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Biomedical subjects

R Hingson

Publications and source records attributed to R Hingson.

At least 55 records · Page 3Linked to original sources
PubMed1981

Maternal alcohol consumption and newborn assessment: methodology of the Boston City Hospital prospective study.

This paper describes the methods of the Maternal Health and Child Development of Project at the Boston City Hospital which explored the impact of maternal drinking prior to and during pregnancy on fetal development. Between February 1977 and October 1979, of 3222 women who delivered single infants, 1690 were interviewed in hospital after delivery and their babies examined by a pediatrician who was unaware of the interview results. The 1690 mother-infant pairs of whom both interview and exam are available did not systematically differ from the 272 for whom the interview only or 824 for whom the exam only was conducted. Interviews were also collected prenatally in the Boston City Hospital's Women's Clinic, from 470 women whose infants were examined. Maternal and infant characteristics are described. Heavy drinkers were much more likely to smoke cigarettes and to have used psychoactive drugs than lighter drinkers. Heavy drinkers also differed from non-heavy drinkers on several other factors which may influence fetal development.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1977

Impact of the "Rand report" on alcoholics, treatment personnel and Boston residents.

Interviews with patients and staff at six alcoholism treatment centers, respondents in a random telephone sample, and a sample of homeless men considereded to need alcoholism treatment revealed little change in treatment program goals, no increase in patients seeking treatment, and few changes in drinking attributable to the "Rand report."

Adult↗
PubMedDate not supplied

The social epidemiology of alcohol use by urban older adults.

A sample survey of 928 Bostonians, aged sixty years or older, indicates that there are low levels of alcohol consumption: more than half report that they are abstainers; 6 percent indicate that they have two or more drinks daily. Levels of abstinence are particularly high among women, blacks, Jews, widows and widowers, the foreign-born, those with low levels of formal education, and those aged seventy-five years or older. Among social psychological variables, locus of control is most consistently associated with drinking: those who report little influence upon their futures--in terms of work, marriage, income, and leisure activities--are more likely to abstain. There is also an association with optimisim; those who are least optimistic about their prospects for work and leisure activities are most likely to abstain. Analysis of variance shows that gender, education, ethnicity, religion, age, and locus of control regarding work are independent correlates of alcohol use. The data suggest that older people drink mainly in social contexts and to facilitate social interaction.

Age Factors↗
PubMedDate not supplied

Evidence for cohort or generational differences in the drinking behavior of older adults.

Data from a survey of 928 older Bostonians show that there is a negative correlation between age and alcohol consumption among older adults: i.e., "old-old" people- those who are seventy-five years old or older-are more likely to abstain and less likely to drink in any quantity than the "younger-old"-those age sixty-seventy-five years old. Since the study collected only cross-sectional data, it is not clear whether there are developmental trends in alcohol consumption-that people drink less as they grow older-or whether there are cohort or generational effects. However, several retrospective data suggest that there are cohort or generational patterns of drinking behavior by older adults. Very old respondents, who now drink less than their younger counterparts, report consistently different patterns of life-long drinking habits; they report different parental drinking habits, and they have consistently different attitudes toward the effects of alcohol consumption upon health. The survey provides no insight into the nature of the historical factors which account for the differences in alcohol use. However, Prohibition, Repeal, and the Depression are likely to have played important roles.

Age Factors↗
PubMedDate not supplied

A pilot survey of aquatic activities and related consumption of alcohol, with implications for drowning.

The investigators considered the relationship between participation in aquatic activities and the consumption of alcohol, with their implications for the risk of drowning. In a telephone survey with random-digit dialing, interviewers asked Massachusetts residents ages 20 years and older how often they engaged in various aquatic activities, in what settings, and how often they drank alcohol in connection with participation in aquatic activities. Of 294 respondents, 79 percent of the men and 72 percent of the women reported participating in aquatic activities during August 1988, the month prior to the interview. Respondents were asked to identify their most recent aquatic activity. The mean number of days of participation in the month was 13. The most frequently reported aquatic activities were swimming (76 percent), followed by sunbathing (74 percent), power boating (25 percent), and fishing from shore (15 percent). Among those persons reporting participation in aquatic activities, 55 percent had been at the ocean on the most recent occasion, 26 percent at lakes or ponds, 17 percent at pools, and 2 percent at rivers. Among those persons reporting aquatic activities, 36 percent of the men and 11 percent of the women reported having drunk alcohol on the most recent occasion. Those who reported drinking in aquatic settings were more likely to report driving after drinking than those who did not drive. Implementation of new Federal regulations and State laws concerning drinking and boating should be accompanied by public education on the risks of drowning if aquatic activities and alcohol consumption are combined.

Adult↗
PubMedDate not supplied

Alcohol as a risk factor for injuries or death due to fires and burns: review of the literature.

The findings in 32 studies on alcohol and injuries and deaths attributed to fires and burns were analyzed in detail. The studies, all in English, were published between 1947 and 1986. Most of them were descriptive and reported on the percent of the victims who were exposed to alcohol. Eight of the nine best descriptive studies indicated that alcohol exposure was more likely among those who died in fires ignited by cigarettes than those attributable to other causes. It can be concluded that there is substantial, although not definitive, evidence that alcohol plays a role in the etiology of fire and burn injuries and deaths.

Alcohol Drinking↗
PubMedDate not supplied

Lower legal blood alcohol limits for young drivers.

To reduce the involvement of young drivers in alcohol-related crashes, 29 States and the District of Columbia have established lower legal blood alcohol limits for drivers younger than age 21 than for adult drivers. Of these, 12 lowered the legal limit for young people prior to 1991. To assess the impact, these 12 States were paired for comparison with 12 nearby States matched for legal drinking age and timing of changes in that law. Among drivers ages 15-20, fatal crashes involving a single vehicle at night are three times more likely than other fatal crashes to be alcohol-related. Whether the proportion of fatal crashes that involved single vehicles at night declined more among young drivers targeted by lower blood alcohol limits than among young drivers of the same age in comparison States was examined. The maximum available equal number of pre- and post-law years were compared in each pair of States. During the post-law period, the proportion of fatal crashes that involved single vehicles at night declined 16 percent among young drivers targeted by lower blood alcohol laws, whereas it rose 1 percent among drivers of the same age in comparison States where blood alcohol limits were not changed (P < .001). Among adults, the proportion of fatal nocturnal crashes that involved single vehicles declined 5 percent in the group of States with the lowered levels for young people during the period after the law was enacted and 6 percent in the group of neighboring comparison States. The proportion of fatal crashes that involved single vehicles at night declined 22 percent among drivers in States with .00 percent limits, whereas it declined only 2 percent among drivers of the same age in comparison States (P <.003). Among those targeted by .02 percent BAL limits, the proportion of fatal crashes that involved single vehicles at night declined 17 percent. It rose 4 percent in comparison States(P = .005). No significant difference appeared between States that lowered blood alcohol levels to the range of .04-.06 percent relative to comparison States.If all States adopted .00 or .02 percent limits for drivers ages 15-20, at least 375 fatal single vehicle crashes at night would be prevented each year.

Accidents, Traffic↗