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10 September 2002
We are unable to provide photocopies of any the articles and reports abstracted below. Where possible, links have been provided to the publisher of the material and contact information for the corresponding author is listed. Many of the journals provide copies (usually for a fee) of reports online. Please consider asking your library to subscribe to the journals from which these abstracts have been gathered.
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Conflict resolution style as an indicator of adolescents' substance use and other problem behaviors.
Colsman M, Wulfert E. Addict Behav 2002; 27(4): 633-648.
Correspondence: Edelgard Wulfert, Department of Psychology University at Albany, State University of New York, 12222, USA; (email: e.wulfert@albany.edu).
Reports of violence in schools across the nation prompted us to investigate how adolescents resolve conflicts among themselves. We hypothesized that adolescents who act out at school ("problem students") do so because they have acquired maladaptive conflict resolution styles compared to students who do not manifest conduct problems at school ("nonproblem students"). We further hypothesized that inappropriate conflict resolution skills would be associated with a variety of other maladaptive behaviors. Sixty-one adolescents from a public high school (31 problem and 30 nonproblem students) participated in this study. Based on the dual concern model of conflict resolution, four interpersonal conflict resolution styles were assessed via self-report and videotaped behavioral enactment: cooperation, contentiousness, accommodation, and avoidance. Findings indicated that the problem adolescents were less cooperative and more contentious in conflict situations with peers. Maladaptive conflict resolution styles were associated with a range of externalizing behaviors including fighting, cigarette smoking, drinking, and marijuana use as well as low academic achievement. This study supports a role for conflict resolution style in studies of adolescent problem behavior and makes recommendations for the design of school-based prevention programs. (Copyright © 2002 Elsevier Science)
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Operation safe crossing: using science within a community intervention.
Voas RB, Tippetts AS, Johnson MB, Lange JE, Baker J. Addiction 2002; 97(9):1205-1214.
Correspondence: Robert B. Voas, Pacific Institute for Research and Evaluation, 11710 Beltsville Drive, Suite 300 Calverton, MD 20705-3102 USA; (email: voas@pire.org).
AIMS: To evaluate a large drunk-driving enforcement program at the US/Mexican border to reduce the number of youths crossing the border to drink in Tijuana. This paper also describes the research data used to develop and manage the program. Data from a border breath-test survey were used to dramatize the problem and gain public support for action. The data were also used to help design the enforcement effort and measure progress in reducing the cross-border drinking problem.
DESIGN: The number of news events generated around the occurrence of special enforcement efforts were used to measure project activity and to predict changes in the numbers of youths crossing into Mexico, their returning BACs and reductions in alcohol-related crashes during a 3-year period.
SETTING: An urban county on the Mexican border.
PARTICIPANTS: Underage youths aged 18-20 years and young adults aged 21-30 years residing in San Diego County.
MEASUREMENTS: Immigration and Naturalization Services provided population counts of the number of individuals crossing each weekend night from Tijuana into the United States through the San Ysidro border facility. Breath-test surveys of a random sample of these returning crossers provided data on the number of US residents visiting bars and nightclubs in Tijuana and on alcohol consumption at Tijuana bars and nightclubs. Night-time had-been-drinking crash data involving young drivers in several California counties served as an outcome measure of public health and safety.
FINDINGS: Analysis of data involving more than 2 million pedestrians returning from Tijuana indicated that the Operation Safe Crossing program reduced the number of late-night crossers by 31.6%.
CONCLUSIONS: Effective use of data through media advocacy programs to support an enforcement effort can reduce alcohol-related crashes. (Copyright © 2002 Blackwell Publishers)
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Lifetime inhalant use among alternative high school students in Texas: prevalence and characteristics of users.
Fleschler MA, Tortolero SR, Baumler ER, Vernon SW, Weller NF. Am J Drug Alcohol Abuse 2002; 28(3):477-495.
Correspondence: Melissa A. Fleschler, Center for Health Promotion and Prevention Research, University of Texas, Houston Health Science Center, School of Public Health, 77030, USA; (email: mfleschler@sph.uth.tmc.edu).
This cross-sectional study describes the prevalence of lifetime inhalant use and identifies demographic, psychosocial, and other risk behavior characteristics of students reporting lifetime inhalant use. The sample consisted of 354 students attending alternative high schools (dropout prevention/recovery schools) in Texas. The prevalence of lifetime inhalant use was 27.7%. After controlling for potentially confounding factors, students reporting lifetime inhalant use were less likely to be financially supported by their parents/guardians, more likely to use alcohol/tobacco, marijuana, and cocaine, and more likely to carry weapons and consider suicide. Study results may allow school officials, parents, researchers, and health care providers to gain a better understanding of inhalant use among students at risk for dropping out of school, a group which has not been extensively studied by previous researchers. (Copyright © 2002 Marcel Dekker Publishers)
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Vocabularies of motive for illicit steroid use among bodybuilders.
Monaghan LF. Soc Sci Med 2002; 55(5): 695-708.
Correspondence:Lee F. Monaghan, Cardiff School of Social Sciences, Cardiff University, UK. monaghanlf1@cf.ac.uk).
Illicit steroid use, for purposes of performance and physique enhancement, is widely deemed unnecessary, wrong and dangerous. Such activity would appear especially foolhardy when engaged in by non-professional athletes who otherwise adhere to 'healthy' exercise regimens. Here a gap exists between many illicit steroid users' actions and societal expectations. Using qualitative data generated in South Wales, this paper explores bodybuilders' vocabularies of motive for illicit steroid use. These accounts which justified, rather than excused, steroid use were predominant during question situations between the participant observer and the researched. In supporting the fundamental tenets of their drug subculture, and as part of the underlying negotiation of self-identity, respondents espoused three main justifications for their own and/or other bodybuilders' illicit steroid use; namely: self-fulfilment accounts, condemnation of condemners and a denial of injury. Here steroid use was rationalised as a legitimate means to an end, observers passing negative judgements were rejected and it was claimed steroids do not (seriously) harm the user's health or threaten society more generally. These vocabularies of motive, acquired and honoured within bodybuilding settings, comprise a complex of subjective meanings which seem to the actor to be an adequate ground for the conduct in question. Similar to other sociological studies, this paper states that it is imperative to explore the social meanings which illicit drug users attach to their 'risk' practices. Without these understandings, researchers and health promoters may struggle to appreciate fully why illicit drug users behave as they do. (Copyright © 2002 Elsevier Science)
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Scale invariance of incident size distributions in response to sizes of their causes.
Englehardt JD. Risk Anal 2002; 22(2): 369-381.
Correspondence: James D. Englehardt University of Miami, Coral Gables, FL 33124-0630, USA; (email: jenglehardt@miami.edu).
Incidents can be defined as low-probability, high-consequence events and lesser events of the same type. Lack of data on extremely large incidents makes it difficult to determine distributions of incident size that reflect such disasters, even though they represent the great majority of total losses. If the form of the incident size distribution can be determined, then predictive Bayesian methods can be used to assess incident risks from limited available information. Moreover, incident size distributions have generally been observed to have scale invariant, or power law, distributions over broad ranges. Scale invariance in the distributions of sizes of outcomes of complex dynamical systems has been explained based on mechanistic models of natural and built systems, such as models of self-organized criticality. In this article, scale invariance is shown to result also as the maximum Shannon entropy distribution of incident sizes arising as the product of arbitrary functions of cause sizes. Entropy is shown by simulation and derivation to be maximized as a result of dependence, diversity, abundance, and entropy of multiplicative cause sizes. The result represents an information-theoretic explanation of invariance, parallel to those of mechanistic models. For example, distributions of incident size resulting from 30 partially dependent causes are shown to be scale invariant over several orders of magnitude. Empirical validation of power law distributions of incident size is reviewed, and the Pareto (power law) distribution is validated against oil spill, hurricane, and insurance data. The applicability of the Pareto distribution, in particular, for assessment of total losses over a planning period is discussed. Results justify the use of an analytical, predictive Bayesian version of the Pareto distribution, derived previously, to assess incident risk from available data. (Copyright © 2002 Blackwell Publications)
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Role of work permits in teen workers' experiences.
Delp L, Runyan CW, Brown M, Bowling JM, Jahan SA. Am J Ind Med 2002; 41(6): 477-482.
Correspondence: Linda Delp, Center for Labor Research and Education, University of California, Los Angeles, California, USA; (email: ldelp@ucla.edu).
BACKGROUND: Work permits are required for working teenagers under 18 in 41 US states, but little is known about the work experience of those with work permits compared with those without such permits.
OBJECTIVES: This study examines job hazards, training, and knowledge of child labor laws reported by students in a predominantly Latino high school in Los Angeles and compares the responses of those who obtained work permits with those who did not.
METHODS: Student responses to a 60 item questionnaire were supplemented with information from focus groups and a survey of work permits issued by the school.
FINDINGS: Students without work permits were more likely to perform hazardous tasks and to use certain types of dangerous equipment and less likely to receive health and safety training than those with permits.
DISCUSSION: Possible explanations for the findings and suggested areas in need of policy change or research are considered.
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A prospective study of fatal occupational accidents: Relationship to sleeping difficulties and occupational factors.
Åkerstedt T, Fredlund P, Gillberg M, Jansson B. J Sleep Res 2002; 11(1): 69-71.
Correspondence: Torbjörn Åkerstedt, National Institute for Psychsocial Factors, Karolinska Institute, Box 230, 17177 Stockholm, SWEDEN; (email: torbjorn.akerstedt@ipm.ki.se).
Very little is known about the association between sleep and (fatal) occupational accidents. This study investigated this relationship using register data of self-rated sleep difficulties, together with occupational and demographic characteristics. The variables were related to subsequent occupational fatal accidents. A national sample of 47 860 individuals was selected at regular intervals over a period of 20 years, and interviewed over the phone on issues related to work and health. The responses were linked to the cause of death register (suicides excluded) and the data set was subjected to a (multivariate) Cox regression survival analysis. One hundred and sixty six fatal occupational accidents occurred, and the significant predictors were: male vs. female: relative risk (RR)=2.30 with a 95% confidence interval (CI) of 1.56-3.38; difficulties in sleeping (past 2 weeks): RR=1.89 with CI=1.22-2.94; and non-day work: RR=1.63 with CI=1.09-2.45. No significant effect was seen for age, socio-economic group, hectic work, overtime (> 50 h per week), or physically strenuous work. It was concluded that self-reported disturbed sleep is a predictor of accidental death at work, in addition to non-day work and male gender.
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Pedestrian crashes in Washington, DC and Baltimore.
Preusser DF, Wells JK, Williams AF, Weinstein HB. Accid Anal Prev 2002; 34(5):703-710.
Correspondence: David F. Preusser, Preusser Research Group, Inc., Trumbull, CT 06611, USA; (email: preusser@worldnet.att.net).
Police crash reports were obtained for pedestrian-motor vehicle crashes in Washington, DC (N = 852) and Baltimore (N = 1234) for the year 1998. Reports were coded using procedures developed and applied in these two cities during the 1970s, including the determination of pedestrian crash type, primary precipitating factor, and culpability. Results indicated substantial differences between crash patterns observed during the 1970s and those observed during 1998. Midblock dart-dash crashes, which typically involve a precipitating factor or critical error by a child pedestrian, decreased (from 37% to 15% in Washington). Across all crashes in both cities, the number of drivers who made a critical error leading to the crash was nearly equivalent to the number of pedestrians who made a critical error. Overall, pedestrians were slightly more likely to be judged culpable (50% vs. 39%). Turning vehicle crashes, which typically involve a driver's failure to grant a pedestrian the right of way at a signalized intersection, increased (from 9% to 25% in Washington). Countermeasures to reduce the number of pedestrians hit by turning vehicles are discussed. (Copyright © 2002 Elsevier Science)
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The effectiveness of child-resistant packaging for aspirin.
Rodgers GB. Arch Pediatr Adolesc Med 2002; 156(9): 929-933.
Correspondence: GB Rodgers, Directorate for Economic Analysis, US Consumer Product Safety Commission, Washington, DC 20207, USA; (email: grodgers@cpsc.gov).
OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the effectiveness of child-resistant packaging in reducing the mortality rate from the unintentional ingestion of aspirin for children younger than 5 years.
DESIGN: Estimates of the annual aspirin-related mortality rate for children younger than 5 years in the United States were developed for the 1958-1990 study period. A multivariate negative binomial regression model was then used to estimate the independent effect of the packaging requirements on the child mortality rate during the postintervention period. The analysis controlled for changes in the per capita use of aspirin, long-term safety trends, and other extraneous and potentially confounding factors that may have affected the aspirin-related child mortality rate.
MAIN OUTCOME MEASURE: Estimated percentage reduction in the child mortality rate associated with the use of child-resistant packaging.
RESULTS: After controlling for covariates, the use of child-resistant packaging was associated with a 34% reduction in the aspirin-related child mortality rate. This mortality rate reduction equates to the prevention of about 90 child deaths during the 1973-1990 postregulatory study period.
CONCLUSIONS: Child-resistant packaging has been effective in reducing aspirin-related child poisonings. However, because its effectiveness is only partial, further poison prevention strategies should be developed and instituted. (Published by the American Medical Association)
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Gradients in risk for youth injury associated with multiple-risk behaviours: a study of 11,329 Canadian adolescents.
Pickett W, Garner MJ, Boyce WF, King MA. Soc Sci Med 2002; 55(6): 1055-1068.
Correspondence: William Pickett, Department of Emergency Medicine, Queen's University, c/o Kingston General Hospital, 76 Stuart St., Kingston, ON K7L2V7, CANADA; (email: PickettW@post.queensu.ca).
This study used the Canadian version of the World Health Organization-Health Behaviour in School-Aged Children (WHO-HBSC) Survey to examine the role of multiple risk behaviours and other social factors in the etiology of medically attended youth injury. 11,329 Canadians aged 11¯15 years completed the 1997¯1998 WHO-HBSC, of which 4152 (36.7%) reported at least one medically attended injury. Multiple logistic regression analyses failed to identify an expected association between lower socio-economic status and risk for injury. Strong gradients in risk for injury were observed according to the numbers of multiple risk behaviours reported. Youth reporting the largest number (7) of risk behaviours experienced injury rates that were 4.11 times (95% CI: 3.04-5.55) higher than those reporting no high risk behaviours (adjusted odds ratios for 0-7 reported behaviours: 1.00, 1.13, 1.49, 1.79, 2.28, 2.54, 2.62, 4.11; p (trend) <0.001). Similar gradients in risk were observed within subgroups of young people defined by grade, sex, and socio-economic level, and within restricted analyses of various injury types (recreational, sports, home, school injuries). The gradients were especially pronounced for severe injury types and among those reporting multiple injuries. The analyses suggest that multiple risk behaviours may play an important role in the social etiology of youth injury, but these same analyses provide little evidence for a socio-economic risk gradient. The findings in turn have implications for preventive interventions. (Copyright © 2002 Elsevier Science)
See report under Rural and Agricultural Injuries
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Traumatic deaths in Jamaica: a coroner's (medico-legal) autopsy study from the University Hospital of the West Indies.
Escoffery CT, Shirley SE. Med Sci Law 2002; 42(3):185-191.
Correspondence: Carlos T. Escoffery, Department of Pathology, University of the West Indies, Mona, Kingston 7, JAMAICA; (email: unavailable)
This study reviewed the trauma-related deaths in a coroner's (medico-legal) autopsy series at the University Hospital of the West Indies and represents only the second such study reported from Jamaica. The autopsy protocols of all coroner's autopsies performed during the 15-year period January 1, 1983 to December 31, 1997 were reviewed retrospectively, and the clinico-pathological characteristics of trauma-related deaths were analysed. Trauma accounted for 470 (28.7%) of the 1,640 coroner's autopsies and the causes of death in descending order of frequency were motor vehicle accidents [MVAs] (44.9%), blunt injuries (17.7%), burns (16.8%), firearm injuries (13.6%) and stab injuries (7.0%). The 21-30 age group was the most commonly affected and the overall male: female ratio was 4:1. The distribution of injuries (excluding burns) by anatomical region was head and neck (43.8%), chest (8.9%), abdomen and pelvis (4.3%), extremities (0.9%) and multiple sites (25.3%). Forty-nine (23.2%) of the victims of MVAs were documented to have been pedestrians. Blunt trauma was most commonly due to accidental falls followed by assaults. Flame burns accounted for 90% of burn cases. There were seven (1.5%) cases of suicide overall. In this series the majority of trauma-related deaths occurred in young males and were due to MVAs. Strategies aimed at reducing trauma-related mortality should therefore emphasize road traffic safety programmes, particularly targeting the young.
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Epidemiology of facial trauma in a sample of patients aged 1-18 years.
Shaikh Z, Worrall S. Injury 2002; 33(8):669-671.
Correspondence: Zarina S. Shaikh, Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery, University Hospital of Wales, Health Park, Cardiff CF14 4XY, Wales, UK; (email: unavailable).
This study reviews the epidemiology of patients aged 1-18 years treated for maxillofacial injuries during a 3 year period at a tertiary care centre. Of the 276 patients, 65.5% were aged 1-10 years. Seventy-three per cent of injuries were to the soft tissues and 15% of injuries were fractures. The mandible and zygoma were the most commonly fractured facial bones. In the adolescent group, facial fractures accounted for over half of all injuries. Injuries of 96.8% were classed as minor to moderate. Falls were by far, the commonest cause of injury, but with increasing age, assaults became more common. A surprisingly high incidence of dog bite injuries was noted, particularly in children under 7 years of age. (Copyright © 2002 Elsevier Science)
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Valuation of childhood risk reduction: the importance of age, risk preferences, and perspective.
Dockins C, Jenkins RR, Owens N, Simon NB, Wiggins LB. Risk Anal 2002; 22(2): 335-346.
Correspondence: Chris Dockins, United States Environmental Protection Agency, National Center for Environmental Economics, Washington, DC 20460, USA; (email: dockins.chris@epa.gov).
This article explores two problems analysts face in determining how to estimate values for children’s health and safety risk reductions. The first addresses the question: Do willingness-to-pay estimates for health risk changes differ across children and adults and, if so, how? To answer this question, the article first examines the potential effects of age and risk preferences on willingness to pay. A summary of the literature reporting empirical evidence of differences between willingness to pay for adult health and safety risk reductions and willingness to pay for health and safety risk reductions in children is also provided. The second dimension of the problem is a more fundamental issue: Whose perspective is relevant when valuing children's health effects—society's, children's, adults-as-children, or parents'? Each perspective is considered, followed ultimately by the conclusion that adopting a parental perspective through an intrahousehold allocation model seems closest to meeting the needs of the estimation problem at hand. A policy example in which the choice of perspective affects the outcome of a regulatory benefit-cost analysis rounds out the article and emphasizes the importance of perspective. (Copyright © 2002 Blackwell Publications)
See report under Violence -
Cost-effectiveness of roll-over protective structures.
Pana-Cryan R, Myers ML. Am J Ind Med 2002; 2(S-2): 68-71.
Correspondence: Regina Pana-Cryan, Senior Service Fellow, Office of the Director, National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 200 Independence Ave., SW, MS P-12, Washington, DC, USA; (email: rfp2@cdc.gov).
BACKGROUND: Roll-over protective structures (ROPS) are proven to prevent fatalities from agricultural tractor overturns, accounting for more than one-third of all production agriculture-related fatalities in the United States. In 1997, there were approximately 1.2 million ROPS-retrofittable tractors in the United States.
METHODS: A decision analysis is used to compare the health outcomes of installing ROPS on retrofittable tractors, relative to doing nothing. A cost-effectiveness analysis builds on these results to assess the costs and benefits of installing ROPS on retrofittable tractors.
RESULTS: Doing nothing would result in 1,450 fatalities and 1,806 nonfatal injuries, while installing ROPS would prevent 1,176 fatalities and 957 nonfatal injuries. Installing ROPS would cost $489,373 per injury prevented.
CONCLUSIONS: Installing ROPS on retrofittable tractors would reduce fatalities from tractor overturns by more than 80% and nonfatal injuries by about 53%. The cost per injury prevented would be similar to that of other injury-preventing interventions. ROPS would help prevent additional injuries from falling off tractors and tractor collisions with motor vehicles. (Published 2002 Wiley-Liss)
See Reports under Alcohol & Other Drugs See Report under Suicide -
School injury trends.
Peterson BB. J Sch Nurs 2002; 18(4):219-225.
Correspondence: Berit Peterson, Edina Public Schools, MN, USA; (email berpeterson@edina.k12.mn.us).
This article presents data gathered between 1985 and 2000 from nine public schools in a Midwestern suburban school district. Data were compiled from routine documentation on health office logs and incident reports when students entered the health offices with a first-aid need. The purpose of the article is to demonstrate the value of the collection and analysis of injury data as a part of the school nurse's role and provide some samples of injury data that can be used for comparison purposes. First aid is the most frequent reason to see the school nurse and is an important function. Student injuries can cause absenteeism that interferes with student academic success. Whether the school nurse delegates or directly provides first aid, it is important to collect and analyze information about school injuries to plan injury prevention strategies when appropriate. (Copyright © 2002 National Association of School Nurses)
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A support group intervention for at-risk female high school students.
Houck GM, Darnell S, Lussman S. J Sch Nurs 2002; 18(4):212-218.
Correspondence: Gail Houck, School of Nursing, Oregon Health & Sciences University, Portland, USA; (email: houckg@ohsu.edu).
School nurses have an opportunity to engage in early intervention with high-risk adolescents. School-based support groups for depressed adolescents have been effective when aimed at providing skills training as well as emotional support. In this practice improvement project, 14 high-risk female adolescents from two high schools were identified on the basis of signs associated with depression. The students completed a questionnaire about risk and protective factors during the assessment and at the end of the intervention. Twelve students participated in a weekly support group designed to enhance coping skills and to provide emotional support. Assessment revealed that the students were at suicide risk. At the conclusion of the group intervention, there was a 55% decrease in suicidal ideation, a 27% decrease in perceived stress, and a 26% decrease in family distress. In addition, most of the students became engaged in formal treatment for the first time. (Copyright © 2002 National Association of School Nurses)
See Reports under Alcohol & Other Drugs -
The effects of sleep debt on vigilance in young drivers: an education/research project in high schools.
Lucidi F, Devoto A, Bertini M, Braobanti P, Violani C. J Adolesc 2002; 25(4):405-414.
Correspondence: Fabio Lucidi, Dipartimento di Psicologia, Università di Roma "La Sapienza", Via dei Marsi, 78, Roma 1-00185, ITALY; (email: fabio.lucidi@uniromal.it).
The vigilance levels of a group of 59 students were assessed in the daytime (9:00-11:00 a.m.) and again early Sunday morning (2:30-5:00 a.m.), and were then compared. Data were collected at the students' schools. The differences in performance impairment associated with different Saturday night social activities and the effect of alcohol consumption were evaluated.Results indicate a vigilance decrease during the night, and this is greater in subjects who consumed more alcohol. Students who spent their Saturday night in a discotheque showed the most prominent nocturnal vigilance decrease, even when the effect of alcohol consumption is covaried. The effect of social activities on vigilance levels was also associated with different lengths of time spent awake and the different time in which subjects performed the vigilance task. (Copyright © 2002 The Association for Professionals in Services for Adolescents. Published by Elsevier Science)
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Airbags and Children: Making Correct Choices in Child Passenger Restraints.
Kamerling SN. Am J Matern Child Nurs 2002; 27(4): 264-273.
Correspondence: Susan Nudelman Kamerling, The Children's Hospital of Philadelphia, Philadelphia, PA. She can be reached c/o Children's Hospital of Philadelphia Trauma Program, 34th and Civic Center Boulevard, Philadelphia, PA 19104 (e-mail: kamerling@email.chop.edu).
Countless numbers of young lives are lost each year due to motor vehicle crashes. One of the most effective means of reducing the number of children killed and injured as occupants in motor vehicles is through the use of child passenger restraints. Seat belts and child safety seats save lives and reduce the severity of injuries sustained by occupants in motor vehicle crashes. Nurses are in a unique position to educate and influence families on the proper way to safely transport all motor vehicle passengers. Therefore, nurses working with infants, children, and families have a moral and professional obligation to understand the basics of child passenger safety. At the very least, nurses should be able to direct families appropriately for specifics related to child passenger restraints.The intent of this article is to provide an overview of child passenger safety through a historical, theoretical, and clinical approach. Proper child restraint use is reviewed based on current recommendations for age and size. The potential hazards of child restraint misuse, with an in-depth discussion on airbags, is presented. The discussion on airbags serves to dispel any misconceptions that may be held about airbags. The article includes two case studies that illustrate the injury potential of relatively common misuse patterns. The clinical implications for maternal-child nurses include the recognition that child passenger deaths are primarily due to child restraint nonuse and misuse and the realization of nursing's role in the promotion of proper child passenger restraint. (Copyright © 2002 Lippincott Williams & Wilkins)
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Effects of daytime running lights on multiple-vehicle daylight crashes in the United States.
Farmer CM, Williams AF. Accid Anal Prev 2002; 34(2):197-203.
Correspondence: Charles M. Farmer, Insurance Institute Highway Safety, Arlington, VA 22201-4751, USA, USA; (email: cfarmer@iihs.org).
Involvements in multiple-vehicle daylight crashes in nine states over 4 years were analyzed for a group of passenger cars and light trucks equipped with automatic daytime running lights. On average, these vehicles were involved in 3.2% fewer multiple-vehicle crashes than vehicles without daytime running lights (P = 0.0074). (Copyright © 2002 Elsevier Science)
See Reports under Alcohol & Other Drugs -
Family type and criminal behaviour of male offspring: the Northern Finland 1966 Birth Cohort Study.
Sauvola A, Koskinen O, Jokelainen J, Hakko H, Jarvelin MR, Rasanen P. Int J Soc Psychiatry 2002; 48(2): 115-121.
Correspondence: Anu Sauvola, Department of Psychiatry, University of Oulu, FINLAND; (email: asauvola@paju.oulu.fi).
BACKGROUND: Unstable family environment during childhood is known to predispose to juvenile delinquency.
OBJECTIVES: This study explored whether childhood family structure is associated with violent behaviour of adult offspring.
METHODS: We used a large, unselected general population birth cohort (n = 5589 males) linked with the national crime registers (up to the age of 32 years). The Ministry of Justice provided information on registered offences for all subjects. A logistic regression analysis was performed to examine the association between family type and criminality (violent and non-violent crimes).
FINDINGS: We found that single-parent family "at birth" (adj. OR 3.6, 95% CI 1.8-7.0) and "all time" (up to the age of 14 years) (adj. OR 5.2, 95% CI 2.5-10.6) were risk factors for violent offences of an adult offspring. Also parental death (adj. OR 2.2, 95% CI 1.3-3.6) and divorce (adj. OR 2.5, 95% CI 1.6-3.7) doubled the risk for violence. Non-violent offences were associated only with parental death and, divorce.
DISCUSSION: A single-parent family of origin is strongly associated with later violent criminality of male offspring. Further studies are needed to explore the psychosocial aspects of single-parent family environment which may promote the vulnerability to violent offending in adulthood. (Copyright © 2002 Sage Publications)
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Mothers' and health care providers' perspectives on screening for intimate partner violence in a pediatric emergency department.
Dowd MD, Kennedy C, Knapp JF, Stallbaumer-Rouyer J. Arch Pediatr Adolesc Med 2002; 156(8):794-799.
Correspondence: Denise Dowd, Division of Emergency Medicine, Children's Mercy Hospital, 2401 Gillham Rd, Kansas City, MO 64108, USA; (email: ddowd@cmh.edu).
OBJECTIVE: To determine the attitudes, feelings, and beliefs of mothers and pediatric emergency department health care providers toward routine intimate partner violence screening.
METHODS: This qualitative project employed focus groups of mothers who brought their children to a children's hospital emergency department for care, and physicians and nurses who staffed the same department. We held 6 ethnically homogeneous mother focus groups (2 white, 2 African American, and 2 Latina) and 4 provider focus groups (2 predominately female nurse focus groups and 2 physician groups: 1 male and 1 female). Professional moderators conducted the sessions using a semistructured discussion guide. All groups were audiotaped and videotaped, and tapes were reviewed for recurring themes.
RESULTS: A total of 59 mothers, 21 nurses, and 17 physicians participated. Mothers identified intimate partner violence as a common problem in their communities, and most remarked that routine screening for adult intimate partner violence is an appropriate activity for a pediatric emergency department. However, many expressed concern that willingness to disclose might be affected by a fear of being reported to child protective services. They stressed the importance of addressing the child's health problem first, that screening be done in an empathetic way, and that immediate assistance be available if needed. Themes identified in the provider groups included concerns about time constraints, fear of offending, and concerns that unless immediate intervention was available, the victim could be placed in jeopardy. Many said they would feel obligated to notify child protective services on disclosure of intimate partner violence.
CONCLUSIONS: Intimate partner violence screening protocols in the pediatric emergency department should take into consideration the beliefs and attitudes of both those doing the screening and those being screened. Those developing screening protocols for a pediatric emergency department should consider the following: (1) that those assigned to screen must demonstrate empathy, warmth, and a helping attitude; (2) the importance of addressing the child's medical needs first, and a screening process that is minimally disruptive to the emergency department; (3) a defined, organized approach to assessing danger to the child, and how and when it is appropriate to notify child protective services when a caregiver screens positive for intimate partner violence; and (4) that resources must be available immediately to a victim who requests them. (Copyright © 2002 American Medical Association)
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The rural-urban continuum: variability in statewide serious firearm injuries in children and adolescents.
Nance ML, Denysenko L, Durbin DR, Branas CC, Stafford PW, Schwab CW. Arch Pediatr Adolesc Med 2002; 156(8):781-785.
Correspondence: Michael L. Nance, Department of Pediatric Surgery, Children's Hospital of Philadelphia, 34th and Civic Center Boulevard, Philadelphia, PA 19104, USA; (email: nance@email.chop.edu).
OBJECTIVE: To compare rates of serious firearm injuries among children and adolescents treated in a statewide trauma system.
MATERIALS AND METHODS: We reviewed the Pennsylvania Trauma Systems Foundation (Mechanicsburg) registry from January 1, 1987, through December 31, 2000, for all pediatric and adolescent patients (age 0-19 years) who sustained a serious firearm injury. Data included age, sex, weapon, geographic region, injury circumstance, and outcome.
RESULTS: During the 14-year period, 3781 children and adolescents sustained a serious firearm injury and were treated at a participating Pennsylvania trauma center. The population was 90.7% male, with a mean age of 16.5 years. Adolescents (age 15-19 years) represented more than 85% of the study population. There were 744 deaths (19.7%). The urban counties had an average annual population-based rate of serious firearm injury of 28.3/100 000; suburban counties, 2.8/100 000; metropolitan counties, 2.4/100 000; and nonmetropolitan counties, 2.4/100 000. Urban counties had a higher rate for all injury circumstances (unintentional, assault, and self-inflicted) than all nonurban counties. Assault was the most common overall injury circumstance (78.7%), and was the most common circumstance in urban counties (88.5%) and among adolescents (age 15-19 years [84.2 %]). Unintentional injuries predominated in nonmetropolitan counties (56.7%) and in young children (aged <5 years [50.6%] and 5-9 years [61.4%]). Handguns were the most common weapon type in all age groups, geographic regions, and injury circumstances.
CONCLUSIONS: Rates of serious firearm injuries among children and adolescents are 10-fold higher in urban than nonurban regions. Assaultive injury mechanisms predominated in urban areas, unintentional injuries in the nonurban counties. Firearm injury statistics are heavily influenced by events in the urban counties. Intervention and prevention strategies need to account for these regional discordances to optimize efficacy. (Copyright © 2002 American Medical Association)
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Handgun safety: what do consumers learn from gun dealers?
Sanguino SM, Dowd MD, McEnaney SA, Knapp J, Tanz RR. Arch Pediatr Adolesc Med 2002; 156(8):777-780.
Correspondence: Sandra Maria Sanguino, Division of General Academic Pediatrics, Children's Memorial Hospital, 2300 Children's Plaza, Box 16, Chicago, IL 60614, USA; (email: ssanguino@northwestern.edu).
OBJECTIVE: To explore the type and quality of handgun safety information a typical consumer would obtain from a licensed gun dealer.
METHODS: Semistructured, interactional on-site interviews were conducted with licensed handgun dealers in 2 metropolitan areas. A variety of dealers (gun shops, pawnshops, general merchandise stores, and sporting goods stores) were visited. Investigators posed as customers interested in buying a handgun. During the interview, investigators expressed concern that as the parent of a 4-year-old child, they needed suggestions about keeping their child safe with a gun in the home. Information collected included basic dealer demographics, opinions on whether a 4-year-old child could pull a handgun trigger, handgun safety advice and recommendations, and the type of safety devices and handgun safety educational materials that were available in the store.
RESULTS: There were 96 visits made to gun dealers. The typical salesperson was a man who appeared to be older than 40 years. Trigger locks were the most common safety devices available. When asked what a consumer should know about purchasing a handgun, 85% of salespeople did not mention safe storage. Only 9 (9%) offered advice that included all of the following: keeping the gun securely locked, keeping the gun unloaded, and storing the gun separately from the ammunition. One third answered "no" or "don't know" or "uncertain" when asked if a 4-year-old could pull the trigger. The majority (92%) did not have any handgun safe storage educational materials on site.
CONCLUSIONS: Salespeople offered potential buyers little or no education about safe storage of handguns. The information provided was often inconsistent with the recommendations of the American Academy of Pediatrics. (Copyright © 2002 American Medical Association)
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Mitigating the effects of gun violence on children and youth.
Garbarino J, Bradshaw CP, Vorrasi JA. Future Child 2002; 12(2):72-85.
Correspondence: James Garbarino, Family Life Development Center, Cornell University, USA; (email: jg38@cornell.edu).
Countless children and youth are exposed to gun violence each year--at home, at school, in their communities, or through the media. Gun violence can leave lasting emotional scars on these children. This article reviews research regarding the psychological effects of gun violence on children and youth, and offers suggestions for how parents, school administrators, and mental health workers can mitigate these negative effects. Children exposed to gun violence may experience negative short- and long-term psychological effects, including anger, withdrawal, posttraumatic stress, and desensitization to violence. All of these outcomes can feed into a continuing cycle of violence. Certain children may be at higher risk for negative outcomes if they are exposed to gun violence. Groups at risk include children injured in gun violence, those who witness violent acts at close proximity, those exposed to high levels of violence in their communities or schools, and those exposed to violent media. Parents, school administrators, and mental health workers all can play key roles in protecting children from gun violence and helping them overcome the effects of gun-related trauma. The authors recommend a number of strategies that adults can adopt to help children cope with gun violence, such as increasing parental monitoring, targeting services to youth at risk of violent activity, and developing therapeutic interventions to help traumatized young people. (The Future of Children is a publication of the David and Lucile Packard Foundation.)
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Where the guns come from: the gun industry and gun commerce.
Wintemute GJ. Future Child 2002; 12(2):54-71.
Correspondence: Garen Wintemute, Violence Prevention Research Program, University of California at Davis, USA; (email: gjwintemute@ucdavis.edu).
Under federal law, it is illegal for youth under age 18 to purchase rifles or shotguns, and for those under age 21 to purchase handguns. However, fatality and injury statistics clearly show that guns are finding their way into young people's hands. Many of these youth obtain guns through illegal gun markets. This article focuses on how guns in the United States are manufactured, marketed, and sold. The article shows how the legal and illegal gun markets are intimately connected and make guns easily accessible to youth. Although the domestic gun manufacturing industry is relatively small and has experienced declining sales in recent years, it has significant political clout and a large market for its products, and has engaged in aggressive marketing to youth. Lax oversight of licensed firearms dealers, combined with little or no regulation of private sales between gun owners, mean that guns can quickly moved from the legal gun market into the illegal market, where they can be acquired by young people. Certain guns, especially inexpensive, poorly made small handguns, are particularly attractive to criminals and youth. The author observes that several policy innovations--including increased regulation of licensed firearms dealers, intensified screening of prospective buyers, regulation of private sales, gun licensing and registration, and bans on some types of weapons--hold promise for decreasing the flow of guns into the hands of youth. (The Future of Children is a publication of the David and Lucile Packard Foundation.)
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