Fourth of July Picnic--Serve It Safely.

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Prospectus, December 15, 1977

LETTERS TO THE EDITORS: SLACK ANNOUNCES FOR STATE REP., DO THE STUDENTS KNOW?; Finals schedule revised; Star Wars cashes in on Sci-Fi movie craze; Nutcracker danced by National Ballet; Pre-school kids know why they have Christmas; Close encounters of a red and green kind; What else is new: Drivers bad?; Accidents up with sales: Experts: beware of chain saw dangers; ...and speaking of chain saws: America finds new fuel...wood; U. of I. art at krannert; A Prairie Winter: \u27Whose woods these are...\u27; Carl Sandburg: 100 new poems published; Guest artist\u27s choreography entertaining, full of surprises; Bach backers have cause to rejoice; Dirty heating equipment can make your gas bill skyrocket; Physical Science Division entices hi-schoolers with freebees, rap sessions, counseling; Santa\u27s psyche probed by his errant elves; Who was that Santa I saw you with last night?; Settlers thought Illinois land was worthless; New cases for C-U city police: parent abuse; Goodbye, yellow notched card: Computerized circulation at UI Library; Humane Society still has puppies, kittens for gifts; Life doesn\u27t end at 40, either: Seniors Center fights \u27mope at home syndrome\u27; Thimbles and Threads: home-made surprises; Book review: Elvis-What Happened?; New studies of cholesterol: Eggs not villainous after all??; Warfield, Madrigals in UI holiday broadcast; Poet\u27s Corner: The Flute; Allerton Park: As the leaves fall, the people leave; Some assistants please: The Legends of Lawrenceville; Meanwhile, back in the Cobra\u27s camp...; Greatest names of golf fame ready themselves for tourney; Former Parkland student now high school assistant coach; Home run hero hits twin towns; Classifieds; Can Illinois challenge Northwestern?: Mad challenge for NCAA supremacy; Snow stalls area basketball but not for long in Illinois; Weather, Freddy bury Bob in snow; Cobras to play tough teams during break; \u27He doesn\u27t seem big to me\u27: Student has special Cowboy Additional material: Edition 3 of the Parkland literary magazinehttps://spark.parkland.edu/prospectus_1977/1000/thumbnail.jp

Cancer Health Education Preferences among Miami-Dade County Construction Workers

Construction work is a high-risk, transient occupation. Worksite outreach programs for cancer risk assessment are highly warranted because workers are exposed to both occupational and environmental carcinogens. We examined the feasibility and acceptability of conducting a paired cancer risk assessment and cancer prevention intervention using “lunch trucks” among construction worksites as the delivery mechanism. Among the 57 completed questionnaires from construction workers on a Miami-Dade County construction high-rise apartment building site, there were 50 (88%) males and 29 (51%) white Hispanics. Over 54% of the construction workers were current smokers of cigarettes, 3.5% chewed tobacco, and 19.3% smoked cigars. Of the current smokers, 80.1% expressed interest in quitting smoking, and 64.9% were willing to receive smoking cessation materials free of charge from a lunch truck at the construction site. Based on the results of this study, lunch trucks would be welcomed by construction workers as delivery mechanism to disseminate health education, cancer screening and smoking cessation information to this difficult to reach and highly underserved occupational group

Trends in smokeless tobacco use in the us workforce: 1987-2005

The primary aim was to examine whether increasing workplace smoking restrictions have led to an increase in smokeless tobacco use among US workers. Smokeless tobacco exposure increases the risk of oral cavity, esophageal, and pancreatic cancers, and stroke. The prevalence of smokeless tobacco use decreased from 1987-2000, except among men 25-44. While smokeless tobacco use has declined in the general population, it may be that the prevalence of smokeless tobacco use has increased among workers due to workplace smoking restrictions, which have been shown to have increased over the years. Using the most current nationally representative National Health Interview Survey (NHIS) data, we examined whether increasing workplace smoking restrictions have led to an increase in smokeless tobacco use among US workers (n = 125,838). There were no significant changes in smokeless tobacco use prevalence from 1987-2005 (pooled prevalence = 3.53%); rates also were lower in smoke free workplaces. Worker groups with high rates of smokeless tobacco use included farm workers (10.51%) and blue collar workers (7.26%). Results indicate that smokeless tobacco prevention strategies targeting particular worker groups are warranted

Age-Related Macular Degeneration and Smoking Cessation Advice by Eye Care Providers: A Pilot Study

Smoking is a modifiable risk factor for age-related macular degeneration (AMD), the leading cause of irreversible vision loss in the United States. We conducted a pilot study among eye care providers and AMD patients to assess smoking cessation preferences and cessation services offered at a large academic medical center. Most patients who smoke reported never being advised to quit smoking, although most eye care providers reported that they had advised smokers to quit. Two-thirds of providers expressed a desire for additional training and resources to support patient quit attempts, indicating the need for the integration of smoking cessation opportunities in the clinic setting

Prevalence of the Metabolic Syndrome Among U.S. Workers

This is the final version of the article. Available from American Diabetes Association via the DOI in this record.OBJECTIVE: Differences in the prevalence of cardiovascular disease (CVD) and its risk factors among occupational groups have been found in several studies. Certain types of workers (such as shift workers) may have a greater risk for metabolic syndrome, a precursor of CVD. The objective of this study was to assess the differences in prevalence and risk of metabolic syndrome among occupational groups using nationally representative data of U.S. workers. RESEARCH DESIGN AND METHODS: Data from 8,457 employed participants (representing 131 million U.S. adults) of the 1999-2004 National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey were used. Unadjusted and age-adjusted prevalence and simple and multiple logistic regression analyses were conducted, adjusting for several potential confounders (BMI, alcohol drinking, smoking, physical activity, and sociodemographic characteristics) and survey design. RESULTS: Of the workers, 20% met the criteria for the metabolic syndrome, with "miscellaneous food preparation and food service workers" and "farm operators, managers, and supervisors" having the greatest age-adjusted prevalence (29.6-31.1%) and "writers, artists, entertainers, and athletes," and "engineers, architects, scientists" the lowest (8.5-9.2%). In logistic regression analyses "transportation/material moving" workers had significantly greater odds of meeting the criteria for metabolic syndrome relative to "executive, administrative, managerial" professionals (odds ratio 1.70 [95% CI 1.49-2.52]). CONCLUSIONS: There is variability in the prevalence of metabolic syndrome by occupational status, with "transportation/material moving" workers at greatest risk for metabolic syndrome. Workplace health promotion programs addressing risk factors for metabolic syndrome that target workers in occupations with the greatest odds may be an efficient way to reach at-risk populations.This research was supported in part by the National Institute on Occupational Safety and Health (grant R01-0H-03915)

Sustained low influenza vaccination rates in US healthcare workers

A substantial morbidity and mortality burden attributable to the influenza virus is observed annually in the United States. Healthcare workers are an occupational group at increased risk of exposure, demonstrated to transmit influenza to their patient populations, and vital to the care of these patient populations. The prevention of the spread of the flu is a significant public health concern. In the present study, we examined influenza vaccination rates and their 5-year trends within the major occupational healthcare worker groups and compared them to non-Healthcare Workers

Young Adults, Mortality, and Employment

This study assessed the relationship between employment status and mortality over a two-year period among a nationally representative sample of young adults aged 18–24 years (n=121,478, representing over 21 million US young adults)

Health Indicators Among Unemployed and Employed Young Adults

Research on the prevalence of health indicators by employment status among young US adults is limited. We analyzed data from a nationally representative sample of young adults aged 18 to 24 years to document the prevalence of five health behaviors (cigarette smoking, risky drinking, leisure-time physical activity, and fruit and French fries consumption) by employment status

Application of handheld devices to field research among underserved construction worker populations: a workplace health assessment pilot study

This is the final version of the article. Available from BioMed Central via the DOI in this record.BACKGROUND: Novel low-cost approaches for conducting rapid health assessments and health promotion interventions among underserved worker groups are needed. Recruitment and participation of construction workers is particularly challenging due to their often transient periods of work at any one construction site, and their limited time during work to participate in such studies. In the present methodology report, we discuss the experience, advantages and disadvantages of using touch screen handheld devices for the collection of field data from a largely underserved worker population. METHODS: In March 2010, a workplace-centered pilot study to examine the feasibility of using a handheld personal device for the rapid health assessment of construction workers in two South Florida Construction sites was undertaken. A 45-item survey instrument, including health-related questions on tobacco exposure, workplace safety practices, musculoskeletal disorders and health symptoms, was programmed onto Apple iPod Touch® devices. Language sensitive (English and Spanish) recruitment scripts, verbal consent forms, and survey questions were all preloaded onto the handheld devices. The experience (time to survey administration and capital cost) of the handheld administration method was recorded and compared to approaches available in the extant literature. RESULTS: Construction workers were very receptive to the recruitment, interview and assessment processes conducted through the handheld devices. Some workers even welcomed the opportunity to complete the questionnaire themselves using the touch screen handheld device. A list of advantages and disadvantages emerged from this experience that may be useful in the rapid health assessment of underserved populations working in a variety of environmental and occupational health settings. CONCLUSIONS: Handheld devices, which are relatively inexpensive, minimize survey response error, and allow for easy storage of data. These technological research modalities are useful in the collection and assessment of environmental and occupational research data.This study was supported in part by the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH)'s Deep South Educational Research Center at the University of Alabama (sub-contract: 288477-10) as a Graduate Student Pilot Grant Award; the National Institute of Arthritis and Musculoskeletal and Skin Diseases (NIAMS) grant F31AR057687 and the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) grant R01 OH003915