Healthy behaviors among women in the United States and Ontario: the effect on use of preventive care

OBJECTIVES: This study examined how several healthy behaviors among women in Ontario and the United States explained (1) the use of preventive health services, (2) differences in use between socioeconomic groups, and (3) differences in use between the two health systems. METHODS: 1990 data on women from the Ontario Health Survey (n = 22,985) and the US National Health Interview Survey (n = 19,092) were analyzed. A woman who avoided smoking and obesity, used seatbelts, and regularly engaged in aerobic exercise was defined as having a healthy lifestyle. Women were considered screened if they reported a mammogram or a breast exam within the previous year or a Pap smear within 2 years. RESULTS: A healthy lifestyle was more common in the United States than Canada among more highly educated groups (odds ratio [OR] = 1.40; 95% confidence interval [CI] = 1.22, 1.60 for college educated) but less common in the United States for those with less than a high school education (OR = 0.52; 95% CI = 0.40, 0.67). Each additional unhealthy behavior decreased the odds of having undergone a mammogram in the previous year by 20%. However, adjusting for the number of unhealthy behaviors did not substantially change the relationship between socioeconomic status and use of preventive services. CONCLUSIONS: The number of healthy behaviors is an important measure of demand for preventive health services. This measure varies across country and socioeconomic group.     

Reasons for conversion to Islam among women in the United States.

Nine reported reasons for converting to Islam were quantitatively assessed regarding prevalence and importance among 304 women in the United States. The appeal of Muslim moral values and dissatisfaction with one’s former faith were primary reasons, followed closely by enhanced sense of identity and alignment with cultural views (regarding ethnic diversity and gender roles). Active (theological and personal) reasons for conversion were more important and prevalent than passive (social) reasons. Qualitative analyses of additional write-in responses suggested four other reasons for conversion, including the appeal of Muslim tenets and an increased sense of significance/meaning. Findings are discussed in terms of implications for future research. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Epidemiology of extrapulmonary tuberculosis among persons with AIDS in the United States

We compared the antihypertensive efficacy of once-daily amlodipine (AM) versus nitrendipine (NTR) by 24-h ambulatory blood pressure monitoring (24-h ABPM) in 32 patients with mild to moderate essential hypertension (EH). After a 2-week single-blind, placebo run-in period, patients were randomized in a double-blind, parallel fashion: 14 received AM 5 mg and 18 NTR 10 mg. After 2 weeks, dose was adjusted if necessary (AM 10 mg or NTR 20 mg) and continued for another 6-week period. At the end of the placebo period and during the last week of treatment, patients underwent 24-h ABPM. Initial office BP mean values were similar in both groups (169.8 +/- 14/102.5 +/- 6 vs. 167.1 +/- 14/98.7 +/- 5 mm Hg, respectively, p = NS). A comparable decrease in office mean values of systolic BP (SBP, -22.3 +/- 13 vs. -19.1 +/- 16 mm Hg) and diastolic BP (DBP, -12.0 +/- 5 vs. -8.1 +/- 8 mm Hg) was observed. Nevertheless, 24-h ABPM mean values differed significantly between patients treated with AM or NTR with regard to 24-h SBP (120.0 +/- 10 vs. 132.5 +/- 1 mm Hg, p = 0.01). Moreover, the average decrease in 24-h SBP (-19.3 +/- 6 vs. -5.2 +/- 11 mm Hg, p = 0.0036) and 24-h DBP (-10.7 +/- 4 vs. -3.7 +/- 6 mm Hg, p = 0.0047) was higher in the AM group, with no changes in 24-h heart rate (HR). At equivalent once-daily dosage, AM was more effective than NTR in decreasing BP assessed by 24-h ABPM.     

Dietary fats and lung cancer risk among women: the Missouri Women's Health Study (United States)

In a population-based case-control study of women in Missouri (United States), most of whom were smokers, we obtained information on adult diet to evaluate the effects of dietary fats in relation to lung cancer risk. All newly diagnosed, primary lung cancer cases among women 35 to 84 years of age reported to the Missouri Cancer Registry from 1 January 1993 to 31 January 1994 were invited to participate, as were population-based controls. The analysis focused on interviews obtained from 624 controls and 587 cases. In-person interviews were obtained from 99.0 percent of controls and 60.6 percent of cases. Age and energy-adjusted relative risks suggested a direct relation between risk of lung cancer and intake of dietary fats (e.g., total fat, saturated fat) and frequency of meat consumption. After adjusting for confounders, dietary fats were no longer associated with risk, but the adverse effect of frequent consumption of meat persisted. Risk was elevated about 90 percent (95 percent confidence interval = 1.2-3.0) among women in the highest quintile of red meat intake compared with those in the lowest quintile. Risk estimates associated with red meat consumption, however, were dependent on interview status; the effect was restricted to cases whose dietary information was provided by proxy. In summary, after adjusting for potential confounders and removing data obtained from proxy respondents, dietary fats and consumption of red meat were not associated with lung cancer risk among women in Missouri.     

HIV risk behaviors among inner-city African American women. The Community Housing AIDS Prevention Study Group

This study examined the prevalence and predictors of HIV risk behaviors among a sample of 875 low-income, African American women residents of inner-city housing developments. The women completed an anonymous questionnaire that revealed that one third of them were at high risk for HIV either because they had multiple partners or because of the high-risk behaviors of their regular partner. HIV risk was highest among women who accurately perceived themselves to be at increased HIV risk, reported weak behavioral intentions to reduce risk, and held stronger beliefs about psychosocial barriers to condom use. Women at high risk were also younger, reported higher rates of substance use, and indicated that their housing development lacked social cohesiveness. These findings suggest that HIV prevention efforts for this population should focus on strengthening women's risk reduction behavioral intentions and self-efficacy through skill development, overcoming psychosocial barriers to condom use, managing the risk related to substance use, and incorporating approaches that take into account the social, psychological, and relationship barriers to change among economically impoverished African American women.     

Ethnicity and body dissatisfaction among women in the United States: A meta-analysis.

The prevailing view in popular culture and the psychological literature is that White women have greater body dissatisfaction than women of color. In this meta-analysis, 6 main effect sizes were obtained for differences among Asian American, Black, Hispanic, and White women with a sample of 98 studies, yielding 222 effect sizes. The average d for the White-Black comparison was 0.29, indicating that White women are more dissatisfied, but the difference is small. All other comparisons were smaller, and many were close to zero. The findings directly challenge the belief that there are large differences in dissatisfaction between White and all non-White women and suggest that body dissatisfaction may not be the golden girl problem promoted in the literature. Implications for theory and treatment are discussed. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

秦州区外出务工人员以农村文化为载体的艾滋病健康干预活动效果评价

近年来,流动人口成为艾滋病病毒(HIV)感染的潜在危险[1.2].中国流动人口的主流是农村剩余劳动力进城务工,成为性病艾滋病在城乡间传播的桥梁人群[3].秦州区现有户籍人口约64万,外出务工人群14万.     

Age of initiating selected health-risk behaviors among high school students in the United States

The XYL1 and XYL2 genes from Pichia stipitis encoding xylose reductase (XR) and xylilitol dehydrogenase (XDH), respectively, were transformed into Saccharomyces cerevisiae. These two genes were placed in different directions under the control of the alcohol dehydrogenase I (ADHI) and phosphoglycerate kinase (PGK) promoters and inserted into the E. coli-yeast shuttle plasmid YEp24. Different recombinant S. cerevisiae strains were constructed with different specific activities of XR and XDH. The highest XR or XDH activities were obtained when the expressed gene was controlled by the PGK promoter and located downstream after the ADHI promoter-gene-terminator sequence. The XR/XDH ratio (ratio of specific enzyme activities of XR and XDH) in these recombinant S. cerevisiae strains varied from 17.5 to 0.06. In order to enhance xylose utilization, in the XYL1, XYL2 containing S. cerevisiae strains, the native TKL1 gene encoding transketolase and the TALI gene encoding transaldolase were also overexpressed, which showed considerably good growth on the xylose plate. Fermentation of the recombinant S. cerevisiae strains containing XYL1, XYL2, TKL1, and TAL1 were studied with mixtures of glucose and xylose. The strain with XR/XDH ratio of 0.06 consumed 3.25 g/L xylose and formed no xylitol and less glycerol and acetic acid, but more ethanol compared with the strains with a higher XR/XDH ratio.     

Depression and anxiety among Cambodian refugee women in France and the United States

This study reports on Cambodian refugee data related to signs symptomatic of depression and anxiety, the tendency to worry or ruminate over past events (a culture-bound syndrome called "Khoucherang"), and differences that might be influenced by social system and cultural practice. A sample consisting of 155 women of Cambodian national origin were interviewed in their homes in the USA and France. Answers to the research questions were collected by a focused interview to elicit demographic information, and the Hopkins Symptom Checklist (HSCL) in the Cambodian language to elicit depression and anxiety scores. Women residing in France (87%) were significantly more likely to show signs symptomatic of depression than women residing in the USA (65%). Women in the study reported about three times as much depression as the average American woman. Large numbers of women residing in both countries were symptomatic of anxiety (82% on average). Both groups experienced extreme symptoms of the culture-bound syndrome, "Khoucherang," and appeared to be strongly influenced by the different social systems of the two countries.     

Correlates of postmenopausal female hormone use among black women in the United States

BACKGROUND: A number of studies have reported associations between indoor biofuel air pollution in developing countries and chronic obstructive lung disease (COLD) in adults and acute lower respiratory infection (ALRI) in children. Most of these studies have used indirect measures of exposure and generally dealt inadequately with confounding. More reliable, quantified information about this presumed effect is an important pre-requisite for prevention, not least because of the technical, economic and cultural barriers to achieving substantial exposure reductions in the world's poorest households, where ambient pollution levels are typically between ten and a hundred times higher than recommended standards. This study was carried out as part of a programme of research designed to inform the development of intervention studies capable of providing quantified estimates of health benefits. METHODS: The association between respiratory symptoms and the use of open fires and chimney woodstoves ('planchas'), and the distribution of confounding factors, were examined in a cross-sectional study of 340 women aged 15-45 years, living in a poor rural area in the western highlands of Guatemala. RESULTS: The prevalence of reported cough and phlegm was significantly higher for three of six symptom measures among women using open fires. Although this finding is consistent with a number of other studies, none has systematically examined the extent to which strong associations with confounding variables in these settings limit the ability of observational studies to define the effect of indoor air pollution adequately. Very strong associations (P < 0.0001) were found between the type of fire and a number of household and socioeconomic factors including the arrangement of rooms, floor type, and possession of a radio and television. The spouse's economic activity type was also significantly associated (P < 0.05). Thus, while 82% of open fire users had dirt floors and only 18% cement or tile floors, the situation was reversed for plancha users, only 16% of whom had dirt floors. CONCLUSIONS: Confounding presents a substantial problem for observational studies of indoor air pollution and health, although there is a reasonable case for believing that the observed association is causal. Intervention studies are required for stronger evidence of this association, and more importantly, to determine the size of health benefit achievable through feasible exposure reductions.     

AIDS risk perception among women drug users in Hartford, CT

This paper reports the findings of a study of congruence between AIDS risk perception and risk behavior in a sample of outreach-recruited out-of-treatment injection and non-injection crack cocaine using women in Hartford, CT. While rates of drug- and sex-related AIDS risk were high in this sample, perception of risk was low among many of the respondents. Variation in risk perception reflects sociodemographic differences in the sample, with those women who were most socially isolated exhibiting the greatest incongruence between personal risk and risk perception. Women who have had contact with health or social service programs were the most likely to report reductions in risk behavior.     

Perceptions of risk for AIDS among women in drug treatment.

Factors associated with the self-perceived risk for AIDS were examined using data obtained from a cross-sectional survey of 155 current and former drug-using women in methadone maintenance. Results suggest that drug-involved women are realistic in their self-perceptions of AIDS risk with respect to iv drug-use behavior but underestimate their risk from sexual activity. Perceived risk was associated with current iv drug use, duration of sexual relationship, and partner's nonsupportiveness. Partner's serostatus or history of iv drug use was unrelated to risk perception, as were multiple partners, anal sex, prostitution, and the nonuse of condoms. Implications of these findings for designing interventions for drug-involved women are considered. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Reported changes in sexual behavior in response to AIDS in the United States

BACKGROUND: The AIDS epidemic has profoundly affected public health policy and everyday choices of individuals. Understanding the self-protective strategies adopted by the general population is crucial to designing appropriate and more effective primary AIDS prevention strategies. METHODS: A probability sample of the U.S. adult population in 1992, the National Health and Social Life Survey (n = 3,159), addressed detailed aspects of sexual behavior. How respondents changed their sexual behavior due to AIDS was recorded verbatim and categorized for analysis. RESULTS: Twenty-nine percent of U.S. adults reported some sexual behavior change, primarily, reducing numbers of partners (12%), using condoms more frequently (9%), selecting partners more carefully (7%), changing attitude toward sex (4%), and abstinence (3%). Individuals most at risk show the greatest propensity to change although the actual risk-reduction strategies and the meanings assigned to those strategies vary considerably. Strategies are not all compatible with each other nor equally likely to be adopted by individuals with different lifestyles. CONCLUSIONS: Self-protective strategies to avoid AIDS are widespread, but primary prevention efforts should be targeted to particular circumstances and the self-protective propensities of each individual.     

Acculturation and Pap smear screening practices among college-aged Vietnamese women in the United States

OBJECTIVE: To evaluate prognostic importance of p53, PCNA and vascularization alteration in patients with locally advanced cervical squamous cell carcinoma (SCC) after combination therapy with 13-cis-retinoic acid (13cRA) and interferon-alpha 2a (IFN-alpha 2a). METHODS: 13cRA and IFN-alpha 2a were administered to patients with locally advanced cervical SCC. Formalin fixed, paraffin embedded tissues sections obtained at pre- and post-therapy, respectively, were stained immunohistochemically with anti-p53, anti-PCNA and anti CD31. RESULTS: p53 alteration was demonstrated in 5/10 patients and 3/10 patients pre- and post-therapy, respectively. There was no correlation between p53 alteration and prognosis. After therapy, two patients with complete response had lower PCNA expression whereas the non-responders demonstrated the opposite result. The vascularization showed a correlation with PCNA and prognosis. In the response group, patients had lower microvessel count while the metastatic group exhibited higher count. CONCLUSIONS: The present study suggests that p53 alteration is neither related to the prognosis of cervical SCC nor is it influenced by the combination therapy while PCNA expression and vascularization might be constitute potential markers for tumorigenesis, prognosis and responsiveness to this novel regimen.     

Increased incidence of thyroid cancer among Norwegian women married to fishermen

The relationship between thyroid cancer in women and the occupation of their spouses was examined in a retrospective cohort study. Of the 2.9 million women registered in the Central Population Registry of Norway by the end of 1991, 1.2 million had a spouse registered with an occupation in one or more of the censuses of 1960, 1970 or 1980. These women were included in the study. Based on the first digit of their husbands' five-digit Nordic occupational code, the women were assigned to ten broad categories. A standardised incidence ratio (SIR) and 95% confidence interval were calculated for each occupational category. The women were further subdivided and analysed in 71 groups defined by the first two digits of their husband's occupational code. Among the women included in the study, a total of 2,409 cases of thyroid cancer were reported to the Cancer Registry of Norway during the period 1960-92. A significantly elevated risk of thyroid cancer was found only among women whose spouses belonged to the occupational category Agriculture, forestry or fishery (n = 208,279), with a SIR of 1.13. In the subgroup Fishing, whaling and sealing work (n = 40,839), the risk was even higher with a standardised incidence ratio of 1.91. Our data support the proposed relationship between increased risk of thyroid cancer and mode of living, more specifically dietary fish or other seafood.     

Forced sexual intercourse and associated health-risk behaviors among female college students in the United States.

This study analyzed data from the 1995 National College Health Risk Behavior Survey (NCHRBS) to assess the prevalence of lifetime rape among female college students and to examine the association between rape and health-risk behaviors. The NCHRBS used a mail questionnaire to assess health-risk behaviors among a nationally representative sample of undergraduate students. Twenty percent of female students reported ever having been forced to have sexual intercourse, most often during adolescence. When analyses controlled for demographic characteristics, female students who had ever been raped were significantly more likely than those who had not to report a wide range of health-risk behaviors. These results highlight a need to improve rape prevention and treatment programs for female adolescents. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Prevalence of multiple cardiovascular disease risk factors among women in the United States, 1992 and 1995: the Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System

We sought to examine the prevalence of self-reported multiple cardiovascular disease (CVD) risk factors (hypertension, high blood cholesterol, diabetes, overweight, and current smoking) among women in 1992 and 1995 in the United States using data from the Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System. In 1992, 37.5%, 34.4%, and 28.1% of women had zero, one, and two or more of the five risk factors, respectively. In 1995, the respective estimates were 35.5%, 34.3%, and 30%. In both years, the prevalence of two or more risk factors increased with age, decreased with educational level, was higher among black women (lowest among Hispanic women and women of other ethnic groups), and higher among women reporting cost as a barrier to healthcare. The percentage of women with two or more risk factors was higher in 1995 than in 1992 for 35 of 48 states, being statistically significant for 7 states. The percentage of women with at least two risk factors was not significantly lower in 1995 than in 1992 for any state. A higher percentage of women reported having multiple CVD risk factors in 1995 compared with 1992. A multifactorial approach to primary prevention and risk factor reduction should be encouraged to help reduce the prevalence and burden of CVD among women.     

Characteristics of women surgeons in the United States

The P3 event-related brain potential (ERP) is a positive-going voltage change of scalp-recorded electroencephalographic activity that occurs between 300-500 ms after stimulus onset. It is elicited when a stimulus is perceived, memory operations are engaged, and attentional resources are allocated toward its processing. Because this ERP component reflects fundamental cognitive processing, it has found wide utility as an assessment of human mental function in basic and clinical studies. In particular, P3 attributes are heritable and have demonstrated considerable promise as a means to identify individuals at genetic risk for alcoholism. We have conducted a quantitative linkage analysis on a large sample from families with a high density of affected individuals. The analyses suggest that several regions of the human genome contain genetic loci related to the generation of the P3 component of the ERP, which are possible candidate loci underlying the functional organization of human neuroelectric activity.