conducted prenatally or post partum, 27 percent of the subjects had used marijuana during pregnancy and 18 percent had used cocaine. When only positive urine assays were considered, the corresponding values were 16 percent and 9 percent, respectively. When potentially confounding variables were controlled for in the analysis, the infants whose mothers had positive urine assays for marijuana, as compared with the infants whose mothers were negative according to both interviews and urine assays, had a 79-g decrease in birth weight (P = 0.04) and a 0.5-cm decrement in length (P = 0.02). Women who had positive assays for cocaine, as compared with nonusers, had infants with a 93-g decrease in birth weight (P = 0.07), a 0.7-cm decrement in length (P = 0.01), and a 0.43-cm-smaller head circumference (P = 0.01). To compare our findings with those of other investigators who did not use urine assays, we repeated the analyses, considering only self-reported use of marijuana (23 percent) and cocaine (13 percent). There were no significant associations between such use as determined by interviews alone and any of the measures of outcome. We conclude that the use of marijuana or cocaine during pregnancy is associated with impaired fetal growth and that measuring a biologic marker of such use is important to demonstrate the association.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1989

Survey of AIDS knowledge and behavior changes among Massachusetts adults.

In October 1987, 1,323 Massachusetts residents were randomly interviewed by telephone to explore their exposure to AIDS educational efforts, levels of knowledge about AIDS, and whether that knowledge modified their behavior. Gay/bisexual males, iv drug users and heterosexual respondents were compared as were blacks, Hispanics, and whites. While 81% of respondents had read or heard mass media stories about AIDS, in the previous week, only 5% had ever been counseled about AIDS by a physician. Over 97% of black (N = 152) and white respondents (N = 1,057), as well as gay/bisexual males (N = 21) and iv drug users (N = 33) were aware that HIV can be transmitted by homosexual or heterosexual intercourse and by sharing needles when injecting drugs. However, 9% of the 55 Hispanics interviewed were unaware of male homosexual transmission, and 7% did not know about heterosexual transmission or the risks of needle sharing. Twenty percent of Hispanics, compared with 9% of other respondents, did not know HIV can be transmitted sexually by someone who appears healthy. Fifty-two percent of gay/bisexual males, 27% of iv drug users, and 21% of those who had multiple heterosexual partners in recent years reported adopting abstinence, monogamous relations, or condom use to avoid HIV exposure. Those who continued risky behavior were just as knowledgeable about HIV transmission, but they were less likely to report that they worry a great deal about getting AIDS, 14% vs 32%. The results indicate that new strategies and resources are needed to educate Hispanics. Physicians need to counsel more persons about HIV transmission and further efforts are needed to translate knowledge about HIV transmission into behavior change to avoid the virus.

Acquired Immunodeficiency Syndrome↗
PubMed1988

Alcohol as a risk factor for drownings: a review of the literature (1950-1985).

We identified 36 English language studies (1950-1985) on alcohol and drownings. The majority of these were descriptive, reporting on the percent of drowning victims positive for alcohol upon autopsy. Most studies fell into one of three categories: Type A--complete ascertainment, duration of submergence specified; Type B--complete ascertainment, duration of submergence unspecified; Type C--partial ascertainment. Among Type A studies, percent of positives for alcohol ranged from 29% to 47%. Among Type B studies, percents ranged from 15% to 69%. Among Type C studies, percents ranged from 18% to 86%. We conclude that (1) between 25% and 50% of adult drowning victims have been exposed to alcohol and that (2) without data on the frequency of alcohol consumption among non-victims engaged in aquatic activities, the causal role of alcohol in drownings is uncertain. Suggestions for further research are offered.

Adult↗
PubMed1988

Repeal of the Massachusetts seat belt law.

In November 1986, the Massachusetts mandatory seat belt use law repealed in a referendum by a 53 per cent to 47 per cent vote. In an anonymous random digit telephone survey of 1,046 adults in Massachusetts in summer 1986, while the law was in effect, 61 per cent of respondents had said they would vote in favor of the law. A post-repeal follow-up of 80 per cent of these persons revealed initial supporters and opponents of the law were equally likely to vote, but 15 per cent of the summer supporters switched their opinions and voted for repeal, compared to only 4 per cent of summer opponents who switched. In addition, a separate survey of 167 households that had refused to answer the summer survey indicated that survey nonrespondents were more likely to vote against the law than for it. Those opposing the law saw it as an infringement on personal liberty and believed it was not effective in reducing injury and death.

Choice Behavior↗
PubMed1988

Cocaine use during pregnancy: prevalence and correlates.

Cocaine use during pregnancy was assessed by interviews and urine assays obtained prenatally and immediately postpartum from 679 urban women enrolled in prenatal care. Of these, 17% were found to have used cocaine at least once during pregnancy. Eight percent had urine assays positive for cocaine metabolites using the enzyme-mediated immunoassay technique with a cut-off of 300 ng/mL of benzoylecgonine. Of the cocaine users, 24% denied use at the time of the interview and were identified solely by urine assay. Cocaine users were significantly (P less than .01) less likely than nonusers to be married, Hispanic, or black born outside of the United States and were less well nourished. Users reported significantly (P less than .01) more sexually transmitted diseases, prior low birth weight infants, spontaneous and elective abortions, and greater use of alcohol, cigarettes, marijuana, opiates, and other illicit drugs during pregnancy. Because cocaine use is correlated with many potential risk factors, large sample sizes and multivariate statistical techniques are needed to determine whether cocaine use during pregnancy poses an independent risk for adverse neonatal outcomes.

Boston↗
PubMed1987

Alcohol as a risk factor for injury or death resulting from accidental falls: a review of the literature.

An examination of the English language literature published from 1950 to 1985 on the subject of alcohol consumption and falls yielded 21 studies. Those identified represented four types. Type I studies examined alcohol exposure among fall cases. The percentage of fatal falls related to alcohol exposure ranged from 21 to 77%; for nonfatal falls the range was 17-53%. Among Type II studies comparing fatal falls among alcoholics to the standard population, ratios of observed to expected deaths ranged from 2.9 to 16. Type III studies compared blood alcohol levels (BALs) of fall patients and disease patients treated medically. Those studies yielded odds ratios from 2.5 to 10. In the single Type IV study comparing BALs of fall subjects with nonfall controls relative risks were 1 (BALs, 50-100 mg/dl), 3 (BALs, 100-150 mg/dl) and 60 (BALs, greater than 160 mg/dl). We conclude that there is substantial evidence that alcohol increases risks for falls, but that more case-control studies (Type IV) are required to evaluate the exact magnitude of this risk and intervention studies are needed to assess methods to reduce the risk.

Accidental Falls↗
PubMed1987

Effects of Maine's 1981 and Massachusetts' 1982 driving-under-the-influence legislation.

In 1981, Maine passed a drunk driving law with mandatory penalties and a new civil charge to increase the conviction rate. One year later, Massachusetts increased drunk driving penalties, particularly for repeat offenders and intoxicated drivers involved in fatal crashes. In Maine, single-vehicle nighttime fatal crashes declined 22 per cent the year before passage of the law, and 33 per cent the year after. Maine's rates returned to pre-law levels by the third post-law year. Prior to Massachusetts' new law, single-vehicle nighttime and overall fatal crashes there also declined 20% and 22%, whereas after this law fatal crash rates did not decline further compared with the pre-law year or other New England states. Pre- and post-law surveys indicate that both laws were followed by some increases in public perceptions that drunk drivers stopped by police would be arrested, convicted, and receive automatic penalties. But, few believed it was very likely that drunk drivers would be stopped. For only two of three years studied after Maine's law did more people there report decisions not to drive because they had drunk too much. In Massachusetts, reported driving after heavy drinking declined as much the year before as the three years after its law.

Accidents, Traffic↗
PubMed1987

Acquired immunodeficiency syndrome and adolescents: knowledge, beliefs, attitudes, and behaviors.

Adolescents are a group at high risk for exposure to acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS). Results of a random-sample survey of 860 adolescents 16 to 19 years of age, in Massachusetts indicate that many adolescents are still misinformed or confused about AIDS and AIDS transmission. Of the adolescent respondents, 70% said they were sexually active (having sexual intercourse or other sexual contact) but only 15% of them reported changing their sexual behavior because of concern about contracting AIDS, and only 20% of those who changed their behavior used effective methods. Of both sexually active and nonactive adolescents, 8% did not know that AIDS is transmitted by heterosexual sexual intercourse. Psychoactive drugs other than alcohol and marijuana had been used by 13% of those responding, and 1% reported injecting drugs. Of those psychoactive drug users, 8% did not know that AIDS can be transmitted by injecting drugs. There was no significant difference in knowledge between the sexually active and nonactive adolescents concerning sexual behavior and AIDS transmission or between the drug users and nonusers concerning drug use and AIDS transmission. The majority of respondents knew a relationship exists between AIDS and blood, and other body fluids, but knowledge of the mode of transmission was limited. Hence, many adolescents, including those in the highest risk subgroups of sexually active or psychoactive drug users, did not know what sexual and drug precautions are needed to prevent transmission of the virus. School systems and health care providers should systematically educate this population about AIDS to counter the current misinformation and confusion.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)

Acquired Immunodeficiency Syndrome↗
PubMed1986

Maternal marijuana use and neonatal outcome: uncertainty posed by self-reports.

To assess the validity of self-reported marijuana use during pregnancy, this study randomly allocated pregnant women into a group who were told their urine would be tested for marijuana, alcohol, and other drugs and another group not so tested. Women told they would be tested reported more marijuana use during pregnancy than did untested women. Moreover, urine assays identified more women who used marijuana during pregnancy than were willing to admit it in the interview even after being told their urine would be tested. No differences in reported drinking or cigarette smoking during pregnancy were found between tested and untested women.

Adult↗
PubMed1986

Impact of maternal work outside the home during pregnancy on neonatal outcome.

The impact of mothers' work during pregnancy upon neonatal outcome has not been fully elucidated. A study of maternal health habits and neonatal outcome conducted from 1977 to 1979 at Boston City Hospital assessed the effects of paid work outside the home during pregnancy, particularly third trimester work in a standing position, upon duration of gestation and intrauterine growth, while controlling for potentially confounding variables. Postpartum, 1,690 low-income women were interviewed to provide detailed information on their sociodemographic and health characteristics. Of the 1,507 women whose work status during pregnancy could be classified, 55% did not perform paid work outside the home or attend school, 7% worked into the third trimester in a standing position, and 38% had other work histories or attended school. Infants were examined according to a standard protocol by pediatricians blind to mothers' work history. There was no significant relationship between the mothers' work history during pregnancy and the infants' length of gestation, weight, or head circumference at birth, when confounding variables were controlled statistically by multiple regression analyses. However, women who worked in a standing position into the third trimester delivered infants who were longer than infants born either to mothers with other work histories or to mothers who did not work or attend school. Healthy women with uncomplicated low-risk pregnancies who feel well enough to attend school or work during pregnancy, even in a job requiring some standing, may do so without fear that their infant will suffer shortened gestation or impaired intrauterine growth.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1977

Impact of the "Rand report" on alcoholics, treatment personnel and Boston residents.

Interviews with patients and staff at six alcoholism treatment centers, respondents in a random telephone sample, and a sample of homeless men considereded to need alcoholism treatment revealed little change in treatment program goals, no increase in patients seeking treatment, and few changes in drinking attributable to the "Rand report."

Adult↗