Is commercial alcohol availability related to adolescent alcohol sources and alcohol use? Findings from a multi-level study.

PURPOSE: To examine whether compliance with underage sales laws by licensed retail establishments is related to underage use of commercial and social alcohol sources, perceived ease of obtaining alcohol, and alcohol use. METHODS: In 2005, alcohol purchase surveys were conducted at 403 off-premise licensed retail establishments in 43 Oregon school districts. A survey also was administered to 3,332 11th graders in the districts. Multi-level logistic regression analyses were used to examine relationships between the school district-level alcohol sales rate and students' use of commercial and social alcohol sources, perceived ease of obtaining alcohol, past-30-day alcohol use, and heavy drinking. RESULTS: The school district-level alcohol sales rate was positively related to students' use of commercial alcohol sources and perceived alcohol availability, but was not directly associated with use of social alcohol sources and drinking behaviors. Additional analyses indicated stronger associations between drinking behaviors and use of social alcohol sources relative to other predictors. These analyses also provided support for an indirect association between the school district-level alcohol sales rate and alcohol use behaviors. CONCLUSIONS: Compliance with underage alcohol sales laws by licensed retail establishments may affect underage alcohol use indirectly, through its effect on underage use of commercial alcohol sources and perceived ease of obtaining alcohol. However, use of social alcohol sources is more strongly related to underage drinking than use of commercial alcohol sources and perceived ease of obtaining alcohol.     

The Association Between Therapeutic Horseback Riding and the Social Communication and Sensory Reactions of Children with Autism

This study investigated the association between therapeutic riding (TR) and the social communication and sensory processing skills of 21 elementary students with autism attending TR as part of a school group. An interrupted treatment design was employed to determine whether children were able to maintain treatment effects following the removal of TR. Teacher ratings indicated that participating children with autism significantly increased their social interaction, improved their sensory processing, and decreased the severity of symptoms associated with autism spectrum disorders following TR. Gains were not maintained consistently after two 6-week breaks from TR, but were recovered once TR was reinstated. Potential explanations regarding the benefits of TR are discussed, and suggestions for future research provided.     

Moderate alcohol use and depression in young adults: findings from a national longitudinal study

OBJECTIVES: We examined the association between moderate alcohol use and depressive mood among young adults before and after adjustment for demographic, health, and socioeconomic factors that may act as confounders. METHODS: We analyzed 2 waves of interview data collected from 13892 young adults who participated in the National Longitudinal Study of Adolescent Health to compare frequency of depressive symptoms in moderate drinkers with frequency of symptoms in young adults in other alcohol use categories. RESULTS: With adjustment for health and socioeconomic factors, frequency of depressive symptoms were similar among moderate drinkers, lifetime and long-term abstainers, and heavy/heavier moderate drinkers but remained significantly higher among heavy drinkers. CONCLUSIONS: Moderate alcohol use may have no effect on depression in young adults relative to abstinence from alcohol use.     

Reliability and validity of useful field of view test scores as administered by personal computer

The Useful Field of View test (UFOV(1)) is a measure of processing speed that predicts driving performance and other functional abilities in older adults. In comparison to a number of other visual and cognitive measures, the UFOV measure has consistently been found to be the strongest predictor of motor vehicle crashes of older adults. This measure has valuable applications in that computerized, performance-based measures that are predictive of crashes in the elderly population can provide an objective criterion for determining the need for driver restriction or rehabilitation. Administration of the UFOV test has evolved from the standard version (administered via touch-screen with the Visual Attention Analyzer) to two briefer versions, which are administered on a personal desktop computer (PC) using either a touch screen or mouse response option. These new versions of the test are briefer and require less specialized equipment, making the test more portable and practical for use in clinical settings. This study examined the reliability and validity of the scores from these two new versions. Results indicate that test-retest reliabilities of the scores from the UFOV PC versions are high (r's= 0 .884 for mouse and 0.735 for touch), and performance on both PC versions correlates well with performance on the standard version (r's = 0.658 for mouse and 0.746 for touch). Furthermore, scores were highly correlated (r = 0.916) when participants used either a touch screen or a mouse to input responses. In conclusion, the reliability and validity coefficients are of sufficient magnitude to make the touch and mouse PC versions of the UFOV practical for use in clinical evaluations.     

Direct and total effectiveness of the intranasal, live-attenuated, trivalent cold-adapted influenza virus vaccine against the 2000-2001 influenza A(H1N1) and B epidemic in healthy children

BACKGROUND: The efficacy of the intranasal, live-attenuated, trivalent cold-adapted influenza virus vaccine (CAIV-T) against influenza A(H3N2) and B infections in healthy persons is established, but its effectiveness against natural influenza A(H1N1) infection is unknown. OBJECTIVE: To assess the effectiveness of CAIV-T in healthy children during the 2000-2001 influenza A(H1N1) and B epidemic. DESIGN: Community-based, nonrandomized, open-label trial from August 1998 through April 2001. SETTING: Intervention and comparison communities in central Texas. PARTICIPANTS: Healthy children, aged 1.5 to 18 years, from the intervention communities received a single dose of CAIV-T at least 1 time or more in 1998, 1999, and/or 2000. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: The incidence of medically attended acute respiratory illnesses during the 2000-2001 influenza epidemic was compared in 3794 health plan CAIV-T recipients with age-eligible, health plan nonrecipients in the intervention communities for direct effectiveness (n = 9325), and with those in the 2 comparison communities for total effectiveness (n = 16,264). RESULTS: The 2281 CAIV-T recipients in 2000 had significant direct protection against medically attended acute respiratory illness of 18% to 20% during the biphasic influenza A(H1N1) and B epidemic, and 17% to 26% during influenza A(H1N1) predominance. The 931 recipients of CAIV-T in 1999 containing influenza A/Beijing/262/95(H1N1) and B/Beijing/184/93-like viruses had persistent heterovariant protection against the 2000-2001 influenza A/New Caledonia/20/99(H1N1) and B/Sichuan/379/99 variants. The 616 recipients of a single CAIV-T dose in 1999 only, including those younger than 5 years with no prior natural exposure to influenza A(H1N1) viruses, showed persistent protection. CONCLUSION: Healthy children who received CAIV-T in 2000 or 1999 were protected against new variants of influenza A(H1N1) and B in the 2000-2001 influenza epidemic.     

Does heavy drinking affect academic performance in college? Findings from a prospective study of high achievers

OBJECTIVE: This study examined the effects of heavy drinking, alcohol-related problems and drinking opportunities on academic performance (grade point average [GPA]) in a prospective cohort of college students attending the University of California at Berkeley. METHOD: Several waves of survey data were collected from 465 students beginning in the summer prior to their freshman year. Cross-sectional and regression analyses were conducted to determine whether heavy alcohol use, alcohol-related problems and drinking opportunities were associated with college GPA before and after controlling for demographics and high school GPA. RESULTS: Cross-sectional analyses generally revealed modest and nonsignificant associations between college GPA and measures of heavy alcohol use, alcohol-related problems and drinking opportunities in the first year of college. High school GPA was modestly associated with both heavy alcohol use and college GPA. Only a summative measure of alcohol-related academic problems was significantly associated with college GPA, but this relationship did not persist in a regression model that included high school GPA and student demographic characteristics as control variables. CONCLUSIONS: Heavy alcohol use, alcohol-related problems and drinking opportunities do not appear to have an important effect on students' academic performance, but additional research with longitudinal data from representative student samples is needed to confirm these findings.     

Malt liquor use, heavy/problem drinking and other problem behaviors in a sample of community college students

OBJECTIVE: This study examined the prevalence of malt liquor use and its relationship with heavy or problem drinking, other substance use and other problem behaviors in a sample of 1,029 (58% female) students attending a community college in California. METHOD: Data were collected using anonymous surveys that were administered during daytime classes. Bivariate analyses were conducted to examine relationships between malt liquor use and demographic characteristics, heavy/problem drinking and other types of substance use and problem behaviors. Logistic regression analyses also were conducted to determine whether malt liquor use was predictive of problem drinking, drug use and other problem behavior after adjusting for background variables. RESULTS: Malt liquor use was most prevalent among male, white and Latino students. Compared with nonmalt liquor drinkers, malt liquor drinkers consumed significantly more alcohol, engaged in heavy drinking more often and experienced intoxication more often. Malt liquor drinkers scored significantly higher on the Alcohol Use Disorders Identification Test than nonmalt liquor drinkers. Malt liquor drinkers were more likely than nonmalt liquor drinkers and abstainers to report use of cigarettes, marijuana and illicit drugs and to exhibit problem behaviors. Malt liquor use was predictive of problem drinking, drug use and other problem behavior after adjusting for demographics and alcohol use in regression analyses. CONCLUSIONS: The findings of this study suggest that malt liquor use is associated with heavy and problem drinking, other drug use and behavioral problems among community college students.     

Alcohol Outlet Characteristics and Alcohol Sales to Youth: Results of Alcohol Purchase Surveys in 45 Oregon Communities

Reducing youth access to commercial sources of alcohol is recognized as a necessary component of a comprehensive strategy to reduce underage drinking and alcohol-related problems. However, research on policy-relevant factors that may influence the commercial availability of alcohol to youth is limited. The present study examines characteristics of off-premise alcohol outlets that may affect alcohol sales to youth. Random alcohol purchase surveys (N = 385) were conducted in 45 Oregon communities in 2005. Underage-looking decoys who were 21 years old but did not carry IDs were able to purchase alcohol at 34% of the outlets approached. Purchase rates were highest at convenience (38%) and grocery (36%) stores but were relatively low (14%) at other types of outlets (e.g., liquor and drug stores). Alcohol purchases were less likely at stores that were participating in the Oregon Liquor Control Commission’s Responsible Vendor Program (RVP), when salesclerks asked the decoys for their IDs, and at stores with a posted underage alcohol sale warning sign. Alcohol purchases were also inversely related to the number of salesclerks present in a store, but were not related to salesclerks’ age and gender. Findings of this study suggest that more frequent compliance checks by law enforcement agents should target convenience and grocery stores, and owners of off-premise outlets should require training of all salesclerks to ensure reliable checks of young-looking patron IDs, and should post underage alcohol sales warning signs in clear view of patrons.