Health service use in Russian immigrant and nonimmigrant older persons

Health service use was compared in Russian immigrant (n=105) and White nonimmigrant (n=101) older persons. Study participants completed a health utilization questionnaire, the Short-Form-36 Health Survey, and a health behavior diary. Controlling for health status and demographic variables, Russians reported significantly more service use, fewer physical access problems, and lower appointment availability, but nonimmigrants reported significantly more provider problems. Significant predictors of service use for the total sample included symptom self-care, health status, and age. In group-specific analyses, health status and age were significant for both groups and education was also significant for Russians.     

Alcohol and tobacco use among rural Mexican adolescents: individual, familial, and community level factors

PURPOSE: We investigated the contributions of individual, family, and community-level factors for explaining alcohol use and smoking among rural Mexican adolescents. METHODS: As part of a national survey, 3922 adolescents and their mothers from 333 poor, rural communities in seven Mexican states provided cross-sectional data on family-level, socioeconomic, and psychosocial factors, and individual-level data on substance use and psychological symptoms. Community standard of living was also assessed. RESULTS: Generalized linear models adjusted for sampling design indicated that adolescents' use of alcohol was associated with being male, older, employment, and having a mother who used alcohol. Being from an indigenous family living in a majority-indigenous community was associated with less alcohol use. Family income, family size, and community standard of living were not directly associated with adolescents' alcohol use. Current smoking was associated with being male, older, and more anxious, having a mother who smoked, and having a mother with higher educational attainment. Further analyses indicated patterns in which adolescents' alcohol use was moderated by gender and ethnicity. CONCLUSIONS: Beyond the contribution of male gender and age as risk factors, maternal substance use uniquely explained variability in alcohol and cigarette use among Mexican adolescents from rural communities. Indigenous ethnicity and living in majority-indigenous community settings appeared to confer protective benefits with respect to alcohol. These findings extend prior research in Mexico and in other countries that identify the combined importance of developmental contexts and individual-level factors for adolescent health.     

河南省初中生烟草流行现状

了解河南省初中生吸烟现状,为相关部门制定青少年控烟措施提供参考.方法 采用多阶段分层整群随机抽样方法,在河南省城乡16个监测点抽取共48所初中学校7 789名学生.结果 河南省青少年尝试吸烟率为23.8%,随年龄增长而升高(x2 =69.296,P<0.01),男生(37.8%)高于女生(8.7%) (x2=99.078,P<0.01),农村(24.8%)高于城市(18.6%) (x2 =5.863,P=0.016);现在吸烟率为7.5%,随年龄升高而升高(x2=29.403,P<0.01),男生(13.3%)高于女生(11.2%)(x2 =89.912,P<0.02),农村(8.0%)高于城市(14.7%)(x2=5.137,P=0.023).初中生家中、室内公共场所和室外公共场所二手烟暴露率分别43.0%,56.9%和57.0%,均为男生高于女生(x2值分别为17.296,70.136,47.682,P值均<0.01).88.5%的现在吸烟者未因年龄小买烟被拒绝,男生(90.0%)高于女生(57.5%)(x2=5.980,P=0.015).过去30 d里39.9%的学生在烟草销售点看到过烟草广告,且仅有29.6%的学生认为一旦吸烟就很难戒断.结论 河南省青少年尝试吸烟率和现在吸烟率较高,二手烟暴露严重,烟草获得途经容易,烟草广告暴露率高,应尽早开展积极有效的控烟干预措施.     

Tobacco use among American Indian adolescents: protective and risk factors

Purpose: To determine the prevalence of, and identify protective and risk factors for, current tobacco use among American Indian adolescents.

Methods: Data from the Voices of Indian Teens Project were used to determine the prevalence of cigarette and smokeless tobacco (ST) use among a sample of 2390 American Indian adolescents, aged 13 to 20 years. Approximately 49% of the sample were female. Data were collected in Fall 1993 among participants from 10 high schools located in five western American Indian communities. The instrument consisted of scales that assessed psychosocial beliefs, attitudes, and behaviors as well as tobacco use. Logistic regression was used to identify protective and risk factors for tobacco use. A replication subsample was used to test the final models.

Results: Approximately 50% of American Indian adolescents in this sample reported some type of cigarette use, and approximately 21% reported using smokeless tobacco. Academic orientation was the only protective factor for cigarette use that replicated in both subsamples. Death/loss and other stressful life events were the risk factors for cigarette and/or ST use that replicated in both subsamples.

Conclusions: The prevalence of tobacco use was high in this sample of American Indian adolescents. Several risk and protective factors were identified, the knowledge of which may inform preventive interventions in this population.     

Tobacco use among Iranian men, women and adolescents

The aim of this study was to evaluate the self-reported and serum cotinine based prevalence rates of smoking among Iranian men, women and adolescents. The study was carried out on 2626 men and women aged 19 years and above and 836 high school students aged 14-18 years, randomly selected from different clusters and schools in Isfahan. The WHO smoking standard questionnaire was completed for all samples and serum cotinine level was measured using high-performance liquid chromatography in 10% and 20% of the original adult and adolescent samples, respectively. The prevalence of self-reported smoking among Iranian men and women aged 19 years and above was 18.7% and 1.3%, respectively, compared to 21.2% and 6.7% based on serum cotinine level. Nearly 10.6% and 14.6% of claimed nonsmoker girls and boys were classified as current smokers by serum cotinine level. More than 80% of male smokers started the habit before the age of 20 years and the effect of smoker friends was the most important factor for smoking initiation among smokers. Using self-reported prevalence data for smoking among women or adolescents in special populations like Iranians can give invalid measurements, therefore, data based on biochemical tests are suggested.     

Aggression and fighting behavior among African-American adolescents: individual and family factors.

OBJECTIVES. This study examined the extent to which individual and family factors are associated with aggression and fighting behavior among African-American middle school adolescents. METHODS. Four hundred thirty-six African-American boys and girls from two middle schools in a predominantly low-income North Carolina school system were surveyed and their school records examined. Information was collected concerning students' aggression levels, school fighting behavior, school suspensions for fighting, attitudes toward violence, perceptions of their families' attitudes toward violence, weapon-carrying behavior, and sociodemographics. Multivariate analyses were employed to predict the students' aggression levels, fighting behavior, and school suspensions. RESULTS. Factors related to the individual adolescents, such as gender, age, weapon-carrying behavior, and attitudes toward violence, were associated with students' reports of aggression and fighting behavior. Factors related to family and school were associated with school suspension for fighting. CONCLUSIONS. This study suggests that violence prevention programs set in our elementary and middle schools may reduce aggression and fighting among our youth. School teachers and public health practitioners are encouraged to work together in understanding and preventing adolescent violence.     

An exploration of family influences on smoking among ethnically diverse adolescents.

In an attempt to better understand mechanisms through which families might influence adolescent smoking, focus group data collected as part of a larger study of ethnic and gender differences in teen smoking were analyzed for family-related themes. Across six sites, 132 focus groups were conducted with African American, American Indian, Hispanic, Asian/Pacific Islander, and White youth. Similarities across race/ethnicity were evident in the content of antismoking messages and the feeling among youth that they would get in trouble with their parents if caught smoking. African American and Asian/Pacific Islander youth appeared more concerned about their parents thinking less of them if they smoked than were youth from other racial/ethnic groups. White and American Indian youth were more likely to discuss that their parents felt it was their own decision as to whether or not to smoke than were the other groups.     

家庭氛围与父母受教育程度对青少年抑郁影响

目的探讨父母受教育程度对中小学生抑郁水平的影响。方法于2011年4—7月采用分层随机抽样法,在北京、上海、浙江等10个省、自治区、直辖市的85个区县抽取年龄在10~17岁的中小学生70 628人,采用流调中心用抑郁量表(CES-D)和自编问卷(教育部基础教育一司"中小学生积极心理品质调查研究"学生问卷)进行调查。结果有效调查47 863人,中小学生抑郁症状得分为(14.64±10.08)分;男生抑郁总得分高于女生(P<0.001),小学生抑郁总得分最低(P<0.001);中小学生总抑郁检出率为11.64%(5 570/47 863),小学生、初中生、高中生抑郁检出率分别为9.24%、13.52%和13.26%,男生和女生抑郁检出率分别为12.42%和10.96%;家庭氛围在父、母受教育程度与中小学生抑郁水平的关系中起着部分中介作用(t父=–11.984 2,t母=–11.126 9,均P<0.001)。结论父母受教育程度不仅直接影响中小学生抑郁水平,还通过家庭氛围间接影响中小学生抑郁水平,良好的家庭氛围有助于减少青少年抑郁的发生。     

Tobacco use cessation for adolescents

Adolescent tobacco users are unique. Thus far, effective interventions for adult tobacco users have been disappointing when applied to adolescents. This article reviews current evidence regarding adolescent tobacco use cessation interventions, explores under-researched areas in tobacco use cessation for adolescents, and offers assistance with treating adolescent tobacco users across the spectrum of use. A means of assessment and treatment of the adolescent smoker is proposed, and cases are included to assist the practitioner with treatment of the experimental tobacco user, the "adolescent-type" intermittent user, and the daily "adult-type" of adolescent tobacco user.     

深圳市外来劳务工风疹病毒抗体水平调查

目的 了解广东省深圳市外来劳务工中风疹病毒抗体水平,为制定风疹防控策略提供依据。方法 采用分层随机抽样调查方法,对深圳市外来务工人员1 003人进行问卷调查并采集血液样本,采用酶联免疫吸附法(ELISA)检测血清中风疹IgG抗体。结果 深圳市外来劳务工风疹病毒抗体(IgG)阳性率为75.37%;其中20~40岁女性阳性率为76.1%,低于其他年龄组女性的87.3%,差异有统计学意义(χ²=4.470,P=0.034);来自不同省份的劳务工抗体阳性率差异有统计学意义(χ²=16.7067,P=0.006)。结论 深圳市外来劳务工年轻群体和育龄妇女群体的风疹病毒抗体(IgG)阳性率较高,应加强外来劳务工中育龄妇女的风疹监测和疫苗接种。     

Associations of family environment and individual factors with tobacco, alcohol and illicit drug use in adolescents

Despite abundant literature the respective roles of psychosomatic status, personality, health perception, family environment, and sport activity in tobacco, alcohol and illicit drug use have not been well known. To assess their roles, an epidemiological cross-sectional study was conducted in 3294 middle and high school adolescents, 2396 (73%) of whom agreed to participate. The standardized questionnaire was filled out by the teenagers under the supervision of the teachers. Strong associations were found between tobacco, alcohol, and illicit drug use. The prevalence of alcohol use and illicit drug use were respectively 7 and 10 times higher in smokers than in non-smokers. On the whole, the potential risk factors for tobacco, alcohol, and illicit drug use were age, psychosomatic status and psychotropic drug consumption, boring family atmosphere, not living with both father and mother, and health perception. Mother being a housewife was a protective factor. No marked role was noted for the head of family's socio-occupational category. Personality would be indicators of self-control ability. Indeed, some self-reported personalities (serious, attentive, calm, organized) had protection roles whereas some others (easily irritable, aggressive, worried, clumsy, careless, solitary, etc.) were risk factors (risk-taking or deviant behaviors). Some sports activities were found to be negatively related, but some others related positively with drug use, possibly due to repetitive meetings between the adolescents at risk. Preventive measures may be targeted at these risk factors.     

Psychological distress among adolescents, and its relationship to individual, family and area characteristics in East London

This paper identifies factors associated with variation in psychosocial distress among adolescents in a relatively deprived and ethnically diverse inner city setting in London, UK. The research draws on literature which discusses whether neighbourhood socio-economic conditions are associated with mental health, as well as attributes of individual adolescents and their families. We report an analysis of data from the Research with East London Adolescents: Community Health Survey (RELACHS). The survey collected data on mental health measured by the Strengths and Difficulties Questionnaire (SDQ), and on various aspects of individual and family circumstances. These data were linked with information about social and economic conditions in 'middle layer standard output areas' (MSOA) used for the population Census 2001, having a mean total population of 6767 in the study area. Census statistics including the Indices of Deprivation for 2004 proposed by the Office of the Deputy Prime Minister, were used to describe the socio-economic conditions within these areas. Although the socio-economic disparities among small areas were not typical of those across the whole of the country, there were differences in levels of deprivation and crime, social fragmentation, and ethnic composition. A Bayesian regression analysis using Gibbs sampling in the programme WinBugs investigated whether there was variability in SDQ at both individual and area (MSOA) level, and whether the predictor variables at both levels were significantly associated with SDQ. Individuals from Asian or Black ethnic groups, and those in families with harmonious relationships and no financial stress had significantly lower SDQ scores, i.e. better health. Those who had special educational needs or long standing illness, or were from reconstituted families had significantly worse SDQ scores. About 6% of the variation in SDQ was associated with area differences. However, this area variation was not related to differences in area indicators of socio-economic deprivation, crime or social fragmentation. There was a complex association between SDQ and ethnic composition of neighbourhoods.     

Acculturative and neighborhood influences on subjective social status among Spanish-speaking Latino immigrant smokers

Subjective social status (SSS) reflects an individual's perception of her/his relative position in the social hierarchy. However, little is known about culturally-relevant, multilevel predictors of low SSS among low socioeconomic status (SES), minority populations. The goal of this study was to identify individual- and neighborhood-level variables predicting SSS among 297 Spanish-speaking Latino immigrant smokers living in several locations in Texas, with an emphasis on the association of SSS with acculturative and socioeconomic variables. Participants were recruited and enrolled through the National Cancer Institute's Cancer Information Service from August 2002 to March 2004. Determinants of SSS were explored using a series of linear regressions. In analyses adjusting for demographics (including objective indicators of SES), speaking Spanish at home and work and living in economically disadvantaged neighborhoods, respectively, were associated with low SSS. However, in analyses including demographics, acculturation, and neighborhood characteristics, only income, education, and acculturation remained associated with SSS. Consistent with results from a previous study in the area (Franzini & Fernandez-Esquer, 2006), less acculturation predicted low SSS among immigrant Latino smokers. However, unlike previous research, these associations were maintained after controlling for SES. Results suggest that the density of less acculturated Latinos within economically deprived neighborhoods might account for the disappearance of neighborhood effects in the final model.