Search PubMedSearch

Biomedical subjects

D R Jacobs

Publications and source records attributed to D R Jacobs.

5 recordsLinked to original sources

Diet and serum cholesterol: do zero correlations negate the relationship?

The confounding that results from the uncontrolled conditions under which most epidemiologic observations are made is sufficient to undermine their validity with respect to investigation of the relationship between diet and serum cholesterol. In this paper, the authors show, using both a mathematical model and referring to empirical data, that if certain variances are sufficiently great, even when there is cause and effect, correlation coefficients close to zero would be expected from the actual data of a cross-sectional study. Cross-sectional designs are therefore not suitable for studying this relationship.

Cholesterol

Assessment of behavioral risk for coronary disease by voice characteristics.

Behavior characterization is increasingly used and studied in the pathogenesis and management of coronary disease. A specific behavior pattern called Type A has been found to be independently associated with fatal and nonfatal coronary disease. The assessment of Type A is made without quantitative guidelines based on verbal and nonverbal behaviors in a standardized interview. This study has attempted to make this classification solely on the basis of quantifiable verbal behaviors. Two naive persons were trained to code speech behaviors from tape recorded behavior pattern interviews on which Type A had previously been assessed. Intercoder and intracoder reliability was acceptable. Using regression analysis 87% of the interviews were classified in agreement with the previous, standard assessment. Volume of voice and speed of speech were found to make the greatest predictive contribution. Other verbal characteristics including plosiveness were also important. It is concluded that Type A can be validly and repeatably measured by verbal behaviors in the standardized interview.

Aggression