International journal of environmental research and public health
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Int J Environ Res Public Health · Dec 2016
Motivations and Limitations Associated with Vaping among People with Mental Illness: A Qualitative Analysis of Reddit Discussions.
This study aims to understand the nature and significance of online lay discussions about e-cigarettes and mental illness. We systematically searched the website Reddit.com using keywords related to e-cigarettes and mental illness. We coded relevant posts into themes under the framework of motivations for and limitations of vaping for people with mental illness. ⋯ Both positive and negative views exist. Media platforms like Reddit may shape the opinions of stakeholders and generate lay expertise about contentious health topics such as e-cigarettes. These findings have implications for policy and practice concerning assisting smokers with mental illness to reduce their health risk through switching to e-cigarettes.
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Int J Environ Res Public Health · Dec 2016
Predicting Driver Behavior during the Yellow Interval Using Video Surveillance.
At a signalized intersection, drivers must make a stop/go decision at the onset of the yellow signal. Incorrect decisions would lead to red light running (RLR) violations or crashes. This study aims to predict drivers' stop/go decisions and RLR violations during yellow intervals. ⋯ In addition, vehicle approaching speed is a contributing factor for stop/go decisions. Furthermore, the accelerations of vehicles after the onset of the yellow signal are positively related to RLR violations. The findings of this study can be used to predict the probability of drivers' RLR violations and improve traffic safety at signalized intersections.
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Int J Environ Res Public Health · Dec 2016
Association between the Osteoporosis Self-Assessment Tool for Asians Score and Mortality in Patients with Isolated Moderate and Severe Traumatic Brain Injury: A Propensity Score-Matched Analysis.
Background: The purpose of this study was to use a propensity score-matched analysis to investigate the association between the Osteoporosis Self-Assessment Tool for Asians (OSTA) scores and clinical outcomes of patients with isolated moderate and severe traumatic brain injury (TBI). Methods: The study population comprised 7855 patients aged ≥40 years who were hospitalized for treatment of isolated moderate and severe TBI (an Abbreviated Injury Scale (AIS) ≥3 points only in the head and not in other regions of the body) between 1 January 2009 and 31 December 2014. Patients were categorized as high-risk (OSTA score < -4; n = 849), medium-risk (-4 ≤ OSTA score ≤ -1; n = 1647), or low-risk (OSTA score > -1; n = 5359). ⋯ Analysis of propensity score-matched patients with adjusted covariates, including gender, co-morbidity, blood alcohol concentration level, Glasgow Coma Scale score, and Injury Severity Score revealed that high- and medium-risk patients still had a 2.4-fold (odds ratio (OR), 2.4; 95% confidence interval (CI), 1.39-4.15; p = 0.001) and 1.8-fold (OR, 1.8; 95% CI, 1.19-2.86; p = 0.005) higher mortality, respectively, than low-risk patients. However, further addition of age as a covariate for the propensity score-matching demonstrated that there was no significant difference between high-risk and low-risk patients or between medium-risk and low-risk patients, implying that older age may contribute to the significantly higher mortality associated with a lower OSTA score. Conclusions: Older age may be able to explain the association of lower OSTA score and higher mortality rates in patients with isolated moderate and severe TBI.