Occupation and workplace policies predict smoking behaviors: Analysis of national data from the current population survey

OBJECTIVE: Describe differences in smoking behaviors associated with occupation, workplace rules against smoking, and workplace smoking cessation programs. METHODS: We analyzed data from the Current Population Survey- Tobacco Use Supplement surveys from 1992 through 2007. RESULTS: After adjusting for demographic factors, blue-collar workers were at higher risk than white-collar workers for ever smoking, current smoking, and persistent smoking (current smoking among ever smokers). Construction workers were more likely to be current daily smokers than other blue-collar workers. Among ever smokers, current daily smoking was more common in the absence of both workplace rules against smoking and workplace smoking cessation programs. CONCLUSIONS: Social or cultural effects related to occupation are important determinants of smoking. More aggressive promotion of smoking cessation programs and workplace rules prohibiting smoking could have a significant public health impact

Smoking and Genetic Risk Variation Across Populations of E uropean, A sian, and A frican A merican Ancestry—A Meta‐Analysis of Chromosome 15q25

Peer Reviewedhttp://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/91126/1/gepi21627.pd

Diet and personality: Associations in a population-based sample

Background: Large portions of the population of the united states of america fail to follow dietary recommendations. Psychological factors may contribute to non-adherence. Objective: Establish the associations between heritable personality styles, attitudes towards food, and habitual eating behavior. Design: Variables were assessed by questionnaire in a population-based sample of 629 subjects. Associations were established using correlation and regression analysis, taking gender, demographic, lifestyle and other factors into account. Results: Differences in personality style were reflected in diet. For example, hostility and anxiety-proneness was associated with greater likelihood to continue eating when satiated, while sociability and low impulsivity correlated with greater monitoring and control of dietary intake and body weight. Immaturity, aloofness, self-consciousness and self-gratification were associated with greater susceptibility to hunger and lack of persistence with increased snack and alcohol consumption. These associations differed for the sexes and were stronger for attitudes towards food than actual eating behavior. Taking other factors into account reduced the number of significant associations between diet and personality, particularly for habitual eating behavior. Conclusions: Associations exist between personality and diet. However, the strength of these associations is influenced by demographic, lifestyle and other factors. These findings have implications for future studies and efforts aimed at changing unhealthy dietary habits

The effect of prescribed daily dose frequency on patient medication compliance.

Abstract • The objective of this study was to determine the relationship between prescribed daily dose frequency and patient medication compliance. The medication compliance of 105 patients receiving antihypertensive medications was monitored by analyzing data obtained from special pill containers that electronically record the date and time of medication removal. Inaccurate compliance estimates derived using the simple pill count method were thereby avoided. Compliance was defined as the percent of days during which the prescribed number of doses were removed. Compliance improved from 59.0% on a three-time daily regimen to 83.6% on a once-daily regimen. Thus, compliance improves dramatically as prescribed dose frequency decreases. Probably the single most important action that health care providers can take to improve compliance is to select medications that permit the lowest daily prescribed dose frequency. (Arch Intern Med. 1990;150:1881-1884)

Turkish version of the Temperament and Character Inventory (TCI): reliability, validity, and factorial structure

personality that accounts for both normal and abnormal variation of two majorcomponents of personality: temperament and character. The Temperamentand Character Inventory (TCI) is a 240-item self-administered questionnaireconstructed to assess four temperament (Novelty Seeking, Harm Avoidance,Reward Dependence, and Persistence) and three character dimensions (Self-Directedness, Cooperativeness, and Self-Transcendence). In this study, weaimed to examine the psychometric properties of the Turkish version of the TCIin a healthy Turkish population and obtain normative data for the Turkish TCI.Methods: The study was conducted in both Karadeniz Technical UniversitySchool of Medicine and Atatürk University School of Medicine using a sample of683 healthy volunteers. Participants were administered a short version ofMarlowe-Crowne Social Desirability Scale and the Turkish TCI that was translat-ed by Kose and Sayar and officially approved by Cloninger to be used in this val-idation study.Results: Turkish sample had significantly lower mean scores on NoveltySeeking, Reward Dependence and higher mean scores on Harm Avoidancethan the American sample. On character dimensions, the Turkish sample hadsignificantly lower scores on Self-Directedness, Cooperativeness, and Self-Transcendence. Self-Directedness and Harm Avoidance, Cooperativeness andReward Dependence, and Cooperativeness and Self-Directedness wereintercorrelated. The Cronbach’s coefficients were between .60 and .85 ontemperament dimensions, and were between .82 and .83 on characterdimensions. The lowest Cronbach’s coefficients were found in RewardDependence (.60) and Persistence (.62). A principal axis factor analysis with afour-factor solution by Oblimin rotation reproduced highest loadings on NoveltySeeking and Harm Avoidance and relatively weaker loadings on RewardDependence and Persistence. A three-factor solution for character subscalesreproduced highest loadings on Cooperativeness and Self-Transcendence.Conclusions: The reliability and validity of the Turkish version of the TCI weresupported by its reliable psychometric properties and construct validity. TheTurkish version of the TCI successfully confirmed Cloninger’s seven-factor modelof personality. This pioneering work suggests that the Turkish TCI can be appliedin clinical populations as well as in neurobiological and neuroimaging investigations

Exploring temperament and character traits in medical students; A new approach to increase the rural workforce

Background: This study explored temperament and character traits in medical students to identify the possible predictive value of these traits to students with varying levels of intention to pursue rural medicine. This work is the precursor to a better understanding of personality traits associated with medical disciplines within specific environments such as rural medicine. Aims: The long term aim is to increase the recruitment of students who are best suited, and choose to practice in rural locations