<p> <b>Background:</b> Childhood obesity is highly prevalent among the fast-growing Latino communities. Promoting physical activity (PA) is a major measure to obesity prevention. American youth's PA levels have declined over the years and most youth are not meeting the current national PA recommendations. From a Social-Ecological Model (SEM) perspective, PA level is influenced by multi-level factors including the environment. Research has shown that many environmental factors, such as crime, inaccessible parks, and community disintegration are PA barriers in low socio-economic status (SES) minority communities. Stray dogs were found to be a PA barrier while domestic dogs appear a PA facilitator. Latina youth in low SES communities may be particularly vulnerable to such environmental factors as they may be at a higher risk of being chased by unleashed dogs, thus preventing outdoor PA. Currently, there is limited research investigating how dogs affect PA levels among Latina youth. The current study examined how dogs affect Latina youth's PA level in the low-SES neighborhoods of the South and West sides of San Antonio, TX. </p><p> <b>Methods:</b> Using a triangulation approach, this study involved focus groups with Latina youth and their parents, in-depth interviews with key community informants and extraction of 2009-2012 stray dog and pet violation records from the City of San Antonio Animal Care Services (CoSA ACS). Nine focus groups were conducted with 31 parents and 15 Latina youth. In-depth interviews were conducted with 6 community informants. Inductive content analyses were performed on qualitative data from the focus group and in-depth interview transcripts using Atlas.ti. Descriptive statistics was conducted on the stray dog and pet violation records, along with GIS mapping. </p><p> <b>Results:</b> Participants were aware of the obesity problem among youth and perceived that low PA level is a key contributing factor. Although responsible pet ownership was viewed as a strategy to promote PA, stray dogs were identified as a key barrier to PA in these low SES neighborhoods. ACS's record showed that among the 21,000 stray dogs picked up from the 10 Council Districts in the city each year, 60% were from the targeted research areas, i.e., the three Districts San Antonio's Southwest side. Local community members and leaders believed that more should be done to address stray dog problem and promote PA among youth, including public education programs for pet responsibility, free or low cost veterinarian services and a needs for resources to enhance the city's animal control services capacity. </p><p> <b>Conclusions:</b> While responsible pet ownership facilitates PA, stray dogs were perceived as a PA barrier among Latina adolescents in low-SES communities in San Antonio. Collaborative efforts are needed to address stray dogs in San Antonio. Potential solutions include building community partnerships, increasing community education on pet responsibility, providing affordable spay and neuter services, and advocating for increasing animal control resources. Future research is needed to quantitatively determine the relationship of stray dog density and PA levels in Latino communities. Intervention research is also needed to study the effect of domestic dogs on PA level among Latina youth.</p>

Tuberculosis (TB) was thought to be safely in decline in the United States in the mid 1980's as the number of cases dropped by 74% between 1953 and 1985. A wake-up call was issued in 1986 as an increase in TB incidence which could not be accounted for was reported. This upward trend has continued. At of the end of 1992, the CDC estimated that 39,000 more cases of TB had developed over the previous decade than if the declining trend present in the early 1980's had continued. This turnaround in TB is well correlated with the rise of the HIV epidemic. The severely depressed immune systems associated with HIV make individuals infected with the virus more likely to develop active TB than those who are not infected. Whereas susceptibles to HIV are generally confined to high risk groups such as homosexuals or intravenous drug users, this is not the case with TB. It may be that the development of the HIV epidemic has somehow tipped the balance in favor of a continued rise in TB within the United States. The purpose of this work is to investigate through the use of mathematical models the magnitude and duration of the effect which the HIV epidemic may have on TB. Deterministic and stochastic models are developed which reflect the transmission dynamics of both TB and HIV, and the relative merits of these models are discussed. The deterministic models are then linked together to form a model for the combined spread of both diseases. A numerical study is performed to investigate the influence of certain key parameters. The effect which HIV will have on the general population is found to be dependent on the contact structure between the general population and the HIV risk groups as well as a possible shift in the dynamics associated with TB transmission. The development of a TB epidemic within the HIV risk groups is also considered.

This study describes the mortality from injuries in the Cree communities of northern Quebec for the period 1982-91. Comparison of different data sources for the completeness of ascertainment of injury mortality showed that no single source of information provided a complete count of deaths. Coroners' reports provided some details on the circumstances of fatal events but would gain usefulness if police and coroners employed a more structured approach to the collection of information on the circumstances of injury deaths. Circumstances of deaths were obtained from mortality interviews with relatives of victims. Drownings were the most common cause of injury death. Groups at high risk of drowning were adult males during boating and snowmobile transport for hunting and toddlers not supervised during their play near the water. None of the victims had worn a personal flotation device. Motor vehicle fatalities affected adult males and were often associated with acute alcohol ingestion. Few victims wore safety belts. Suicides affected mostly males. Half of the suicides resulted from gunshot wounds and 70 percent of victims had ingested alcohol prior to the event. Detailed information on the determinants of injury mortality should help in establishing injury prevention strategies.

A historical cohort of 3014 individuals who sustained a whiplash injury resulting from a motor vehicle accident in Quebec in 1987 was assembled and followed up to six years using data obtained from the computerised databases of the province's universal automobile insurance plan. The prognostic factors that were found to be associated with the time to recovery from whiplash were gender, age, number of dependents, marital status, accident severity, vehicle type, seatbelt use, and the presence of multiple injuries. Factors that were predictive of the risk of recurrence of symptoms were age, number of dependents, and accident severity. None of the prognostic factors studied were found to be useful predictors of the amount of medically-related costs reimbursed by the insurance plan. / The results of this study will be used in a future study involving more numerous and precise medical prognostic factors to assess their role in the management of whiplash patients.

The human health risk associated with exposure to pesticide formulations applied to New Brunswick forests was examined for 31 sites of cancer, using measures of exposure based on the proximity of non-city population centers to spray areas. / Two organochlorine and two organophosphate exposure indices were developed by using maps of areas sprayed each year during the period 1952 to 1976. These data were analyzed in relation to cancer incidence rates during the period 1977-l980 for 254 New Brunswick municipalities. / Follow-up case-control studies of the cancer sites considered does not seem to be a matter of high priority at present. However, continued surveillance and data analysis involving more recent data is needed, particularly in the case of organophosphate formulations, due to the relatively short interval between exposure and outcome ascertainment for this exposure.

The objectives of this thesis were: (i) assess the role of indoor air pollutants and allergens with respect to their individual contribution to EIB and reported asthma in elementary schoolchildren in Montreal and Port Alberni; and (ii) to determine how the effect of these indoor environmental pollutants and allergens are modified by host factors, such as gender. The hypothesis was that increased levels of indoor allergens and pollutants are associated with a higher prevalence of asthma and/or EIB; this association being modified by gender. / Initially a cross-sectional study was carried out of 989 Montreal elementary schoolchildren, and 1,785 Port Alberni elementary schoolchildren. A questionnaire was completed by the parents and exercise test was carried out in which the children performed spirometry before and after a free running exercise test. / For the purpose of this thesis a sub-sample of 332 children from Montreal and 305 children from Port Alberni were combined and a more detailed case-control study pertaining to home environment carried out. (Abstract shortened by UMI.)

Rh hemolytic disease of the newborn, once a major cause of perinatal mortality and long-term disability, is rarely seen in developed countries today. This drastic reduction in the frequency of disease occurrence has followed the widespread postpartum use of Rh immunoglobulin. However, more than half the world's population does not have access to this health care technology. / The objective of this thesis was to study the epidemiology of Rh disease in developed country settings and specifically to quantify the magnitude of Rh disease reduction that occurred secondary to Rh prophylaxis, and to changes in birth order, the quality of medical care and other Rh disease determinants. Another objective was to identify feasible and cost-effective options for Rh disease control in developing countries. / Study methods include Poisson regression modeling of surveillance data from Manitoba, Nova Scotia, Canada and the United States and a model based on conditional probabilities obtained from the medical literature and vital statistics publications. Outcomes considered in these analyses include maternal Rh sensitization, Rh hemolytic disease of the newborn, perinatal deaths from Rh disease and infant deaths from hemolytic disease of the newborn. / The results show that besides Rh prophylaxis, changes in other determinants of Rh disease were responsible for significant reductions in the disease over the last four decades. Changes in the birth order resulted in a 35% reduction in Rh sensitizations, while changes in the quality of medical care were responsible for about 80% of the reduction in perinatal deaths from Rh disease. Rh prophylaxis was found to be responsible for reducing the rate of maternal Rh sensitization (both Rh D and Rh non-D) by 60-69% and the rate of perinatal and infant deaths by 80-90% (estimated effects are independent but not mutually exclusive). Effects of other Rh disease determinants, such as abortion rates, racial composition, race and Rh type-specific blood transfusions, were also quantified. Finally, a decision analysis of various Rh prophylaxis options was modeled with a view to optimizing cost-effectiveness and minimizing cost. The option of administering Rh prophylaxis to first births was found to be the most cost-effective and feasible option. It is recommended as a first step for Rh disease control in countries like India.

No description available.

A cohort of 2037 first year elementary school children was established in 1978 and examined annually on two other occasions to study the epidemiology of dental caries. Data on risk factors were collected from the parents through a questionnaire at the same time as the last two dental examinations. Some information on risk factors was also collected from the child at the time of dental examination. Prevalence of caries initially was high and the evolution of prevalence indices over the 24 month period is described. The incidence of caries for deciduous and permanent dentition is given by the relative increment of decay among teeth at risk at the beginning of the interval and those becoming at risk during the interval. Treatment level initially was low but increased between the second and third year of observation. Oral hygiene and nutritional habits did not conform to generally acceptable good preventive practices. Moreover, these behaviors are not stable. Whether by univariate (analyses of variance) or multivariate (multiple linear regression) analyses, certain factors consistently show an influence on dental caries. They are: father's schooling, presence of prostheses in parents, number of visits to the dentist, voluntary consumption of fluoride, number of years of this fluoride consumption, brushing, consumption of soft drinks, candies and vegetables, and eating before bed. These findings lend credence to the belief that despite continuing controversies about risk factors for dental caries, programs aimed at modifying behavior pertaining to the aforementioned factors are justified.

Acute respiratory changes have previously been observed in aluminium potroom workers. The main purposes of this study were to determine the prevalences of such changes amongst potroom workers assigned respectively to either one of the plant electrolytic processes, namely the Soderberg and the Prebake, and to compare the prevalence in each exposure group to that in unexposed workers of the same plant. Pulmonary function tests were administered four times on the first working shift of the week to 385 of the 412 subjects who had also answered a respiratory symptoms questionnaire. An index of acute changes was devised. Among the 279 smokers, those exposed to the Prebake process and with high exposure to the Soderberg had a higher index on average than those with low exposure to the Soderberg process and unexposed workers. Among the 106 workers who had never smoked, no significant differences appeared.