The 'natural' body, God and contraceptive use in the southeastern United States

Data collected among African-American and Caucasian women and men in the southeastern USA indicate that participants' perceptions of nature, God's will and the human body influence reproductive health and decision-making. Attitudes about the health care system, pharmaceutical companies and government programmes for fertility regulation reinforce these views and may negatively affect willingness to use contraceptive methods consistently and correctly.     

Symptomatology and etiology of multiple chemical sensitivities in the southeastern United States

A questionnaire was administered to individuals who had reported a hypersensitivity to common chemical products in an earlier epidemiological study in the Atlanta, Georgia, metropolitan area. The questionnaire investigated the nature of the symptoms and factors that potentially initiated hypersensitivity and subsequently triggered reactions. Also examined were associated lifestyle modifications and the relationships of hypersensitivity with other illnesses. The authors found that a majority of hypersensitive individuals (52.2%) experienced either "severe" or "somewhat severe" symptoms. The most common triggers of symptoms were cleaning products (88.4%), tobacco smoke (82.6%), perfume (81.2%), pesticides (81.2%), and car exhaust (72.5%). Only 1.4% of the subjects had a prior history of emotional problems, whereas 37.7% developed such problems after the emergence of their hypersensitivity. Lifestyle modifications varied; 76.8% changed their household cleaning/personal hygiene products, 47.8% began using water and/or air filtration systems, and 13% found it necessary to change residence. Although hypersensitivity was more common in females than males, the condition affects individuals in all categories of race/ethnicity, age, household income, and educational level.     

Ecological condition of the estuaries of the Atlantic and Gulf Coasts of the United States

Monitoring the estuaries of the Atlantic and Gulf of Mexico coastlines of the United States from Cape Cod, Massachusetts, to Brownsville, Texas, was performed annually from 1990 through 1997 to assess ecological conditions on a regional basis for four biogeographic provinces. These province estimates--Virginian, Carolinian, West Indian, and Louisianian Provinces--are combined to provide an assessment of 87% of the estuarine area of the United States and 96% of the area of the Atlantic and Gulf coasts. Combining information over the six years of monitoring showed 34 +/- 4% of the Atlantic and Gulf estuarine sediments displayed poorer than expected biological conditions, based on benthic and finfish community conditions, and 21 +/- 4% of the area was characterized by low water clarity, the presence of marine debris/noxious odors, or elevated fish tissue contaminants.     

Bartonella spp. in feral pigs, southeastern United States

In conjunction with efforts to assess pathogen exposure in feral pigs from the southeastern United States, we amplified Bartonella henselae, B. koehlerae, and B. vinsonii subsp. berkhoffii from blood samples. Feral pigs may represent a zoonotic risk for hunters or butchers and pose a potential threat to domesticated livestock.     

Barriers to occupational and environmental medicine services in the southeastern United States

OBJECTIVES: We sought to determine whether low-income and minority populations in the Southeast face barriers to access to occupational and environmental medicine (OEM) services. METHODS: Access to OEM services was defined as the presence of an OEM physician in a county or the proximity of a clinic in the Association of Occupational and Environmental Clinics network to a county. RESULTS: Counties with higher percentages of low-income, all non-white minority, and African-American populations in South Carolina, Georgia, Alabama, and Mississippi were more likely to be farther away from an AOEC clinic. Counties with higher percentages of low-income populations were less likely to have an OEM physician. However, the percentages of minority and African-American populations in these counties were not associated with the presence of an OEM physician. CONCLUSION: Both low-income and minority populations in the Southeast face barriers to OEM services.     

Prevalence of multiple chemical sensitivities: a population-based study in the southeastern United States

We examined the prevalence of multiple chemical sensitivities (MCS), a hypersensitivity to common chemical substances. We used a randomly selected sample of 1582 respondents from the Atlanta, Ga, standard metropolitan statistical area. We found that 12.6% of our sample reported the hypersensitivity and that, while the hypersensitivity is more common in women, it is experienced by both men and women of a variety of ages and educational levels. Our prevalence for MCS is similar to that (15.9%) found by the California Department of Health Services in California and suggests that the national prevalence may be similar.     

The effects of detoxification of domestic gas on suicide in the United States.

As domestic gas was detoxified in the United States, the rate of suicide by domestic gas decreased. During this time period (1950-60), there was a parallel increase in the per capita ownership of cars and an accompanying increase in the rate of suicide by motor vehicle exhaust. However, displacement of suicide method from domestic gas to car exhaust occurred only for males and not for females.     

Socioeconomic effects on child mortality in the United States.

Despite considerable reason for scholarly and policy interest in socioeconomic mortality differentials, socioeconomic effects on child and teenage mortality in the United States have been a neglected research topic because of several data limitations. Exploiting data obtained for other purposes, this paper reports socioeconomic effects on the mortality of children and teenagers. Socioeconomic mortality differentials among children are large--at least as large as those among adults. The major source of socioeconomic mortality differences among children is apparently differential risk to accidental death. Within the child population, the strength of socioeconomic effects varies directly with the relative importance of accidents as a component of overall mortality.     

The effect of tax subsidies on high health care expenditure burdens in the United States

Previous analyses of families with high health care expenditure burdens have ignored the potentially mitigating effects of tax subsidies. This analysis uses data from the Medical Expenditure Panel Survey (MEPS) to fill this gap. A range of health expenditure burden measures are computed, with and without tax subsidies, showing the impact that tax subsidies have on both the prevalence and magnitude of high health care spending burdens among the nonelderly.     

The effects of intimate partner violence on health in young adulthood in the United States

This paper uses data on a national sample of adolescents from the United States followed through the transition into young adulthood to examine the association between intimate partner violence (IPV) and health outcomes, including depressive symptoms, self reported health status, and health care utilization. Researchers have shown an important IPV-health link in a number of settings but have often been limited by using cross-sectional data, convenience samples, and the inability to control for important risk factors and confounders. The findings from this study suggests that these limitations likely inflate the estimated link between IPV and health by as much as 60% but also show that IPV has important health impacts on a number of outcomes. The results also show no differential impact of IPV by gender or previous exposure to child abuse. The health effects of IPV are also typically larger for current exposure than previous exposure, but each exposure type is shown to reduce health.     

The United States:

Examines the need for uniform national policy for the provision of long-term care (LTC) services at an affordable price with access for all in need; points up the relationship between LTC issues and acute care policy; outlines seven basic principles for a comprehensive LTC system; lists problems to be solved and proposes alternative solutions for issues of chronicity, access, and cost control; and urges long-range comprehensive policy reform for health care delivery and financing.     

Perceived HIV-related sexual risks and prevention practices of African American women in the southeastern United States

African American women in the southeastern United States constitute the fastest growing segment of those infected with the human immunodeficiency virus (HIV). Little data exist about the relationships between HIV infection risks and preventive practices. In this article, we describe a focus group investigation of how HIV-related sexual risks are perceived by 19 heterosexual African American women, ages 18 to 44. Data were analyzed and interpreted using content analysis, where key ideas, words, and phrases were grouped based on their relation to the purpose of the study. Four themes were revealed: "a man will be a man," inconsistent and/or no condom use, safe relationships, and racism and discrimination. Perceived safety within relationships mediated both perceptions of HIV-related risks and sexual practices. In light of beliefs about the riskiness of sex with high-risk partners, fear of HIV, and the importance of self love in minimizing HIV infection risks, the women continued to practice unsafe sexual behaviors. Results indicate that women perceive themselves as victims in society and that this perception limits their propensity to take action to protect themselves from HIV. Successful HIV infection prevention interventions need to address negative social and economic factors that define the context of many women's lives.     

The effects of maternity leave on children's birth and infant health outcomes in the United States

This paper evaluates the impacts of unpaid maternity leave provisions of the 1993 Family and Medical Leave Act (FMLA) on children's birth and infant health outcomes in the United States. My identification strategy uses variation in pre-FMLA maternity leave policies across states and variation in which firms are covered by FMLA provisions. Using Vital Statistics data and difference-in-difference-in-difference methodology, I find that maternity leave led to small increases in birth weight, decreases in the likelihood of a premature birth, and substantial decreases in infant mortality for children of college-educated and married mothers, who were most able to take advantage of unpaid leave. My results are robust to the inclusion of numerous controls for maternal, child, and county characteristics, state, year, and month fixed effects, and state-year interactions, as well as across several different specifications.     

Potential effects of Rift Valley fever in the United States

Rift Valley fever virus (RVFV) has been the cause of disease outbreaks throughout Africa and the Arabian Peninsula, and the infection often results in heavy economic costs through loss of livestock. If RVFV, which is common to select agent lists of the US Department of Health and Human Services and the US Department of Agriculture, entered the United States, either by accidental or purposeful means, the effects could be substantial. A group of subject matter experts met in December 2009 to discuss potential implications of an introduction of RVF to the United States and review current modeling capabilities. This workshop followed a similar meeting held in April 2007. This report summarizes the 2 workshop proceedings. Discussions primarily highlighted gaps in current economic and epidemiologic RVF models as well as gaps in the overall epidemiology of the virus.     

Tornado-related fatalities--five states, southeastern United States, April 25-28, 2011

During April 25-28, 2011, a massive storm system generated 351 tornadoes (including 15 registering 4 or 5 on the Enhanced Fujita [EF] scale*), killing 338 persons in Alabama, Arkansas, Georgia, Mississippi, and Tennessee. This was the third-deadliest tornado event in the United States, surpassing an April 1974 event that resulted in 315 fatalities. This event also was historic because of the record number of fatalities that occurred despite modern advances in tornado forecasting, advanced warning times, and media coverage. Risk factors for death and injury from tornadoes are sheltering in mobile homes, proximity to an EF-4 or EF-5 tornado, being an older adult (aged ≥65 years), lack of accessibility to safe rooms (e.g., basements or reinforced shelters), and a night-time tornado impact. To describe the fatalities by demographic characteristics, type of shelter used, cause of death, and tornado severity and location, CDC reviewed data from the American Red Cross (Red Cross), death certificates, and the National Weather Service (NWS). This report summarizes the results of that review. Among the 338 decedents, median age was 55.0 years (range: 4 days-97 years); approximately one third were older adults. On tornado impact, 46.7% of decedents were in single-family homes, and 26.6% were in mobile homes. The leading cause of death was traumatic injury, including 21.9% with head injuries. Half of the deadly tornadoes were rated EF-4 or EF-5 and were responsible for 89.5% of the deaths. To prevent tornado-related deaths, health messaging should encourage the public (especially older adults and residents of mobile/manufactured homes) to pre-identify an accessible safe room, prepare the room with personal protection items (e.g., blankets and helmets), and monitor local weather.