British journal of preventive & social medicine最新文献

In a recent analysis, Alderson (1975) presented data that suggested a statistically significant, although numerically small, relationship between the month of birth and the month of death of elderly people. It is shown here that this relationship was to be expected from the sampling procedure used and was not related to "birthday stress" factors.

A study was conducted on a sample of pregnant women. The study had two aims: to develop a method of measuring social expectations (norms) and to find out how far women conform in their behaviour to these norms. The areas of behaviour were smoking, exercise, diet, alcohol, and medication. Pregnancy was found to be appropriate for this study because of the high degree of formalisation that this state enjoys in our society. The methods used for measuring norms in this study are an improvement on earlier methods, but further refinements are needed. The findings show that women generally do conform to the social expectations and that their behaviour is in accordance with three types of norms--that is, general, specific, and transitional. The implications for health education interventions are discussed.

A retrospective study that was undertaken to determine why more infants had been born with congenital reduction deformities of the limbs is reported. The increase was detected by the Congenital Anomaly Surveillance System in 1969. Ninety-three infants born in Alberta and British Columbia in 1969-71 with congenital reduction deformities were matched with 93 normal infants and 93 infants with congenital malformations of a different type. The mothers of all infants were interviewed to obtain information on factors thought relevant to the establishment of a causal relationship. Although there were some significant differences between cases and normaland/or abnormal controls, this number of differences might have been expected by chance. No single causal relationship was established.

With the decline in concentrations of suspended particulate pollution in Greater London the association seen in the 1950s and early 1960s between daily mortality and air pollution in the conurbation is no longer apparent. Associations between unusually cold weather and short-term increases in mortality have been noted; there appears to be a tendency for influenza epidemics to follow cold spells.

In a randomised controlled trial intensive individual anti-smoking advice given in parallel with hospital antenatal care did not influence the outcome of pregnancy. The belief that retardation of fetal growth caused by maternal smoking occurs in late pregnancy is not well based, and the advice may not have been given in time to be effective. Other possible interpretations of the results, that maternal smoking is merely an index of some other factor that retards growth or that those counselled did not reduce their smoking sufficiently to influence outcome, cannot be excluded.

The rates at which people smoke cigarettes during different periods of the day were obtained from three occupational groups. Group 1 consisted of those working at the main London production site of a food processing factory, Group 2 consisted of those in the administrative offices of the same company; there are smoking restrictions at both. Group 3 consisted of workers in the offices of a London borough where there are no smoking restrictions. Replies were received from 3174 people, or 88% of those approached. There was a higher proportion on non-smokers (over 70%) among the two groups of office workers than among the food processing workers (about 55%). Smokers in Group 3 recorded somewhat higher average cigarette consumption than those in Groups 1 and 2. During different periods of the day, the maximum hourly rate of cigarette smoking was about three times the minimum rate. For Groups 1 and 2 the maximum rate was consistently during the interval between leaving work and going to bed. In contrast, the maximum rate for Group 3 was consistently during the afternoon, while at work, and the rate between leaving work and going to bed was similar to the rate for the day as a whole. Results will help in deciding the time of day at which blood for carboxyhaemoglobin estimations should be taken.

A total of 18 403 men aged between 40 and 64 years took part in a screening examination which included a self-administered version of the London School of Hygiene questionnaire on chest pain and intermittent claudication. The yield of positives for "angina" and "history of possible infarction" was about twice as high as with interviewers, but the positive groups obtained by the two techniques differed little in their association with electrocardiographic findings or in their ability to predict five-year coronary mortality risk. This risk ranged from 0-9% in men negative to questionnaire and electrocardiograms (ECG), to 4-3% for those with positive ECG but no symptoms, 4-5% for those with angina and negative ECG, up to 16% for those with angina and positive ECG. The self-administered version of this questionnaire provides a simple and convenient means of identifying individuals with a high risk of major coronary heart disease.

The statistical evidence for a relationship between pregnancy smoking, birthweight, and perinatal mortality is critically examined. Some apparent discrepancies between and within different studies are resolved.

Factors which may influence boys and girls aged between 10 and 121/2 years to start smoking were studied. Information was obtained from 491 schoolchildren, their parents, and headteachers. In their own view and that of their headteachers children who did not smoke were academically better than smokers. Children who smoked were more likely than non-smokers to have a parent and siblings of the same sex who smoked. No association was found between the child's own smoking and that of parents and siblings of the opposite sex. Smokers were more likely to have friends who smoked. Most children did not think smoking was enjoyable or desirable and many thought it bad for health, irrespective of their own smoking habits. The majority thought people of their own age smoked to show off.