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Biomedical subjects

C A Molgaard

Publications and source records attributed to C A Molgaard.

At least 37 records · Page 2Linked to original sources
PubMed1990

Methodological issues concerning the sensitive query in AIDS/alcohol research: sample size estimates for randomized response procedures.

Quantification of sample size requirements for two common models of the RRT as compared to conventional survey techniques demonstrates that Campbell is fundamentally correct. However, the absolute increase in sample size necessitated by either model of the RRT is not of such a magnitude as to make use of the method always impractical. Where the appropriate sample size exists, it may well be the method of choice for selected issues pertaining to AIDS and alcohol research.

Acquired Immunodeficiency Syndrome↗
PubMed1990

A discriminant analysis of severe alcohol consumption among older persons.

A cross-sectional study among older persons (N = 1034) utilized multivariate stepwise discriminate analysis to determine the predictive value of variables affecting alcohol intake. Fifteen per cent of our study sample was classified as severe drinkers. Alcohol consumption before age 40, smoking, male gender and marital status were predictors of severe drinking. In addition, the unimpaired Older Americans Resource and Services (OARS) objective summary ratings for physical status and activities of daily living (ADL) were associated with severe drinking. Assessing the factors that predict alcohol consumption may help to identify initially those persons at possible risk, lending to heuristic and theoretical alcohol prevention policies among the aged.

Activities of Daily Living↗
PubMed1989

Prevention of tobacco use among adolescents in public schools in San Diego County, U.S.A.

Project S.H.O.U.T. (which stands for "Students Helping Others Understand Tobacco") is a tobacco-use prevention project funded by the United States National Cancer Institute for preventing the use of cigarettes and smokeless tobacco (snuff and chewing tobacco) in public schools in San Diego County, California. Based on principles of behavior modification, Project S.H.O.U.T. teaches students how to anticipate and overcome negative peer pressure to use tobacco and reinforces them for having done so. Preliminary results indicate that the prevalence of tobacco use among students receiving peer pressure resistance skills training was somewhat but not statistically significantly lower than the control group after one year of intervention. In addition, students in a third lottery condition, who were reinforced for simply not using tobacco, showed lower prevalence rates compared to controls. Additional support for the efficacy of the intervention program was provided by the refusal skills assessment test, which indicated that students exposed to the intervention were able to refuse tobacco offers more effectively than the control students. Our results indicate that tobacco use prevention experts should do more than provide decision-making and behavioral skills for resisting tobacco use, but should also reinforce the non-use of tobacco.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1989

Recruiting survey respondents to mailed surveys: controlled trials of incentives and prompts.

Three controlled experiments tested the efficacy of 1) a postcard or telephone prompt, 2) a lottery, 3) monetary incentives, and 4) questionnaire length to recruit adult survey respondents to a random sample of residences in San Diego, California, during 1986-1988. In experiment 1, the group randomly assigned to receive a telephone call prenotification plus the lottery incentive responded 26-66% more frequently than did controls (p = 0.02) after a single mailing. The postcard plus lottery was 17-54% more effective than no intervention with controls (p = 0.05). A second mailing of the survey weakened these effects. In experiment 2, the group randomly assigned to receive a two-page survey with the lottery announcement responded 69% more frequently after one mailing (p = 0.03) and 53% more frequently after a second mailing (p = 0.04) than the group that received an eight-page survey without the lottery incentive. The shorter form alone or the lottery alone did not increase response rates significantly relative to the long form without a lottery. In experiment 3, a monetary incentive of $5.00 contingent on response to the second mailing of the survey increased the rate of response from initial "nonresponders" by 100% relative to control who received no incentive (p = 0.03) and 75% over those who received $1.00 not contingent on response (p = 0.04). Little sampling bias and no reactivity was attributable to the recruitment procedures.

Adult↗
PubMed1989

Occupational low-back injury in a hospital employee population: an epidemiologic analysis of multiple risk factors of a high-risk occupational group.

A case-control study was carried out using 84 cases of employee back injuries and 168 controls (matched triplets) at Children's Hospital and Health Center, San Diego. The objective was to examine the impact of multiple individual and work-related risk factors for low-back injury from hospital employee health records. Hospital workers include occupational groups historically regarded as being at high risk, particularly nurses and others involved in patient care. In terms of traditional risk factors, significant associations were found for history of low-back pain or "slipped disc" by self-report and for history of previous back injury. Working the day shift also was significant (odds ratio [OR] = 2.23, P less than 0.005). Marital status (single) approached significance (OR = 1.65, confidence interval [CI] = 0.091, 2.99), as did low body weight (OR = 1.47, Cl 0.70, 3.10). No significant association was found between cigarette smoking and low-back injury. Possible work site health promotion interventions to lower the risk of low-back injury in this population are suggested.

Adult↗
PubMed1989

Neuroepidemiology of human T-lymphotrophic virus type-I-associated tropical spastic paraparesis.

Tropical spastic paraparesis (TSP) is a chronic neurological syndrome of gradual onset involving the pyramidal tracts and upper motor neurons, resulting in weakness and stiffness of the lower extremities, hyperactive tendon reflexes, spasticity, low back pain, and urinary disturbances. Clusters of endemic TSP have been noted in Africa, the Seychelles Islands, Colombia, and the Caribbean. Recently, studies have linked human T-lymphotrophic virus type-I (HTLV-I) with the endemic form of the disease. In Japan a very similar clinical syndrome has been identified as HTLV-I-associated myelopathy and may be a non-tropical version of the same disease. The purpose of the present review is to examine the role HTLV-I may play in the pathogenesis of these myelopathies from a neuroepidemiological point of view.

Adult↗
PubMed1989

Generic tobacco use among four ethnic groups in a school age population.

The prevalence of overall or "generic" tobacco use among Hispanic, white, Black and Asian youths in grades four, seven, ten and twelve was compared in San Diego, California (n = 4980). Significant differences in generic tobacco use between ethnic groups were found in the 4th, 10th and 12th grades, but were greatest in the 10th grade. Only white youths demonstrated a sharp increase in regular tobacco use (once a month or more) between 7th and 10th grade. Overall, the prevalence of regular use was highest among whites (25.8%), followed by Hispanics (19.7%), Blacks (17.6%) and Asians (12.6%). Marijuana, alcohol, and other drug use explained approximately 40 percent of the variance in tobacco use in each ethnic group. Other predictors varied by ethnicity and included socioeconomic status, happiness of student, strictness of parent, adult tobacco use at home, accessibility to marijuana, and gender.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1989

Maternal alcoholism and anorexia nervosa: a possible association?

The use of modern epidemiological and biostatistical methods has been lacking in the research literature on anorexia nervosa. The present study utilized a retrospective case control design in which 40 cases of anorexia nervosa were matched to two separate control series, one being population based and one being clinic based. Odds ratio of 4.00 (p less than 0.006) and 7.67 (p less than 0.001) were obtained for family history of alcoholism and family history of psychological disorders, respectively, among the families of anorexia nervosa cases. The implications of this result for treatment planning and implementation are discussed.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1989

The social epidemiology of smoking during pregnancy among Mexican women.

The association between maternal tobacco smoke exposure and hazards to reproduction has been investigated since the turn of the century. Numerous studies have demonstrated an increased risk to the developing fetus as a result of maternal smoking. This risk continues to manifest itself postnatally into childhood. The present study examined both risk factors for and consequences of smoking behavior among a sample of 50 pregnant women consecutively admitted to the obstetrics ward of the Tijuana General Hospital, Tijuana, Mexico. A questionnaire completed postpartum examined social, cultural, and economic variables for the mother, and physical variables of the newborn. Twenty-one subjects were smokers and 29 were nonsmokers. The number of previous pregnancies per subject was significantly higher in the group of smoking mothers. Overall, 86.2% of the nonsmoking mothers had three or fewer pregnancies versus 52.4% of the smoking mothers (p less than or equal to 0.005). It was also noted that the smoking subjects tended to be light smokers (90% reported smoking ten or fewer cigarettes a day, with an average of 4.27 years of smoking history). No difference in knowledge of the harmful effects of smoking during pregnancy was observed between the two groups; however, the proportion of subjects whose mothers and siblings also smoked was significantly higher (p less than or equal to 0.005 and p less than or equal to 0.01, respectively) in the smoking groups. The results are discussed in terms of antismoking prevention and health promotion programs for the developing world.

Adult↗
PubMed1988

Benefits of a back care and light duty health promotion program in a hospital setting.

Back injuries are a common and expensive problem in industry in terms of both direct and indirect costs. A dramatic increase in the costs of workers' compensation for work-related back injuries occurred from 1981-1985 in a hospital setting. During this five-year period, costs of back injuries rose from $36,384 to $272,751, a 750% increase, and the incidence per thousand employees rose from 21 in 1981 to 33 in 1985. A back care education program was instituted by the Physical Therapy Department and Employee Health Service for all departments within the hospital, with content tailored to individual job requirements. Because employees who have had one back injury are at risk for reinjury, an "at risk" program was also developed. For those injured employees without time off work and without need for medical care, a private session with a physical therapist is required to assess musculoskeletal problems and to review posture and body mechanics directly related to specific job tasks. Those employees unable to work in their usual positions are assigned to temporary modified jobs as part of the Light Duty Program. In 1986, following the institution of these two programs in the hospital, the cost of back injuries dramatically decreased to $72,296, a $200,000 drop, and the incidence per thousand employees fell to fifteen. The efficacy of this health promotion intervention program was confirmed both in the cost benefit to the hospital as well as in reduction in incidence of low back injury.

Back Pain↗
PubMed1988

Assessing alcoholism as a risk factor for acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS).

Acquired Immunodeficiency Syndrome (AIDS) is characterized by a range of risk factors that determine susceptibility to HIV and the clinical expression of the disease. These include sexual practices, intravenous drug use, and blood exchange. Appropriate preventive measures have been formulated for these risk factors. This paper reviews alcohol abuse as a prominent feature of the homosexual experience, and suggests that it may merit consideration as a risk factor in relation to AIDS. The presumably high prevalence of alcohol abuse among homosexuals and the damaging effects of alcohol on the immune system are discussed as a basis for linking alcoholism, homosexuality, and AIDS. The implications of the potentiating effects of alcohol misuse as the human immunodeficiency virus infiltrates the heterosexual population are presented in terms of high risk populations and the need for additional preventive measures.

Acquired Immunodeficiency Syndrome↗
PubMed1988

Predictors of chewing tobacco and cigarette use in a multiethnic public school population.

Smoking and tobacco-chewing habits of sixth and seventh graders were investigated. Four hundred thirty-three white, black, Mexican-American, and Oriental students in San Diego public schools self-reported their tobacco use as well as perceptions of use among their peers and friends, parental socio-economic status, and other variables. One-third of the respondents had used some form of tobacco at least once, with cigarette smoking more common than chewing. Norm perceptions and best friend's habits predicted both smoking and chewing experimentation and prevalence. White males were more frequent "chewers," while blacks and Mexican-Americans were more frequent smokers. Significant associations between the two types of tobacco use were also found.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1987

Procuring incentives for community health promotion programs.

Many community health promotion programs have used incentives to encourage participation and to reward health behavior change. To minimize expenses and to enhance a sense of shared responsibility, a number of projects have turned to community merchants as a source of incentives. This study investigated the relative effectiveness of solicitation methods used to procure incentives from local merchants for community health promotion programs. The effect of setting, i.e. level of urban development, and type of business were also analyzed in terms of procurement rates. Two hundred and eighteen merchants were solicited to gain incentives for two programs. Twenty-four incentives were procured at a total value of $480. Telemarketing and face-to-face contact had similar procurement rates, restaurants were by far the type of business most likely to donate, and rural merchants provided incentives significantly more often than urban merchants, while developing urban area merchants' donation rates were midway in between. Telemarketing was the solicitation method clearly most cost effective.

California↗
PubMed1987

Multivariate analysis of Hachinski's Scale for discriminating senile dementia of the Alzheimer's Type from multiinfarct dementia.

The need for an accurate clinical scale to aid in the diagnosis of senile dementia of the Alzheimer's type (SDAT) is clear in terms of both patient care and research. The ischemic scale of Hachinski, which differentiates multiinfarct dementia from primary degenerative dementia, has been criticized as lacking in validity. This study is a cluster by case analysis of the data from Hachinski's original report. The multivariate analysis provides support for those clinicopathologic studies that have found Hachinski's ischemic score of value.

Alzheimer Disease↗
PubMed1987

Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis and history of skeletal fracture: a case-control study.

A retrospective case-control study was conducted, using 66 amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) patients and 66 closely matched controls. Cases were ascertained primarily through a neurology clinic. A self-administered questionnaire probed for history of skeletal fractures. Using McNemar's test, no association was found between history of skeletal fracture and pathogenesis of ALS. No predilection for the head, neck, or spine was demonstrated. The extremities accounted for most fracture sites in cases and controls. Among cases, 68% of the fractures occurred before diagnosis, 58% occurring more than 10 years before diagnosis of ALS.

Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis↗
PubMed1986

Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis and occupational heavy metal exposure: a case-control study.

A retrospective case-control study of occupational heavy metal exposure was conducted using 66 amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) patients and 66 age- and sex-matched controls. Cases were ascertained primarily through a neurology support and research clinic. The self-administered questionnaire probed potential exposure to nine heavy metals: aluminum, lead, lead alkyl, magnesium, manganese, mercury, mercury alkyl, nickel and selenium. Using McNemar's test and a Mantel Haenszel extended analysis, no association was found between heavy metal exposure and the pathogenesis of ALS in this patient population. Demographic factors, fracture history, immunizations, travel and other variables were similar in ALS patients and controls.

Adult↗
PubMed1986

The association between cerebrovascular disease and smoking: a case-control study.

A retrospective case-control study was carried out to examine the relationship between cigarette smoking and cerebrovascular disease occurrence. Cases were obtained from the University of California-American Heart Association, San Diego Stroke Data Bank, and controls from selected Veterans Administration and University of California, San Diego, outpatient departments. When cigarette smoking was dichotomously coded into categories of low and high lifetime exposure, consistent significant positive associations were found with cerebrovascular disease occurrence in both bivariate and multivariate analysis when controlling for blood pressure. These associations, however, were not found when smoking was categorized as smoker, ex-smoker, and non-smoker. No association was found between passive smoking and cerebrovascular disease. The results indicate that a cumulative lifetime exposure to active cigarette smoking is directly associated with cerebrovascular disease.

Blood Pressure↗