Trends and Disparities in TB among U.S.-born Black and White Chicago Residents, 1998-2008

ABSTRACT OBJECTIVE: To describe the decline of tuberculosis (TB) cases among U.S.-born non-Hispanic (NH) black and white Chicago residents. METHODS: Data from the National TB Surveillance System was used to analyze trends and characteristics of reported TB cases among U.S.-born NH black and U.S.-born NH white Chicago residents from 1998-2008. RESULTS: Chicago reported a total of 3,821 TB cases over the 11-year time period. Of these, 1,916 were U.S.-born NH black and 235 were U.S.-born NH white. The proportion of cases attributable to U.S.-born NH blacks was 63% (294/469) in 1998 and 34% in 2008 (72/213). Analysis for trends from 2000-2008 revealed a greater than predicted decrease in rates among U.S.-born NH blacks (p CONCLUSION: Despite more TB risk factors in Chicago’s U.S.-born black population, there was a narrowing of TB case disparity in Chicago from 1998-2008. Continued focused strategies aimed at controlling TB are needed

The need to do it all: Exploring the ways in which treatment foster parents enact their complex role

Treatment foster care (TFC) is an appealing approach for treating youth with emotional and behavioral disorders because it combines the potential for intensive interventions with opportunities for growth and development in a family-based setting. To accomplish this, TFC requires treatment foster parents to simultaneously play roles of both substitute caregiver/parent and front-line professional. This requires that treatment foster parents excel at both the behaviorally focused elements of an interventionist while simultaneously enacting the more relationally-based aspects of a parent. To date there has been little in the literature to explore the extent to which practicing treatment foster parents actually utilize both behavioral and relational approaches in their work with youth. This paper uses baseline data from a randomized trial ( = 247) to explore eight potential approaches that treatment foster parents might use (including: monitoring/supervision, approaches to discipline, consistency of responses to behaviors, time together, adult-child conflict, positive affect towards the child, perspective taking/empathy building, and communication) as well as a measure of their own assessment of their role. Results show that treatment foster parents recognize the complexities of their role, and most view themselves more as parents than as treatment providers. Substantial variation was evident on all examined dimensions of the treatment parent role (except supervision/monitoring). Variations in treatment parent approaches were most significantly related to child's age and their own view of their role. The paper concludes with discussion of implications and directions for future research

Patterns of Stepfamily Relationship Quality and Adolescents' Short-Term and Long-Term Adjustment

Stepfamilies experience unique dynamics, with implications for family functioning and youth well-being. Emerging research is incorporating a holistic perspective whereby stepfamily dynamics are viewed more comprehensively, and constellations of stepfamily relationship quality are identified. In the current study, we examined short-term and long-term associations between latent patterns of stepfamily relationships (including the quality of mother–child, stepfather–child, nonresident father–child, and stepcouple dyads) and youth adjustment (i.e., depression, delinquency, self-esteem) across three stages of youth development: adolescence, emerging adulthood, and young adulthood. Using a representative sample of adolescents from the National Longitudinal Study of Adolescent to Adult Health (Harris et al., 2009), results from longitudinal structural equation models and latent-growth curve models indicated that youth adjustment over time is optimized among youth in a residence-centered (i.e., high-quality relationships among mother–child, stepfather–child, and stepcouple dyads) or inclusive (i.e., high-quality relationships across all dyads, including the nonresident father) pattern, as compared with youth in an unhappy-couple (i.e., low-quality stepcouple relationship) or parent–child disconnection (i.e., low-quality relationships between youth and each parental figure) pattern. The results point to many similarities between male and female youth in terms of adjustment responses to patterns of stepfamily relationships, although some differences became apparent. In the context of stepfamily relationships marked by low-quality relationships, male youth might exhibit greater initial levels of externalizing problems than female youth, whereas female youth might exhibit greater initial levels of internalizing problems than male youth. Implications for future research and intervention and prevention efforts are discussed

Harnessing the strength of families to prevent social problems and promote adolescent well-being

The family context exerts notable influence on many domains of adolescent development and well-being. Recent research indicates that the family has the power not only to help youth get back on course after problems emerge, but that the family can also play a critical role in preventing problems for youth by reducing the severity of a problem or mitigating its occurrence. The purpose of this paper is to outline the promise and challenges of family-based approaches to prevention in social work practice. Research and theory have identified numerous risk and protective factors in the family. Prevention programs that address these risk and protective factors have shown strong evidence of reducing youth risky behavior. Program effects vary based on the strength of program implementation. Agencies often face barriers to implementation including maintaining model fidelity, engaging families, and sustaining funding. Implications for practice and policy are discussed

Situationsanalyse und Maßnahmen zur Prävention von Verkehrsunfällen bei Kindern in Deutschland: Evidenzbasierte Verkehrspolitik in Deutschland?

Die Verkehrssicherheit von Kindern ist ein Kernpunkt des Sicherheitsberichts der Organisation für ökonomische Kooperation und Entwicklung (OECD). In ihrem Bericht Keeping Children Safe in Traffic wird auf erfolgreiche Programme für mehr Sicherheit für Kinder im Straßenverkehr verwiesen. In-wieweit die Empfehlungen in den Mitgliedsstaaten erfolgreich umgesetzt werden, bleibt im Bericht jedoch offen. Ziel der Arbeit ist, eine Basis für die Überprüfung der Evidenz der Verkehrspolitik in Deutschland zu legen. Die vorliegende Situationsanalyse zur Datenlage von Verkehrssicherheitsmaßnahmen für Kinder überprüfte die Daten zwischen 1990 und 2005 zu Verkehrsunfällen von Kindern in Deutschland. Zusätzlich wurden Studien zu ausgewählten Bereichen Verkehrserziehung, Schutzausrüstung, Bau und Raum, Überwachung und Regulation sowie psychologische und soziale Aspekte recherchiert und dem aktuellen Unfallverhütungsbericht der Bundesregierung gegenübergestellt. Alle bearbeiteten Studien wurden tabellarisch zusammengefasst. Darüber hinaus werden Beispiele für eine evidenzbasierte und erfolgreiche Umsetzung von Maßnahmen der Verkehrssicherheit für Kinder auf lokaler Ebene aufgezeigt. Die Analysen der Daten ergaben, dass das Risiko für Kinder zu verunglücken in Deutschland in den vergangenen Jahren eher gestiegen ist. Jedoch wer-den diese Daten in den Bericht der Bundesregierung gegenteilig dargestellt. Dies hängt vor allem von den gewählten Bezugszahlen der Berechnungen ab. Eine erfolgreiche Reduzierung von Unfällen mit Kinderbeteiligung wurde am Beispiel der Stadt Hamm aufgezeigt. In Deutschland bleiben nach dem derzeitigen Kenntnisstand der Arbeit, evi-denzbasierte Verkehrsicherheitsmaßnahmen Einzelmaßnahmen. Um eine evidenzbasierte Verkehrspolitik zu erreichen, bedarf es als Voraussetzung mehr Transparenz der Daten und Studien. Ebenso sollten Forschungsergeb-nisse besser strukturiert und den politischen Entscheidungsträgern in einer leicht zugänglichen und verständlichen Form zur Verfügung stehen. Darüber hinaus sollten die Erfahrungen anderer Länder in der nationalen Verkehrspolitik Berücksichtigung finden. Das in Schweden, Großbritannien und den Niederlanden bereits erklärte Ziel einer Verkehrspolitik mit null Verkehrstoten (Vision Zero) sollte auch in Deutschland selbstverständlich sein. -- Road traffic safety for children is a priority for the Organisation for Economic Co-Operation and Development (OECD). Successful interventions to increase the safety of children were highlighted in their report Keeping children safe in traffic. However, to what extent the successful interventions have been implemented in member states is not reported. The aim of this study is to lay the basis for the analysis of the evidence base of road traffic policy in Germany. This encompasses both an analysis of the current epidemiological situation of road traffic safety for children between 1990 and 2005. In addition, research studies which address topics of traffic education, individual protective measures, urban and traffic design, monitoring and regulation as well as psychological and social factors were reviewed and compared with the most recent Federal Report on Injury Prevention. Best practice examples for the successful implementation of road safety measures for children on the local level are highlighted. The analysis of the available epidemiological data demonstrated that the risk of a child getting injured in traffic has increased during recent years. This is in stark contrast with the most recent report by the Federal Government which stated the contrary. The main reason for this discrepancy is the choice of denominators. A successful example on how to reduce road traffic accidents with injuries of children is given using the city of Hamm. Evidence-based policies to increase road safety for children in Germany are largely missing and are limited to single interventions at the local level. As prerequisites to a comprehensive road safety policy, there is a need for more data transparency and research. Also existing research should be analysed and made available to policy decision-makers in an easy-to-use format. Experiences from other countries should also be used to improve national road safety policies. The objective of reducing road traffic deaths to zero - vision zero adopted by Sweden, the United Kingdom and the Netherlands should also guide German road safety policies.

Knowledge Lability: Within-Person Changes in Parental Knowledge and Their Associations with Adolescent Problem Behavior

Higher levels of parental knowledge about youth activities has been associated with lower levels of youth risky behavior. Yet little is known about how parental knowledge fluctuates during early adolescence and how those fluctuations are associated with the development of problem behavior. We use the term lability to describe within-person fluctuations in knowledge over time with higher lability indicating greater fluctuations in knowledge from year-to-year. This longitudinal study of rural adolescents (N = 840) investigated if change in parental knowledge across four waves of data from Grades 6 to 8 is characterized by lability, and if greater lability is associated with higher youth substance use, delinquency, and internalizing problems in Grade 9. Our models indicated that only some of the variance in parental knowledge was accounted for by developmental trends. The remaining residual variance reflects within-person fluctuations around these trends, lability, plus measurement and occasion-specific error. Even controlling for level and developmental trends in knowledge, higher knowledge lability (i.e., more fluctuation) was associated with increased risk for later alcohol and tobacco use, and for girls, higher delinquency and internalizing problems. Our findings suggest that lability in parental knowledge has unique implications for adolescent outcomes. The discussion focuses on mechanisms that may link knowledge lability to substance use. Interventions may be most effective if they teach parents to consistently and predictably decrease knowledge across early adolescence

Day-to-day Consistency in Positive Parent–Child Interactions and Youth Well-Being

The frequency of positive parent–child interactions is associated with youth adjustment. Yet, little is known about daily parent–child interactions and how day-to-day consistency in positive parent–child interactions may be linked to youth well-being. Using a daily diary approach, this study added to this literature to investigate whether and how day-to-day consistency in positive parent–child interactions was linked to youth depressive symptoms, risky behavior, and physical health. Participants were youth whose parents were employed in the IT division of a Fortune 500 company (N = 129, youth’s mean age = 13.39, 55 % female), who participated in an 8 day daily diary study. Analyses revealed that, controlling for cross-day mean levels of positive parent–child interactions, older (but not younger) adolescents who experienced more consistency in positive interactions with parents had fewer depressive and physical health symptoms (e.g., colds, flu). The discussion focuses on the utility of daily diary methods for assessing the correlates of consistency in parenting, possible processes underlying these associations, and intervention implications

Daily parental knowledge of youth activities is linked to youth physical symptoms and HPA functioning.

Considerable evidence documents linkages between parental knowledge of youth activities and youth risky behavior. We extended this research to determine whether parental knowledge was associated with youth physical health, including reports of physical symptoms (e.g., headaches, stomachaches) and a biomarker of hypothalamic pituitary adrenocortical (HPA) axis functioning (i.e., salivary cortisol levels). Participants were children of employees in the Information Technology division of a Fortune 500 company (N = 132, Mean Age Youth = 13.39 years, 55% female) who participated in a daily diary study. Data were collected via telephone calls on eight consecutive evenings. On four study days, cortisol samples were collected at 4 time points (waking, 30 min after waking, before dinner, bedtime). Multi-level models revealed that, at the between-person level, youth whose parents had higher average knowledge about their activities, exhibited lower bedtime cortisol levels. Furthermore, at the within-person level, on days when parents displayed more knowledge than usual (relative to their own eight-day average), youth had lower before-dinner cortisol than usual. Linkages between average parental knowledge and physical health symptoms were moderated by youth age: Younger but not older adolescents whose parents were more knowledgeable had fewer physical health symptoms, on average. A next step is to identify the processes that underlie these associations

Stepfamily Relationship Quality and Children’s Internalizing and Externalizing Problems

The stepfamily literature is replete with between-group analyses by which youth residing in stepfamilies are compared to youth in other family structures across indicators of adjustment and well-being. Few longitudinal studies examine variation in stepfamily functioning to identify factors that promote the positive adjustment of stepchildren over time. Using a longitudinal sample of 191 stepchildren (56% female, mean age = 11.3 years), the current study examines the association between the relationship quality of three central stepfamily dyads (stepparent–child, parent–child, and stepcouple) and children's internalizing and externalizing problems concurrently and over time. Results from path analyses indicate that higher levels of parent–child affective quality are associated with lower levels of children's concurrent internalizing and externalizing problems at Wave 1. Higher levels of stepparent–child affective quality are associated with decreases in children's internalizing and externalizing problems at Wave 2 (6 months beyond baseline), even after controlling for children's internalizing and externalizing problems at Wave 1 and other covariates. The stepcouple relationship was not directly linked to youth outcomes. Our findings provide implications for future research and practice

Tracing the first steps of American sturgeon pioneers in Europe

Background: A Baltic population of Atlantic sturgeon was founded ~1,200 years ago by migrants from North America, but after centuries of persistence, the population was extirpated in the 1960s, mainly as a result of over-harvest and habitat alterations. As there are four genetically distinct groups of Atlantic sturgeon inhabiting North American rivers today, we investigated the genetic provenance of the historic Baltic population by ancient DNA analyses using mitochondrial and nuclear markers. Results: The phylogeographic signal obtained from multilocus microsatellite DNA genotypes and mitochondrial DNA control region haplotypes, when compared to existing baseline datasets from extant populations, allowed for the identification of the region-of-origin of the North American Atlantic sturgeon founders. Moreover, statistical and simulation analyses of the multilocus genotypes allowed for the calculation of the effective number of individuals that originally founded the European population of Atlantic sturgeon. Our findings suggest that the Baltic population of A. oxyrinchus descended from a relatively small number of founders originating from the northern extent of the species' range in North America. Conclusion: These results demonstrate that the most northerly distributed North American A. oxyrinchus colonized the Baltic Sea ~1,200 years ago, suggesting that Canadian specimens should be the primary source of broodstock used for restoration in Baltic rivers. This study illustrates the great potential of patterns obtained from ancient DNA to identify population-of-origin to investigate historic genotype structure of extinct populations