The validity of self-rated health as a measure of health status among young military personnel: evidence from a cross-sectional survey

Abstract Background Single item questions about self ratings of overall health status are widely used in both military and civilian surveys. Limited information is available to date that examines what relationships exist between self-rated health, health status and health related behaviors among relatively young, healthy individuals. Methods The current study uses the population of active duty United States Air Force recruits (N = 31,108). Participants completed surveys that asked about health behaviors and health states and were rated their health on a continuum from poor to excellent. Results Ratings of health were consistently lower for those who used tobacco (F = 241.7, p < .001), reported binge drinking (F = 69.0, p < .001), reported drinking and driving (F = 19.4, p < .001), reported taking health risks (F = 109.4, p < .001), were depressed (F = 256.1, p < .001) and were overweight (F = 39.5, p < .001). Conclusion Given the consistent relationship between self-rated overall health and factors important to military health and fitness, self-rated health appears to be a valid measure of health status among young military troops.Peer Reviewe

Prediction of adult-onset smoking initiation among U.S. Air Force recruits using the Pierce Susceptibility Questionnaire

Background: At one time, it was expected that if an individual reached young adulthood without smoking, his/her risk for initiation was minimal. However, recent data suggest that smoking initiation among young adults may be increasing. One particularly vulnerable population of young adults for smoking initiation is military recruits. This study examined whether a modified version of the Pierce Susceptibility Questionnaire (PSQ) might be useful for identifying military recruits who are vulnerable for the initiation of tobacco use. Methods: Active duty recruits entering the U.S. Air Force over a 1-year period (n=31,107) were assessed upon entry into basic military training (BMT), and a subsample was also assessed at 12 months following training. Results: The modified PSQ predicted initiation of cigarette use for all categories of baseline smokers (never, experimenters, former smokers, and regular users). The likelihood of initiating smoking after BMT was substantially higher among those identified as susceptible than among those identified as not susceptible. Conclusions: It is likely that the PSQ would prove to be a valuable tool in attempts to reduce tobacco use in the military. The predictive abilities of the measure could be used to target intervention and prevention efforts towards those most at risk. © 2005 American Journal of Preventive Medicine

Treatment effects on measures of body composition in the TODAY clinical trial.

OBJECTIVE The Treatment Options for type 2 Diabetes in Adolescents and Youth (TODAY) trial showed superiority of metformin plus rosiglitazone (M+R) over metformin alone (M), with metformin plus lifestyle (M+L) intermediate in maintaining glycemic control. We report here treatment effects on measures of body composition and their relationships to demographic and metabolic variables including glycemia. RESEARCH DESIGN AND METHODS Measures of adiposity (BMI, waist circumference, abdominal height, percent and absolute fat, and bone mineral content [BMC] and density [BMD]) were analyzed as change from baseline at 6 and 24 months. RESULTS Measures of fat accumulation were greatest in subjects treated with M+R and least in M+L. Although fat measures in M+L were less than those of M+R and M at 6 months, differences from M were no longer apparent at 24 months, whereas differences from M+R persisted at 24 months. The only body composition measure differing by race and/or ethnicity was waist circumference, greater in M+R than either M or M+L at both 6 and 24 months in whites. BMD and BMC increased in all groups, but increased less in M+R compared with the other two groups by 24 months. Measures of adiposity (increases in BMI, waist circumference, abdominal height, and fat) were associated with reduced insulin sensitivity and increased hemoglobin A1c (HbA1c), although effects of adiposity on HbA1c were less evident in those treated with M+R. CONCLUSIONS Despite differential effects on measures of adiposity (with M+R resulting in the most and M+L in the least fat accumulation), group differences generally were small and unrelated to treatment effects in sustaining glycemic control

Leaderless Transcripts and Small Proteins Are Common Features of the Mycobacterial Translational Landscape

<div><p>RNA-seq technologies have provided significant insight into the transcription networks of mycobacteria. However, such studies provide no definitive information on the translational landscape. Here, we use a combination of high-throughput transcriptome and proteome-profiling approaches to more rigorously understand protein expression in two mycobacterial species. RNA-seq and ribosome profiling in <i>Mycobacterium smegmatis</i>, and transcription start site (TSS) mapping and N-terminal peptide mass spectrometry in <i>Mycobacterium tuberculosis</i>, provide complementary, empirical datasets to examine the congruence of transcription and translation in the <i>Mycobacterium</i> genus. We find that nearly one-quarter of mycobacterial transcripts are leaderless, lacking a 5’ untranslated region (UTR) and Shine-Dalgarno ribosome-binding site. Our data indicate that leaderless translation is a major feature of mycobacterial genomes and is comparably robust to leadered initiation. Using translational reporters to systematically probe the <i>cis</i>-sequence requirements of leaderless translation initiation in mycobacteria, we find that an ATG or GTG at the mRNA 5’ end is both necessary and sufficient. This criterion, together with our ribosome occupancy data, suggests that mycobacteria encode hundreds of small, unannotated proteins at the 5’ ends of transcripts. The conservation of small proteins in both mycobacterial species tested suggests that some play important roles in mycobacterial physiology. Our translational-reporter system further indicates that mycobacterial leadered translation initiation requires a Shine Dalgarno site in the 5’ UTR and that ATG, GTG, TTG, and ATT codons can robustly initiate translation. Our combined approaches provide the first comprehensive view of mycobacterial gene structures and their non-canonical mechanisms of protein expression.</p></div