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Biomedical subjects

J W Welte

Publications and source records attributed to J W Welte.

54 records · Page 3Linked to original sources
PubMed1986

Publication trends in fetal alcohol, tobacco and narcotic effects.

The rate of increase in publications dealing with pregnancy and three types of drugs--alcohol, tobacco and narcotics--was compared for the years 1973-1983 using Medline as literature source. The absolute number of publications for each of the three drug types per year was obtained and was used to calculate the percentage of articles for that type. The absolute number of articles on alcohol and on alcohol and pregnancy increased faster than the comparable absolute rates for the other two. The percentage of articles on pregnancy and alcohol, relative to all articles on alcohol, increased at a faster rate than that for narcotics, but not for tobacco articles.

Ethanol↗
PubMed1986

Homicide and race in Erie County, New York.

Medical examiner records of homicides in Erie County, New York, in 1972-1984 were analyzed, comparing homicides of whites with homicides of blacks. Black victims were younger than white victims, had more alcohol in their blood, and were less often killed with bare hands. The killer of a black victim was more likely to be female and less likely to have killed in connection with another crime. This is interpreted to mean that a higher proportion of black homicides arose from personal disputes.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1986

Patterns and predictors of alcohol use among 7-12th grade students in New York State.

A survey was conducted to determine prevalence and patterns in the use of alcohol and other substances among 7-12th grade students in New York State. Of this representative sample of 27,335 secondary school students, 71% are drinkers and 13% are heavy drinkers, i.e., they drink at least once a week and typically consume 5 or more drinks per occasion. White and American Indian students have higher rates of drinking and of heavy drinking than do Hispanic, Black, West Indian and Oriental students. The rates of drinking in New York State are higher than those reported in recent national surveys of adolescents. The heavy drinking student can be characterized by frequent school misconduct, first becoming drunk at an early age, having a greater number of friends who get drunk weekly, parental approval of drinking, poor grades in school, being an older adolescent, and being male and White.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1985

Alcohol use and trait anxiety in the general population.

The relationship between alcohol consumption and trait anxiety in a large sample representative of the U.S. general population was examined. Sex, age and ethnicity were used as control variables. It was found that men consumed more alcohol than women, and that this difference was largest for Catholic ethnic groups. For most groups of respondents, there was little or no relationship between trait anxiety and alcohol consumption. Among young and middle-aged males from Catholic ethnic groups, however, those with more anxious personalities drank more.

Adult↗
PubMed1982

The relationship between alcohol use and other drug use among New York State college students.

A questionnaire dealing with alcohol and drug use was administered to a representative sample of 7723 New York State undergraduate students. Those students who were heavy drinkers were also more likely to use tobacco, marijuana, and other drugs. Factor analysis revealed patterns of use of four distinct types of drugs: "party" drugs, medical sedatives, inhalants, and psychedelic drugs. Users of party drugs were typically male, white and American-born. Sedative users were typically female, white and older students. Inhalant users were typically male, while psychedelic drug users tended to be white Americans of either sex.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1982

Variation in alcoholism treatment orientation: differential impact upon specific subpopulations.

Treatment programs across the State of New York were studied to determine the differential impact of treatment orientations upon various types of alcoholism clients. 1340 patients from 17 alcoholism treatment programs were treated and followed up 3 and 8 months after treatment. The majority of the clients were categorized as either Behaviorally Impaired Drinkers (n = 205) or Alcoholics (n = 814). Each of the treatment programs were classified according to either Peer Group, Rehabilitation Professional, or Medical Orientations. Three different outcome measures were examined: abstinence, amount of alcohol consumed at follow-up, and improvement (life and drinking) at follow-up. The generalizable conclusions were that females had significantly better outcome (78% abstinent) when treated according to a medical orientation. Male Behaviorally Impaired Drinkers had better outcomes when treated in Rehabilitation Professional Orientation (74% abstinent) and male alcoholics had the best outcome in Peer Group (60% abstinent), although male alcoholics achieved similar abstinence rates in Medical (59.5%) and Rehabilitation (55%) orientations.

Alcohol Drinking↗
PubMed1980

Estimation of alcohol consumption from the health and nutrition examination survey.

The National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey of 1971-1973 (HANES) includes four general questions on alcohol intake, whereas historically surveys of drinking have employed detailed questions on the quantity and frequency of drinking wine, beer, and liquor, with and without a measure of variability (QF/QFV); methods have been developed to express both QF and QFV in terms of absolute alcohol intake per day (AA). In order to compare the HANES data on alcohol consumption with data based on these more well-established measures, it is necessary to develop a measure of AA based on the HANES questions, HANESAA, that is comparable to AA based on the QFV questions (AAQFV). In constructing HANESAA, a subset of data from a Western New York State Survey of drinking which employed the QFV questions was used to estimate the responses to the HANES questions which might have been made if these questions had been asked in the same survey. Alcohol intake calculated from this "HANES subset" of data, AAHANES, was found to correlate highly with AAQFV based on the full set of QFV questions (r = .93). Regressions of AAQFV on AAHANES were done to develop equations, the parameters of which were then used to predict HANESAA from the HANES data set. HANES data on drinking, expressed in terms of HANESAA, are compared with data from surveys conducted by Harris in 1972-1974 using QF measures of AA.

Adolescent↗
PubMedDate not supplied

Regional variations in the consumption of alcohol in the U.S.A.

Data was analyzed from 13 214 cases of the Health and Nutrition Examination Survey, a large survey of the U.S. general population conducted in 1971 - 1973. Regional differences in alcohol consumption were shown, with the South having the largest portion of abstainers (51.1%) and the Northeast the largest portion of heavy drinkers (17.3%). A log-linear model was used to search for explanatory variables. It was found that when urbanization, ancestry and education are held constant, the regional differences disappear.

Alcohol Drinking↗
PubMedDate not supplied

Identification of alcoholism in young adults by blood chemistries.

A stepwise linear discriminant analysis was conducted between young adult alcoholics in an alcoholism treatment center and non-alcoholic college students. Analysis of 31 commonly ordered clinical laboratory tests yielded three significant variables (urea nitrogen, potassium and MCV) which correctly classify 89% of alcoholics and 92% of non-alcoholics.

Adolescent↗
PubMedDate not supplied

Co-occurrence of alcohol and cigarette use among adolescents.

Concurrent use of alcohol and cigarettes among adolescents is a serious public health issue. Trends in concurrent use of alcohol and cigarettes were determined using data from three comparable large statewide samples of 7-12th-grade students in New York State, from surveys conducted in 1983, 1990, and 1994. The prevalence of use of alcohol and cigarettes decreased from 1983 (23%) to 1990 (19%), and increased by 1994 (22%). Logistic regression analysis showed that these trends are highly significant, and that the probability of use of alcohol and cigarettes is higher for females than males, increases with age, and is lower for most ethnic minorities than for Whites. In the 1990s, Blacks, Hispanics, and Asians increased in their probability of concurrent use more than did Whites. Users of both alcohol and cigarettes are at increased risk of personal and social problems, as well as increased risk of delinquency. Drinking and smoking show synergistic effects on illicit drug use and drug problems.

Adolescent↗
PubMedDate not supplied

Gambling and alcohol use among youth: influences of demographic, socialization, and individual factors.

Gambling and alcohol use are both prevalent among youth and these behaviors may have common predictors within four domains: sociodemographic, individual/psychological, socialization (parental and peer), and other problem behavior. Data were from two household samples of youth in the Buffalo, NY area. Both studies included the same measures of alcohol consumption and gambling frequency, and comparable measures of variables in the four domains. Multivariate analyses of variance revealed that impulsivity, moral disengagement, and delinquency (adolescent or peer delinquency) predicted alcohol consumption and gambling in both studies, even after controlling for demographic factors. Parental monitoring, cigarette use, and illicit drug use predicted alcohol consumption in both studies, but did not predict gambling once the demographic and individual factors were taken into account.

Adolescent↗
PubMedDate not supplied

Factors affecting the discriminant function analysis of blood chemistry profiles.

The discriminant function analysis (DFA) of a battery of blood chemistry tests is generally more sensitive and specific than single biochemical test in detecting alcoholism or hazardous drinking. This study examined factors affecting the DFA of blood chemistry profiles (BCP) from alcoholics (ALC) in treatment, primary care outpatients (PC), and the general population (GP). Our data indicate that of the 32 variables in the BCP, 14 are not correlated with alcohol intake or consequences and can be deleted from the set considered for use in the DFA. Confounding medical conditions in the data set used in the DFA did not adversely affect the correct classification of ALC or heavy drinkers. It was not necessary to use only extreme groups (e.g., alcoholics vs. light drinkers/abstainers) to develop the discriminant function. Transformation of some blood variables greatly improved the selection of key variables in the DFA. Another finding was that there was little benefit from fitting the DFA to the demographics of subjects. When the BCP was combined with the results of a brief questionnaire, the TWEAK, it only improved slightly the classification power of the DFA based only on the TWEAK questions.

Adolescent↗
PubMedDate not supplied

The role of alcohol in suicides in Erie County, NY, 1972-84.

A discriminant analysis of the 806 suicide victims in Erie County, NY, from 1972-84, compared those with alcohol in the blood to those without. Thirty-three percent of the victims had alcohol in their blood. Those with blood alcohol present were more likely to demonstrate such characteristics as being male, leaving no note, being found in a vehicle, having no prior attempt, using a gun, killing themselves in the evening or at night, and not being under psychiatric treatment. The results are interpreted to mean that alcohol is a contributory cause of impulsive suicides. Suicides related to long-standing conditions, such as chronic depression or physical illness, which are less spontaneous and more predictable, are less likely to involve alcohol. The alcohol-related suicide is more likely to be impulsive. Alcohol-involved suicides reflect general drinking patterns, with men drinking more than women, and most drinking being done in the evening.

Adult↗
PubMedDate not supplied

Alcohol consumption and systolic blood pressure in the general population.

Survey data was analyzed to examine the relationship between alcohol consumption and systolic blood pressure (SBP) in the general population. Among older people, SBP is higher for heavier drinkers. Among females, SBP is slightly lower for the light drinkers than for abstainers.. These effects are measured with obesity, race, and menopause, use of birth control pills, smoking, and anxiousness held constant. The reasons for these effects are not clear.

Adult↗