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Objective: To examine the quality of social support among unemployed residents in Trent, England., Design: Secondary analysis of data generated by those of working age drawn from a postal lifestyle survey of the adult population of Trent region., Subjects and Setting: Subjects were 6987 individuals (males 16-64 years and females 16-59 years of age), of whom 9.9% (689/6987) were unemployed., Main Outcome Measures: Responses about the quality of social support obtained from three key questions., Results: Generally, the unemployed reported poorer quality of social support than employed persons (p < 0.0001) on all three key elements examined: 31% v 17% respectively had no practical support; 19% v 10% had no help with solving problems, and 21% v 10% had no emotional support. Only 57% of the unemployed had all three of these elements compared with 75% of the employed. Unemployment and lack of social support had independent and deleterious effects on perceptions of general health and mental health. Relationships remained after allowing for the possible confounding effects of age, gender, and household composition., Conclusions: There is a relationship between unemployment and poorer quality of social support which may help to explain some of the increased morbidity and mortality experienced by this group, especially that related to mental health.

Study Objective: The study aimed to consider the impact of two different types of reminder on response rates and costs in a postal survey., Design: The study was a cross sectional survey. A self-completion lifestyle questionnaire was used. Those who did not respond after the initial mailing were randomly allocated to receive either a postcard or questionnaire as a first reminder. All outstanding non-responders received a questionnaire as a second reminder., Subjects: A representative sample of 698 adults aged 16-70 was used, drawn from a family health services authority register., Main Results: Postcard reminders were as effective as questionnaire reminders in increasing response whether one or two reminders are sent. The costs per response were calculated. Two questionnaires as reminders were found to be 1.7 times more expensive than a postcard plus questionnaire. Including the initial mailing, the cost per response using all questionnaires was 1.3 times the cost when a postcard was used for the first reminder., Conclusions: To increase the response to a postal survey effectively and economically, two reminders should be sent--first a postcard and then a questionnaire.

Medical students in Nottingham all complete an honours Bachelor of Medical Sciences course in one department including a research project. The honours programme in community health is described, with results from a survey of the 122 graduates since the medical school started. The 98 (80%) responses showed high levels of satisfaction and gain from the programme, the great majority regarding the course as valuable, enjoyable, and giving both research skills and skills in interpersonal relationships.