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Biomedical subjects

C W Runyan

Publications and source records attributed to C W Runyan.

50 records · Page 3Linked to original sources
PubMed1991

Analysis of US child care safety regulations.

BACKGROUND: With 1.9 million US children cared for in organized group child care, the safety of these children is a public health concern. In the absence of federal policy, each state has developed its own day care safety regulations. METHODS: After creating a set of 36 criteria from three sets of national guidelines, we assessed the safety regulations of 45 states. With a mailed survey of state day care regulatory personnel, we examined the processes of formulating and implementing safety policy in 47 states. RESULTS: For 24 of the 36 items, more than half the states' regulations were below the criteria or failed to mention the topic. Most notable is the inattention to playground safety, choking hazards, and firearms. CONCLUSION: The uneven quality of regulations may be a reflection of a regulatory process that is fragmented, with many different groups sharing authority and with limited involvement of injury prevention specialists.

Child Day Care Centers↗
PubMed1988

Occupational motor vehicle injury morbidity among municipal employees.

Injury related to motor vehicle use among Baltimore City employees was examined throughout a 34-month period. Among an average of 30,000 municipal employees; representing 7% of the total Baltimore work force, almost 2% of all city employees were injured by motor vehicles each year. Twelve percent of all injuries and 16% of the injury costs were attributable to motor vehicles. In the police department, 43% of all costs were vehicle-related. Compared with other departments, the rate of motor vehicle-related injury was more than 4 times as high in the department of public works and twice as high in the police and fire departments. Injuries related to police cars and department of public works trucks occurred at an annual rate of more than 14 per 100 vehicles. Detailed review of injuries that occurred in 1984 suggests the need for greater seat belt use, built-in crash protection, and designs to reduce falls from trucks.

Accidents, Traffic↗
PubMed1985

Seat belt use laws: the influence of data on public opinion.

Motor vehicle crashes are a major public health problem. Mandatory seat belt use laws capable of lessening the highway death and injury toll have recently received a great deal of public attention. Public opinions toward such laws were assessed in a representative sample of 410 North Carolina drivers. In our experimental design, subjects were randomly assigned to receive one of six types of data expressing the effectiveness of the proposed mandatory and the current voluntary policies. A comparison group received no data. Exposure to data about the effectiveness of the proposed seat belt law was strongly predictive of policy preferences, though the specific type of data did not appear to have an influence. Additional characteristics predictive of policy preferences included attitudes toward other government regulations, beliefs about the effectiveness of seat belts, and personal seat belt use. The findings suggest that health educators need to continue to provide the public with data about potential safety regulations. Furthermore, health educators, to be more effective, should target information toward certain critical beliefs such as those about the relative effectiveness of a particular policy.

Humans↗
PubMed1985

Childhood injuries in North Carolina: a statewide analysis of hospitalizations and deaths.

We report the nature and causes of childhood injuries leading to hospitalization or death in North Carolina. Based on an 89 per cent sample of 1980 hospital discharges of children between 0 and 19 years of age, the overall annual rate of trauma-related hospitalizations was 80 per 10,000. The rate varied from 119 per 10,000 for the 15-19 year age group to 56 per 10,000 for children between ages 5 and 9. Hospitalization rates are lower than those reported elsewhere, although death rates, based on a seven-year period, are higher in the data reported here. Potential reasons for these differences are suggested.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1985

Epidemiologic evidence and motor vehicle policy making.

After being randomly assigned to receive policy effectiveness information expressed as attributable benefit, attributable risk, or relative risk, 318 graduate students were asked to indicate their preferences for the current voluntary seat belt use policy, a mandatory seat belt policy, or mandatory passive restraints. A control group received no data. Exposure to effectiveness information (any type) was significantly associated with favoring either mandatory seat belts or passive restraints over the current policy. Those exposed to attributable benefit or risk data were more apt to make proregulatory choices than subjects exposed to relative risk data. Attitudes toward government regulation and specific views about personal freedom and policy effectiveness were also found to be significant predictors of policy preference.

Accidents, Traffic↗
PubMed1984

A community health education approach to occupant protection.

The goal of enhancing motor vehicle occupant protection is vital to the public's health. Controversies about passive versus active protection and voluntary versus mandatory measures continue. A program which employed a combination of positive reinforcements (incentives) and wide-scale community education succeeded in raising the community seat belt usage rate from 24 to 41% in 6 months. This rate was sustained at 36% at six-month follow-up. This article reviews the major features of the "Seat Belts Pay Off" campaign and its evaluation and considers both theoretical and pragmatic issues pertinent to replicating the program in other community settings.

Adult↗
PubMed1983

Type A behavior: an ecological approach.

The recognized association between Type A behavior and coronary heart disease has prompted efforts to alter the behavior's deleterious components in both individuals who have experienced myocardial infarction and those who are at risk for that disease. Utilizing concepts from psychology, sociology, history, and other disciplines and material from scholarly and popular literature, this paper suggests that instead of singularly concentrating on components at the level of the individual, it is important to view Type A behavior from an ecological perspective, with attention directed at the interpersonal, institutional, and cultural environments of individuals. This perspective will enhance understanding of Type A behavior and possibly stimulate interventions at the primary as well as secondary and tertiary prevention levels.

Achievement↗
PubMed1983

Accidental policy: an analysis of the problem of unintended injuries of childhood.

The problem of childhood injury is examined from an ecological, public health perspective, and a range of preventive and ameliorative strategies is considered. Three policy evaluation criteria--efficiency, freedom of choice, and equity--are discussed. A framework is proposed, and examples given, to assist professionals concerned with mental health and with child health and development in critically analyzing policy options.

Accident Prevention↗
PubMedDate not supplied

Helmet use among competitive cyclists.

The United States Cycling Federation (USCF) decision in 1986 to mandate helmet use in all sponsored races marked a major initiative in cycling safety. Confirming earlier reports about the effectiveness of helmets in preventing injuries, this study also examines the attitudes of 554 USCF members toward the policy and about helmet use in both racing and nonracing situations. Although 64% of the racers reported some hardshell helmet use in training before the policy, 80% used helmets in training after the ruling. Most cyclists favored the USCF policy, although only 19% favored requiring helmet use in all cycling situations. Attitudes about helmet policy and actual use by racers were inconsistent; large percentages of those opposing mandatory helmet use in racing (51%) and in training (76%) used helmets themselves. We suggest possibilities for incremental expansion of helmet use requirements for all riders.

Adolescent↗
PubMedDate not supplied

Parental responses to a child bicycle helmet ordinance.

Head injury associated with bicycle-related crashes is experienced disproportionately by children under age 20. Helmets are effective, but usage of helmets by children is minimal. This descriptive study, conducted in a small academic community with an ordinance requiring helmet use by children under 16, examined the views of parents and guardians about a bicycle helmet law and reports of helmet use in their families. Telephone interviews were conducted with a random sample of parents/guardians of third-, fourth-, and fifth-grade children (n = 142, 73% response rate). Sixty-five percent of those surveyed were aware of the ordinance. The vast majority (90%) agreed that bicycle helmet laws are "a good idea." Since the community helmet law was implemented, reported child helmet use increased, most notably among children who had never worn a helmet before the ordinance. Seventy percent of children who had never worn a helmet wore one most or all of the time since the ordinance. The ordinance also appears to have prompted parents to make helmet use rules for their children. Before the ordinance, families with rules reported helmet use by 79% of youths at least most of the time. This figure increased to 86% in families with rules after the ordinance was implemented. Even among the families without rules, helmet use increased from 7% before the ordinance to 60% after the law was enacted, indicating that both the ordinance and family rules are influential.

Adolescent↗