Preventive medicine
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Preventive medicine · Jul 1988
Development of a validation test for self-reported abstinence from smokeless tobacco products: preliminary results.
Using X-ray fluorescence spectrometry, 11 heavy elements at concentrations that are easily detectable have been identified in smokeless tobacco products. These concentrations were found to increase in cheek epithelium samples of the user after exposure to smokeless tobacco. ⋯ This absence of strontium could validate a self-report of abstinence from smokeless tobacco. Finally, the X-ray spectrum of heavy metal content of cheek epithelium from smokeless tobacco users could itself provide a visual stimulus to further motivate the user to terminate the use of smokeless tobacco products.
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Preventive medicine · May 1988
Prevalence of coronary heart disease risk factors in an urban black population: the Minnesota Heart Survey, 1985.
A cross-sectional study of a sample of Minnesota black urban residents was conducted in 1985 to develop cardiovascular risk profiles. Participants were evaluated during a home interview (N = 1,254, 78% participation) and a survey center visit (N = 1,052, 65% participation). Black men had significantly higher mean systolic and diastolic blood pressure than Black women (129.7/80.9 vs 124.8/77.3, respectively). ⋯ Men were significantly more likely to be current cigarette smokers (43.3% vs 33.2%) and to have higher cigarette consumption per day (17 vs 14) than women. The major risk factors for cardiovascular disease (with the exception of smoking) were lower in the Minnesota study in 1985 than in the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey in 1976-1980. These lower levels may also be a component in the decline of cardiovascular disease mortality rates among Blacks.
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Preventive medicine · Jan 1988
Physical activity and mental health in the United States and Canada: evidence from four population surveys.
Secondary analysis of four surveys was carried out in order to examine the association of physical activity and various aspects of mental health in the household populations of the United States and Canada. Level of physical activity was shown to be positively associated with general well-being, lower levels of anxiety and depression, and positive mood. This relationship is independent of the effects of socioeconomic status and physical health, and described younger and older members of both sexes. ⋯ The robustness of this conclusion stems from the nature of the data sources: four population samples in two countries over the span of 10 years in which physical activity levels were assessed by four techniques and psychological status was assessed by six distinct scales. Although the surveys are cross-sectional, the most plausible explanation for the results is that physical activity enhances mental health in certain respects. Data on the comparative effects of recreation and housework suggest that quality of time, and not mere energy expenditure, must be taken into account in attempts to explain the psychological benefits of physical activity.
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The effect of pipe and cigar smoking on lung cancer risk is reviewed using data from an ongoing hospital-based, case-control study of smoking-related cancers. Data from 2,085 patients with histologically defined lung cancer and 3,948 matched controls interviewed between 1977 and 1984 were analyzed. Cigar and pipe smokers experienced much lower lung cancer risks than cigarette smokers. ⋯ The odds ratio for those smoking 5 to 9 cigars or pipes per day was 3.2 and for those smoking 10 or more units 6.7. The odds ratio of those cigar or pipe smokers who inhaled was 12.3. The proportion of Kreyberg I cancers was higher in cigar and pipe smokers than in cigarette smokers.
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Preventive medicine · Nov 1987
The development of scales to measure social support for diet and exercise behaviors.
The purpose of this study was to develop measures of perceived social support specific to health-related eating and exercise behaviors. In Study I, specific supportive and nonsupportive behaviors were identified through interviews with 40 individuals making health-behavior changes. In Study II, items derived from the interviews were administered to 171 subjects. ⋯ Social support scales were correlated with respective self-reported dietary and exercise habits, providing evidence of concurrent criterion-related validity. A measure of general social support was not related to the specific social support scales or to reported health habits. These scales are among the first measures of social support behaviors specific to dietary- and exercise-habit change.