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AJPH NEWS Release
EMBARGOED UNTIL April 29, 2002, 4:00 PM (ET)
CONTACT: For copies of articles, call Kendra Fitzgordon,
(202) 777-2436
All articles are online at www.ajph.org
American Journal of Public Health: May 2002 Highlights
The articles highlighted below appear in the May 2002 issue of the American Journal of Public Health, the Journal of the American Public Health Association.
_____
Californians Enjoy Clean Indoor Air
The California Tobacco Control Program initiated in 1989 has
produced dramatic progress in achieving clean indoor air in homes
and workplaces in the state. Smoke-free workplaces increased from
35 percent in 1990 to more than 93 percent in 1999. Smoke-free
homes increased from 37.6 percent in 1992 to 73.7 percent in 1999.
Nearly half of smokers and almost 80 percent of nonsmokers had
smoke-free homes in 1999. More than 82 percent of children and
adolescents had smoke-free homes, up from 38 percent in 1992.
The data are based on large population-based surveys of California adults in 1990, 1992, 1993, 1996 and 1999. The authors conclude that nationwide, "The importance of educating the public about the dangers of secondhand smoke and of promoting smoke-free homes is given scant attention." The results from the California Tobacco Control Program suggest that this omission represents a missed opportunity for tobacco control policy development.
[From: "Clean Indoor Air: Advances
in California, 1990-1999" Contact: John P. Pierce, Univ.
of California, San Diego, (858) 822-2380]
Homeless Keep Emergency Departments Busy
A new study finds 40 percent of homeless and marginally housed
persons have used emergency departments one or more times in the previous year, a rate three times the national average. About
eight percent of these persons had high rates of emergency department use, more than three visits per year, and accounted for more than half of all visits by the study group. High use rates were the result of unstable housing, victimization, arrests, physical and
mental illness and substance abuse. Researchers interviewed 2578 English-speaking adults in San Francisco between April 1966 and December 1997.
[From: "Emergency Department Use Among
the Homeless and Marginally Housed: Results From a Community-Based
Study." Contact: Margot B Kushel, Univ. of California, San
Diego, (415) 206-8655]
Milwaukee Cuts Heat-Related Deaths In Half
Changes in Milwaukee's public health preparedness before the heat wave of 1999 appear to have led to significant reductions in heat-related deaths. A new study finds that heat-related deaths and emergency medical system (EMS) runs during the 1999 heat wave were at least 49 percent lower than levels predicted by the 1995 relation between heat and heat-related deaths or EMS runs. The authors conclude that reductions in heat-related morbidity and mortality in 1999 were not attributable to differences in heat levels alone.
[From: "Heat Wave Morbidity and Mortality, Milwaukee, WI, 1999 vs. 1995: An Improved Response?" Contact: Marc G. Weisskopf, Wisconsin Dept. of Health and Family Services, (617) 432-5080]
Body Mass Index & Disability: Obesity Threshold
A 20-year study examining whether body mass index (BMI) or change
in BMI is linked to the risk of disability in adults finds that
crossing the obesity threshold has long-term consequences. Obesity
(BMI greater or equal to 30) or becoming obese during the study
was associated with higher levels of upper- and, particularly,
lower-body disability. However, for obese persons who became normal weight during the study period, disability was not reduced. Underweight persons (BMI less than or equal to 18.5) also experienced higher disability in most instances. The study examined the effect of BMI on disability 10 and 20 years later with data from a national longitudinal survey of 6833 adults.
[From: "Body Mass Index and Disability in Adulthood: A 20-Year Panel Study." Contact: Kenneth F. Ferraro, Purdue University, (765) 494-4707]
Adolescents Make Little Progress Toward Healthy People 2010
Objectives
Based on the poor eating habits and high levels of obesity
found among urban adolescents in Minnesota, youth in the US have a long way to go to achieve objectives established by Healthy People 2010. Some 12 percent of the girls and 16 percent of boys in the study had body mass index values at or greater than the 95th percentile. Only 29 percent of the girls and 42 percent of boys were meeting the daily-recommended intakes of calcium. The percentages of youths eating the recommended amounts of fat, fruits, vegetables and grains were lower than targeted percentages. The study also finds significant sociodemographic disparities in obesity and eating patterns, particularly across race/ethnicity and socioeconomic status. Researchers surveyed and measured 4746 adolescents aged 11-18 from the Minneapolis/St. Paul area.
[From: "Overweight
Status and Eating Patterns Among Adolescents: Where Do Youths
Stand in Comparison With the Healthy People 2010 Objectives."
Contact: Dianne Neumark-Sztainer, Univ. of Minnesota, (612) 624-0880]
The American Journal of Public Health is the monthly Journal of the American Public Health Association, the oldest and largest organization of public health professionals in the world and the foremost publisher of public health-related books and periodicals promoting high scientific standards, action programs and policy for good health. The Journal is online at www.ajph.org. Access to abstracts, news releases, and alerting services is free to all readers.
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