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28 October 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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Association between use of sedatives or hypnotics, alcohol consumption, or other risk factors and a single injurious fall or multiple injurious falls: a longitudinal general population study.
Stenbacka M, Jansson B, Leifman A, Romelsjö A. Alcohol 2002; 27: 1-7.
Correspondence: Marlene Stenbacka, Karolinska Institutet, Department of Clinical Neuroscience, Magnus Huss Clinic, Karolinska Hospital, 171 76, Stockholm, SWEDEN; (email: marlene.stenbacka@spo.sll.se).
In this study, we investigated the association between risk factors, including use of sedatives or hypnotics or alcohol consumption, and injurious falls leading to hospitalization or death among 4,023 subjects (1,828 men and 2,195 women) aged 20-89 years in Stockholm County, Sweden. Questionnaire data obtained from the 1984-1985 Stockholm Health of the Population Study (SHPS) were linked to official data registers on hospitalization and mortality. Of the 4,023 subjects, 330 (121 men and 209 women) had been treated for or died of injurious falls during the 12-year follow-up period. High age was significantly associated with injurious falls among both men and women. Multivariate analyses showed that women who had used sedatives or hypnotics during the 2 weeks before an injurious fall were at increased risk [relative risk of 1.83 (95% confidence interval, 1.10-3.06)] for two or more injurious falls, but not for a single fall accident. High alcohol consumption and earlier self-reported injurious falls were significantly associated with injurious falls for women younger than 60 years of age and with earlier self-reported falls and living alone for men in the same age category. Among older women (>60 years of age), high alcohol consumption and use of sedatives or hypnotics were significantly associated with injurious falls, whereas living alone and earlier self-reported accidents were significant predictors for men in the same age category. These results support a cautious prescribing policy for sedatives and hypnotics, as well as an awareness of high alcohol consumption and its association with injurious falls. (Copyright © 2002 Elsevier Science)
See report under School Issues
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Population-based case-control study of injury risk factors in the Northridge earthquake.
Peek-Asa C, Ramireza M, Shoafa K, Seligsona H. Ann Epidemiol 2002; 12(7): 525-526.
Correspondence: Corinne Peek-Asa, Injury Prevention Research Center, University of Iowa, Iowa City, IA, USA; (email: corinne-peek-asa@uiowa.edu).
PURPOSE: Earthquakes pose a persistent but unpredictable health threat, causing many injuries and damage throughout the world each year. Researchers have identified personal, structural, and geophysical characteristics as risk factors for injuries, but no studies have examined these factors simultaneously.
METHODS: A population-based case-control study was conducted to examine the role of age, gender, building characteristics, and ground movement on the risk of injury in the 1994 Northridge Earthquake. Cases were all earthquake-related fatal and hospital-admitted injuries that occurred in buildings in Los Angeles County (N = 102). Two sets of controls were drawn from a population-based random survey of LA County residents who reported no injury in the earthquake. The first control group was matched to cases by age and gender. The second control group was matched on closest location to the case during the earthquake. Information about buildings was obtained by linkage to building damage files. Ground motion was determined by geomapping case and control locations onto isoseismal maps. Conditional logistic regression was used to estimate risk ratios.
RESULTS: Individuals over age 65 had a 2.9 times higher risk of injury than younger people (95% CI = 1.2¯7.4), and women had a 2.4 times greater risk than men (95% CI = 1.2¯5.1). Location in multiple-unit residential and commercial structures at the time of the earthquake were each associated with higher risk of injury than location in single-unit residential structures, but the exact estimate varied depending on the control group used. With every increase in ground motion of 10%g, risk of injury increased 2.2-fold (95% CI = 1.6¯3.3).
CONCLUSION: Controlling for other factors, we found that individual, building, and seismic characteristics were independently predictive of increased injury risk. Prevention and preparedness efforts should focus on each of these as potential points of intervention. (Copyright © 2002 Elsevier Science)
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Prevention of falls on the level in occupational situations: a major issue, a risk to be managed.
Leclercq S. Int J Occup Saf Ergon 2002;8(3):377-85.
Correspondence: Sylvie Leclercq, Man at Work Department, French National Research and Safety Institute (INRS), Vandoeuvre, FRANCE; (email: sylvie.leclercq@inrs.fr).
The terminology used to designate falls on the level is broadly based and the accidents concerned are only very rarely defined explicitly. A definition of falls on the level in occupational situations is therefore proposed. We attempt to define the issue represented by the prevention of such accidents on the basis of statistical data, prior to explaining the twin objectives focused on in the field of their prevention. We then propose a summary of unbalance risk factors in occupational situations. These factors are associated with different components of the occupational situation they concern: individuals, their tasks, the equipment used, or the working environment. The diversity of accident contexts and different in-company prevention possibilities are thereby highlighted. Finally, we discuss a number of consequences in prevention terms.
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Pesticide impacts on communities and schools.
Ames RG. Int J Toxicol 2002; 21(5): 397-402.
Correspondence: Richard G. Ames, Office of Environmental Health Hazard Assessment, California Environmental Protection Agency, Oakland, California, USA.
Early efforts directed toward the development of pesticide regulations addressed serious acute illnesses associated with pesticide mixing, loading, and application. As those pesticide exposures and illnesses came under control through official regulatory action, attention has turned toward problems associated with the impacts of pesticides on communities and schools. By contrast to the early successes in bringing major acute poisoning under control, the problems of pesticide impacts on communities and schools have been especially difficult to resolve through the regulatory process. This article discusses the dynamics of the new and emerging impacts of pesticides on communities and schools, with an emphasis upon California experiences.
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Skateboard-associated injuries: participation-based estimates and injury characteristics.
Kyle SB, Nance ML, Rutherford GW Jr, Winston FK. J Trauma 2002; 53(4):686-690.
Correspondence: Flaura K. Winston, Children's Hospital of Philadelphia, 3535 TraumaLink, 10th Floor, 34th and Civic Center Boulevard, Philadelphia, PA 19104, USA; (email: flaura@mail.med.upenn.edu).
BACKGROUND Skateboarding is a popular recreational activity but has attendant associated risks. To place this risk in perspective, participation-based rates of injury were determined and compared with those of other selected sports. Skateboard-associated injuries were evaluated over time to determine participation-based trends in injury prevalence.
METHODS Rates of skateboard-associated injury were studied for the 12-year period 1987 to 1998 for participants aged 7 years or older. The National Electronic Injury Surveillance System provided injury estimates for skateboarding and the selected additional sporting activities. The National Sporting Goods Association annual survey of nationally representative households provided participation estimates. A participation-based rate of injury was calculated from these data sets for the selected sports for the year 1998.
RESULTS The 1998 rate of emergency department-treated skateboard-associated injuries-8.9 injuries per 1,000 participants (95% confidence interval [CI], 6.2, 11.6)-was twice as high as in-line skating (3.9 [95% CI, 3.1, 4.8]) and half as high as basketball (21.2 [95% CI, 18.3, 24.1]). The rate of skateboard-associated injuries declined from 1987 to 1993 but is again increasing: the 1998 rate was twice that of 1993 (4.5 [95% CI, 1.6, 7.4] and 8.9 [95% CI, 6.2, 11.6], respectively). Increases occurred primarily among adolescent and young adult skateboarders. The most frequent injuries in 1998 were ankle strain/sprain and wrist fracture: 1.2 (95% CI, 0.8, 1.6) and 0.6 (95% CI, 0.4, 0.8) per 1,000, respectively. Skateboard-associated injuries requiring hospitalization occurred in 2.9% and were 11.4 (95% CI, 7.5, 17.5) times more likely to have occurred as a result of a crash with a motor vehicle than injuries in those patients not hospitalized.
CONCLUSION This study is the first to relate skateboarding and other sport injuries to participation exposures. We found that skateboarding is a comparatively safe sport; however, increased rates of injury are occurring in adolescent and young adult skateboarders. The most common injuries are musculoskeletal; the more serious injuries resulting in hospitalization typically involve a crash with a motor vehicle. This new methodology that uses participation-based injury rates might contribute to more effective injury control initiatives.
New California law requires helmets for skateboard and scooter riders and for those wearing in-line or roller skates.
Full text of the law is available online HERE
Existing California law requires a person under 18 years of age to wear a properly fitted and fastened bicycle helmet while operating a bicycle or riding upon a bicycle as a passenger upon the streets or any other public bicycle path.
The new bill (signed into law in September) requires that persons under 18 years of age wear a helmet while operating a nonmotorized scooter or skateboard, while wearing in-line or roller skates, or while riding upon a nonmotorized scooter or skateboard as a passenger.
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Medication use, co-morbidity and injury in older male farmers.
Voaklander D, Kelly K, Rowe B, Yiannakoulias N, Svenson L, Schopflocher D, Pickett W. Ann Epidemiol 2002; 12(7): 513.
Corresondence: Donald Voaklander, University of Northern British Columbia, Prince George, BC, CANADA; (email: voakland@unbc.ca).
OBJECTIVES: The purpose of this research was to determine if there is a potentially causal relationship between medication use and injury among older male farmers in Alberta.
METHODS: Using probabilistic linkage between an Alberta Agriculture government registry of farm operators and the Alberta Health Plan registry file, older farmers (aged 66 and older) were identified. Farm related injuries were identified using an E-code search of both hospitalization and emergency department separations for a 3-year period. Cases were matched to controls on age, geographic health region, and index injury date at a ratio of 5:1. Co-morbidity and medication use for each of the cases and controls were derived from population based health system utilization files. Conditional logistic regression was used to determine which medications were related to injury.
RESULTS: Over a 3-year period, a total of 282 farm related injuries were suffered by the linked group. Controlling for co-morbidity, farmers who had stopped taking narcotic pain killers (OR = 9.85[95%CI:5.14,18.86]) and non-steroidal anti-inflammatories (OR = 2.36[95%CI:1.40,3.98]) 30 days prior to the date of injury were at increased risk. Those farmers taking sedatives and hypnotics right up until the date of injury were also at increased risk (OR = 3.12[95CI:1.41,6.89]). In addition, those suffering from incontinence (OR = 3.71[95%CI:1.60,8.59]) and osteoporosis (OR = 4.78[95%CI:1.34,16.99]) were also at increased risk.
CONCLUSION: The relationship of medication use and injury in this population is different from those observed in studies of falls in older persons. These data indicate that distraction from either pain or co-morbidity may play a factor in injuries suffered in this active older working population.
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Preventing early adolescent substance use: a family-centered strategy for the public middle school.
Dishion TJ, Kavanagh K, Schneiger A, Nelson S, Kaufman NK. Prev Sci 2002; 3(3): 191-201.
Child and Family Center, University of Oregon, Eugene 97401-3408, USA; (email: tomd@darkwing.uoregon.edu).
The Adolescent Transitions Program (ATP) promotes student adjustment and reduces risk within a public school setting, focusing primarily on parenting practices using a tiered, multilevel prevention strategy. A description is given of the program, levels of engagement, and intervention effects. Within each school, multiethnic students (N = 672) and their families were randomly assigned at the individual level to a control condition or the ATP intervention. Analyses focus on the longitudinal effects of the ATP intervention on self-reported substance use through middle school and the 1st year of high school (Grades 6, 7, 8, and 9). Levels of engagement in the selected and indicated interventions were somewhat less than expected. Despite relatively low levels of engagement, the intervention reduced initiation of substance use in both at-risk and typically developing students. These findings are discussed with respect to lessons learned about parent engagement, optimizing strategies for schoolwide implementation, and the promise of embedding family interventions within the public school ecology. (Copyright © 2002 Kluwer Academic/Plenum Publishers)
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See report under Poisoning
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Epidemiological study of suicide in the Republic of Croatia - comparison of war and post-war periods and areas directly and indirectly affected by war.
Grubisic-Ilic M, Kozaric-Kovacic D, Grubisic F, Kovacic Z. Eur Psychiatry 2002; 17(5): 259-264.
Correspondence: Mirjana Grubisic-Ilic, Department of Applied Psychology and Forensic Medicine, Police Academy, Police College, Zagreb, CROATIA; (email: frane.grubisic@zg.tel.hr).
We examined the differences in the suicide characteristics between areas directly and indirectly affected by war activities and in war and post-war periods according to the following variables: suicide rate, sex, age and method of suicide. Analysis was done on 5349 suicides committed in the period 1993-1998 (war and post-war years). The suicide rates in the Republic of Croatia oscillated in the pre-war, war and post-war periods (1985-2000) but without significant differences. In the areas directly affected by war, the suicide rate was significantly lower than in other areas during the study period 1993-1998 (chi-square = 10.3245; P = 0.0017). The number of suicides in both sexes declined in the areas directly affected by war-more in men than in women; the difference between sexes was statistically significant (chi-square = 3.6697; P = 0.055). Middle- and old-aged people were the population with high suicide risk in both areas (t = 1.76; P = 0.078). There were significant differences in the methods of suicides between war and non-war areas (chi-square = 108.8473; P = 0.001). Firearms or explosive devices were the methods used more significantly for suicides in the areas directly affected by war than in other areas, whereas hanging was more frequently used in the areas indirectly affected by war. (Copyright © 2002 Elsevier Science)
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Exposure to suicide: incidence and association with suicidal ideation and behavior: United States, 1994.
Crosby AE, Sacks JJ. Suicide Life Threat Behav 2002; 32(3): 321-328.
Correspondence: Alex Crosby, National Center for Injury Prevention and Control, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Atlanta, GA 30341-3724, USA; (email: aec1@cdc.gov).
Exposure to the suicide of another is common, but the magnitude and effects of such exposure are not well quantified. From a national random telephone survey of U.S. adults, we estimated the 12-month incidence of exposure to suicide and its association with suicidal ideation, planning, and behavior. Of 5,238 respondents, 342 (a weighted 7.0% representing 13.2 million persons) reported knowing a suicide decedent from the previous year. Univariate analysis showed persons reporting such exposure were significantly more likely to describe suicidal ideation and behavior than those unexposed; multivariate analysis showed no association. Though the risk related to suicide exposure may be small, given the magnitude of exposure, it may warrant intervention efforts because of its potential societal impact. (Copyright © 2002 American Association of Suicidology)
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Risk of motor vehicle fatality associated with prior morbidity among gulf war era veterans.
DeBakey S, Paxton M, Weaver R, Lange J, Cowan D, Kang H, Hooper, Gackstetter G. Ann Epidemiol 2002; 12(7): 509.
Correspondence: S. DeBakey, ACS Federal Healthcare, Falls Church, VA, USA.
PURPOSE: Motor vehicle fatalities (MVFs) are the leading cause of mortality among military personnel. Previous studies of our population of all U.S. Gulf War veterans (GWVs) and a comparable number of contemporaneous non-deployed veterans (NDVs) found that the GWVs had a nearly 50% higher rate of MVFs. We sought to identify the role of prior morbidity as an indicator of underlying physical and mental health, lifestyle, or behavioral characteristics contributing to MVFs among GW-era veterans.
METHODS: Our 980 cases were the male drivers from a population of 1,441,807 GW-era personnel who were MVFs between 1991 and 1995 having a record in NHTSA's Fatality Analysis Reporting System. For each case, 10 controls alive at the end of the match year in which the case died were randomly selected from the same population. We analyzed all admissions to Department of Defense (DoD) or Veterans Affairs (VA) hospitals and outpatient visits to VA facilities in the interval following the GW and before the end of the match year as risk factors for MVF.
RESULTS: After adjustment for demographic factors (age, marital status, education, race) and military characteristics (rank, occupation, branch, duty component), we found that use of these medical resources for any cause was associated with subsequent MVFs. Prior treatment for mental health problems, especially the subset related to drug or alcohol abuse, was strongly related to subsequent MVFs, particularly for the NDVs. Admissions for injuries due to a prior motor vehicle crash (available only for DoD hospitalizations) were also associated with the occurrence of a subsequent MVF, particularly among GWVs.
CONCLUSIONS: Men with prior military hospitalizations or VA clinic visits were at higher risk for MVFs than those without such morbidity. This relationship held for the entire military population, but health care for substance abuse was more predictive of MVFs for NDVs, while prior motor vehicle injuries were for GWVs. Patients treated for certain diagnoses may be a population to target for interventions to reduce MVFs. (Copyright © 2002 Elsevier Science)
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Fatal motor vehicle crashes among veterans of the gulf war era. A nested case-control study.
Gackstetter G, DeBakey S, Cowan D, Paxton M, Weaver R, Lange J, Kang H, Bullman T, Lincoln A, Hooper T. Ann Epidemiol 2002; 12(7): 509-510.
Correspondence: Gary Gackstetter, Uniformed Services University of the Health Sciences, Bethesda, MD, USA; (email: ggackstetter@usuhs.mil
BACKGROUND: Motor vehicle crashes (MVC) are the leading cause of death among military personnel, and deployment has been associated with an increased risk of fatal MVC within military populations. Gulf War (GW) deployment has also been associated with an increased risk of fatal MVC. We evaluated selected variables as predictors of fatal MVC among GW era veterans using existing Department of Defense, Department of Veterans Affairs, and Department of Transportation (DoT) databases.
METHODS: This is a nested case-control study of a cohort comprised of 696,516 Gulf War veterans and 746,291 non-deployed veterans. 1,343 cases of fatal MVC occurring between 1991 and 1995 were identified from the cohort by linking to the DoT Fatality Analysis Reporting System (FARS). Ten controls were selected per case, matched by gender and year of case ascertainment. We examined data on demographic and military characteristics; hospitalizations and outpatient visits; self-reported behaviors, lifestyle, and psychosocial factors; and possible GW exposures as potential risk factors for fatal MVC.
RESULTS: Fatal MVC on US public roads that caused the death of the driver were not randomly distributed across our study population. Fatalities involving female drivers were few (n = 28). Male fatalities were more likely to be younger, less educated, and never married compared to controls. Cases were also more likely to be enlisted, deployed to the GW, have combat occupations, be in the Guard or Reserve, and be other than Air Force. Inpatient and outpatient data and socio-behavioral data, as well as information from FARS will be reported separately.
CONCLUSION: Our findings are consistent with previous studies that have reported military deployment as a risk factor for fatal MVC. We also identified several other factors that increase this risk. Additional studies to investigate potential risk factors for all MVC, not just fatalities, are warranted so that appropriate interventions can be designed and evaluated. (Copyright © 2002 Elsevier Science)
Young drivers' decision making and safety belt use.
Calisir F, Lehto MR. Accid Anal Prev 2002; 34(6): 793-805.
Correspondence: Fethi Calisir, Industrial Engineering Department, Faculty of Management, Istanbul Technical University, Turkey; (email: calisir@hotmail.com).
Past research in safety belt use has primarily focused on describing the relationship between drivers' demographic characteristics and safety belt use. This study compared the impact of situational factors (the direction of collision, the type of road, and the presence of an airbag system), demographic factors, and constructs (criteria) elicited from subjects regarding safety belt use. Based on the results obtained, a conceptual model was developed. The model indicated that drivers' decision-making process when judging the level of accident risk and usefulness of safety belts differs from those that determine actual behavior. Perceived risk was related to road type, perceived consequences of an accident, perceived usefulness of safety belts, self responsibility, the time available for the driver to warn the other driver, dangerous behavior, and gender. These variables showed that people were able to rationally judge the risk. Despite the fact that people judge behavior in what appeared to be a rational manner, risk perception was not a good predictor of belt use. Belt use was mainly influenced by individual factors such as gender, grade point average (GPA), and age. Other factors impacting safety belt use included the perceived frequency of an accident and the S.D. of perceived usefulness of safety belts. (Copyright © 2002 Elsevier Science)
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Factors influencing the probability of an incident at a junction: results from an interactive driving simulator.
Alexander J, Barham P, Black I. Accid Anal Prev 2002; 34(6): 779-92.
Jennifer Alexander, Cranfield Centre for Logistics and Transportation, School of Management, Cranfield University, Bedford, UK; (email: j.j.alexander@cranfield.ac.uk).
Using data generated from a fixed-base interactive driving simulator, which was used to evaluate a driver decision aid, a model is built to predict the probability of an incident (i.e. an accident or a 'near miss') occurring as a result of a right-turn across left-hand traffic at an unsignalised junction. This can be considered to be the product of two separate probabilities, the first being the probability that the gap between a pair of vehicles in the traffic stream is accepted, and the second the probability that the time needed to cross the on-coming stream of traffic causes the time-to-collision with the nearest vehicle in this traffic stream to be less than a second. The model is developed from the results of experimental trials involving a sample of drivers, the majority of whom were aged 60 years or older, in order to demonstrate the effect of various parameters on these probabilities. The parameters considered include the size of the gap between successive vehicles, vehicle characteristics such as size, colour and velocity, driver characteristics such as age and sex, and both daytime and night-time conditions. (Copyright © 2002 Elsevier Science)
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Further results from a trial comparing a hidden speed camera programme with visible camera operation.
Keall MD, Povey LJ, Frith WJ. Accid Anal Prev 2002; 34(6): 773-777.
Correspondence: Michael D. Keall, Land Transport Safety Authority, Research and Statistics, Wellington, NEW ZEALAND; (email: mdk@ltsa.govt.nz).
As described in a previous paper [Accident Anal. Prev., 33 (2001) 277], the hidden camera programme was found to be associated with significant net falls in speeds, crashes and casualties both in 'speed camera areas' (specific signed sites to which camera operation is restricted) and on 100 km/h speed limit roads generally. These changes in speeds, crashes and casualties were identified in the trial area in comparison with a control area where generally highly visible speed camera enforcement continued to be used (and was used in the trial area prior to the commencement of the trial). There were initial changes in public attitudes associated with the trial that later largely reverted to pre-trial levels. Analysis of 2 years' data of the trial showed that falls in crash and casualty rates and speeds associated with the hidden camera programme were being sustained. It is not possible to separate out the effects of the concealment of the cameras from other aspects of the hidden speed camera programme, such as the four-fold increase in ticketing. This increase in speed camera tickets issued was an expected consequence of hiding the cameras and as such, an integral part of the hidden camera programme being evaluated.
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Situational factors in seat belt use by teenage drivers and passengers.
Williams AF, Shabanova VI. Traffic Inj Prev 2002; 3(3): 201-204.
Correspondence: Allan F. Williams , Insurance Institute for Highway Safety, Arlingon, Virginia, USA; (email: awilliams@iihs.org).
Drivers with high crash risk such as teenagers have relatively low seat belt use, which contributes to their injuries. This article addresses whether belt use is lower in driving situations with higher crash risk (such as when teenagers transport passengers), further contributing to the problem. Belt use was investigated in a variety of situations among fatally injured drivers and their passengers, using 1995-99 data from the Fatality Analysis Reporting System. For drivers of all ages, belt use was lower at night and with alcohol present. For teenagers, but not adults, driver belt use decreased with increasing number of passengers. Driver belt use was lowest when teenage drivers were transporting passengers in their twenties, and many of these crashes involved driver alcohol use. Driver belt use was highest when teenage drivers were transporting passengers age 30 and older, many of whom could be parents. Passenger belt use also decreased among teenagers as the number of passengers in the vehicle increased. Transporting passengers up to age 29 should be restricted in graduated licensing systems, and restrictions should not be waived unless a licensed passenger older than that is present. Most existing passenger restrictions do not conform to this. (Copyright © 2002 Taylor & Francis)
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Do Full-Face Helmets Offer Greater Protection Against Cervical Spinal Cord Injury than Open-Face Helmets?
O'Connor PJ, C. Kloeden C, McLean AJ. Traffic Inj Prev 2002; 3(3): 247-250.
Correspondence: Peter J. O'Connor, Research Centre for Injury Studies, Flinders University, Bedford Park, South Australia, AUSTRALIA; (email: peter.oconnor@nisu.flinders.edu.au).
In 1979, Yeo reported a lower likelihood of damage to the cord of the cervical spine (cervical spinal cord injury, or cervical SCI) for wearers of full-face helmets compared with open-face helmets among motorcyclists that had sustained a head impact. However, it appears that the study suffered from factors biasing the results away from the null hypothesis. The present study suggests that there may be no added benefit or harm of the full-face helmet relative to the open-face helmet on cervical SCI. (Copyright © 2002 Taylor & Francis)
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Using ecological theory to understand intimate partner violence and child maltreatment.
Little L, Kantor GK. J Community Health Nurs 2002; 19(3): 133-145.
Correspondence: Liza Little, Department of Nursing, 259 Hewitt Hall, University of New Hampshire, Durham, NH 03824, USA. llittle@hopper.unh.edu
This article describes the relation between intimate partner violence (IPV) and child maltreatment using an ecological model. It further clarifies the multidimensionality of IPV and child maltreatment at the individual, family, community, and societal levels. The article reviews the dynamics of IPV and the relationship issues between mother and child when IPV is present. Areas relevant to nursing, such as assessment and intervention with mothers and children, are addressed along with professional biases and understanding. This article expands the community nurses' conceptualization of intimate violence issues and strengthen his or her nursing interventions.
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Wife battering: A prospective study in an Iranian city.
A Ghazizadeh. Ann Epidemiol 2002; 12(7): 525.
Correspondence: A. Ghazizadeh, Department of Epidemiology & Social Medicine, the Medical Sciences University of Kurdistan, Sanandaj, IRAN; (email: unavailable)
BACKGROUND: In the past few years violence against wives has become documented with increasing frequency. It occurs at all social levels, though some authors have claimed that it is much more frequent in poor families.
OBJECTIVES: The aim of this research was to determine the prevalence of domestic physical violence against women and associated factors during 2000 in Sanandaj city, Iran.
METHODS: A random sample of 1000 married women, resident in Sanan-daj city, Iran, were administered a standardized interview and completed a 23-part questionnaire during 2000. This was a cross- sectional study. Sanandaj city is divided into 16 urban health centers; each health center has a health file for each household. The number of women selected from each health center was proportional to the size of the population served by each center. The questionnaire included the following variables: age, educational level of wife and husband, the woman's occupation; the number of children (number of sons), the age of the husband and wife at marriage, the length of the marriage, the number of episodes of spousal violence in the past year, and the respondent's opinion about the reason for spousal violence and strategies for prevention. Subjects were interviewed by students of the Medical University of Kurdistan. The interviewers underwent standardized training.
RESULTS: 15% and 38% of the women responding to the questionnaire reported being assaulted by their husbands during the past year or at some point during their marriage, respectively, on 1 to 11 or more different occasions. Economic problems were the most frequent reported cause of domestic quarrels. There was a significant association between the husband's and wife's educational level and occurrence of violent behavior committed against the wife (p = 0.001); approximately 10% of episodes, however, occurred in women whose husbands had a high educational degree. The husband's job was also significantly associated with occurrence of violent behavior committed against his wife.
CONCLUSION: This study confirms a high frequency of physical violence against women by their husbands. Cultural education and supportive measures are essential to reduce this behavior.
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Severity of intimate partner abuse indicators as perceived by women in Mexico and the United States.
Peek-Asa C, Garcia L, McArthur D, Castro R.Women Health 2002; 35(2-3): 165-180.
Correspondence: Corinne Peek-Asa, University of Iowa Injury Prevention Research Center, Iowa City, USA; (email: corinne-peek-asa@uiowa.edu).
OBJECTIVE: Women in Cuernavaca, Mexico and Los Angeles, California were surveyed to examine differences in their perceptions of the severity of domestic violence indicators. METHODS: One hundred twenty women in each country rated the severity of 26 domestic violence indicators which were part of an abuse screen used for an ongoing study of the prevalence of abuse. Rasch analysis was conducted to determine the linear relationship in the perceptions of the severity of each event between the two countries. RESULTS: The Rasch calibrated logit values show that women in the US rated 24 of the 26 events as more severe than women in Mexico. However, items were ranked in similar order and a clear linear pattern was established. In both countries, being shot with a gun was the most severe event and a partner becoming jealous was the least severe. CONCLUSION: The country of origin did not dictate which events were most severe but did influence how severe these events were perceived. (Copyright © 2002 Hayworth Press)
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