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Objective: To explore whether a change in alcohol-risk level is moderated by generational status, race, or gender following exposure to a computer-delivered intervention (CDI). Method: This study used a retrospective design to examine preand post-survey results from undergraduate students who completed a CDI. Ordinal and binomial logistic regression were used to examine the extent to which generational status, race and gender predicted changes in alcohol-risk level. Results: The secondary data analysis of 1,421 participants revealed generational status and race were not associated with a change in alcohol-risk level. The odds that males would show an increase in drinking following the intervention was 1.40 times larger than females. Conclusion: Findings from the study reveal a difference in alcohol-risk level between male and female students after completing the CDI. Implications for practice include tailoring CDIs towards specific demographic categories of college students to encourage the reduction of alcohol-risk behaviors., Alcohol continues to be the most commonly abused substance among young adults. In 2018, the National Survey on Drug Use and Health (NSDUH) reported 54.9 percent of full-time college students [...]

O121 HIV and ageing E Negredo Germans Trias i Pujol Hospital, HIV Unit, and University of Vic, Barcelona, Spain In the last decades, HIV-infected population has significantly aged in high-income [...]

Objectives. Area probability sampling was used to conduct a women's health survey in Boston, MA. Sexual minority women (SMW) and heterosexual adult women were compared on a variety of health-related measures. Methods. SMW-rich census tracts were identified and mapped onto zip code boundaries. Eligible respondents were women 18 and older who lived within the defined area, who were able to complete a personal interview or self-administered questionnaire in English. Differences in significant health-related outcomes by sexual orientation were examined. Results. SMW and heterosexual women differed on access to health care and utilization of screening tests. There were no significant differences in smoking rates, eating less calories or fat, and intentions to follow mammography recommendations. Conclusions. In certain respects, study results are congruent with previous non-probability surveys, while in others the results are different. It is likely that real differences exist in some health-related variables by sexual orientation category. KEYWORDS. Sexual orientation, health behaviors, access, population sampling

This investigation was designed to identify the risk factors associated with different stages of cigarette use in a large biracial adolescent sample. A questionnaire assessing smoking habits and variables thought to be related to smoking was administered to 6,967 7th graders. Analysis revealed that the best predictor of experimentation with cigarettes was the perception that they were easily available. Regular smoking appeared to be heavily influenced by cost. Social influences contributed to both experimental and regular smoking, but the impact of social models varied with ethnicity and gender. Analysis further revealed that weight-related variables were closely tied to regular smoking. Implications of the findings for smoking prevention programs are discussed.

Locally developed strategies for identifying children at risk for high blood levels of lead may do better than the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) questionnaire. Researchers evaluated lead levels in 3630 children attending six county clinics. Because 91% of children with blood lead levels exceeding 10 micrograms per decaliter were Hispanic, the risk factors for high lead levels among Hispanics were ascertained and a questionnaire developed for Hispanic parents. The CDC criteria correctly identified 32% of children with lead levels over 10 and 60% of children with lead levels over 20, whereas the population-specific questionnaire identified 90% of children with lead levels of 10 or more and all children with lead levels of 20 or more. The CDC assessment missed 7% of children with lead levels of 10 or more and 1% of children with lead levels of 20 or more, whereas the population-specific questionnaire missed 2% and no children, respectively., Objectives. To determine: (1) the prevalence of a blood lead level (PbB) of 10 [mu]g/dL or greater and 20 [mu]g/dL or greater among children aged 6 to 72 months attending the Santa Clara County (SCC), California, public clinics, (2) risk factors for elevated PbB in this population, and (3) whether an SCC public clinic population-specific risk-assessment tool and a five-question lead poisoning questionnaire developed by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention are useful for prospectively identifying children at higher risk for elevated PbB. Methods. We tested for PbB 3630 children aged 6 to 72 months attending SCC public outpatient clinics between August 8, 1991, and September 1, 1992. We then conducted two matched case-control studies. Five local risk-factor questions were combined with the CDC's five-question lead poisoning questionnaire, and from May 1, 1993, to June 30, 1993, we conducted risk assessments on 247 children tested for PbB. Results. Two hundred twenty-two of 3630 children (6.1%) had a PbB of 10 [mu]g/dL or greater. Thirty-nine (1.1%) had a PbB at least 20 [mu]g/dL. Seventy-nine percent of the children screened and 91.0% of the children with PbB at least 10 [mu]g/dL were Hispanic. Twenty percent of Mexican-born Hispanic children had a PbB of 10 [mu]g/dL or greater, versus 7% of U.S.-born Hispanic children. Several factors were associated with elevated PbB among Hispanic children. For identifying children with a PbB of at least 10 [mu]g/dL, the sensitivity and predictive value negative for the CDC's "high risk" definition were 30% and 93%, respectively, whereas for the SCC population-specific high-risk definition, the sensitivity was 90% and the predictive value negative was 98%. Conclusions. Hispanic children attending SCC public clinics have risk factors for elevated PbB that were not included in the CDC's lead poisoning questionnaire. Methods for prioritizing the frequency of lead screening may be improved by combining the CDC's questions with a population-specific risk assessment. Pediatrics 1995;96:643-648; Hispanic, lead, risk assessment, screening., ABBREVIATIONS. CDC, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention; PbB, blood lead level; SCC, Santa Clara County; PVN, predictive value negative; CI, confidence interval; OR, odds ratio; MOR, matched odds ratio. [...]

Acquired immune deficiency syndrome (AIDS) is beginning to have a profound effect on women, with the incidence of human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) infection currently growing at a proportionately faster rate […]

Adolescents' risk for infection with the human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) is a growing concern in connection with the acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS) epidemic. Adolescents are seen as at increased risk […]

Promoting Heart Health for Southeast Asians: a Database for Planning Interventions Synopsis This paper is a report of baseline data that the authors collected on the prevalence of hypertension in […]

This study of 155 female i.v. drug users found that black women had higher HIV seroprevalence than white women (21% compared to 7%, respectively, odds ratio = 3.59, 95% CI 1.28-9.98). To attempt to explain why black female i.v. drug users were more likely to test HIV seropositivity, such as needle sharing, high risk sexual behavior and history of sexually transmitted disease, was examined. Either there was no significant difference between the two groups or white i.v. drug users were more likely than blacks to engage in specific risk behaviors. Although this study failed to identify risk factors associated with higher HIV seropositivity in black female i.v. drug users, it did uncover important trends in the data. These trends are analyzed in terms of observed or possible social and cultural differences between black and white women. It is suggested that these underlying social and cultural differences may hold the key to black female i.v. drug users' greater risk of HIV infection.

WHO's upcoming report Global health risks will identify the global and regional mortality and disease burden associated with 24 health risks. These risk factors range from environmental risks such as [...]

In 1987 the National Health Interview Survey of Cancer Epidemiology and Control collected data on tobacco use by American adults. Of the 44,000 people surveyed, 33 percent regularly used some form of tobacco and 28.8 percent smoked cigarettes. More men smoked than women, 31.2 percent compared with 26.5 percent. The 25- to 44-year-old age group showed the highest percent of smokers, 33.2 percent. Cigarette smokers were more likely than former smokers or nonsmokers to be frequent - five or more times per week - beer drinkers, and smokers were more likely to consume larger quantities of all alcoholic beverages, three or more drinks per occasion, than were nonsmokers. The Centers for Disease Control noted that cigarette smoking among adults in the US continues to decline at a rate of about 0.5 percent per year. However, at this rate, the US will not reach the 1990 national health objective to reduce the smoking population to less than 25 percent of all adults. Smoking is still the most important preventable cause of death and is responsible for one in every six deaths in the US. Efforts to reduce smoking must be increased. Specific attention should be paid to those groups at increased risk from smoking, such as minorities, pregnant women, blue-collar workers and heavy smokers.