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Comprehensive Interview (comprehensive + interview)

Distribution by Scientific Domains

Medical Sciences	100%

Selected Abstracts

Risk of harm among gamblers in the general population as a function of level of participation in gambling activities

ADDICTION, Issue 4 2006
Shawn R. Currie
ABSTRACT Aims To examine the relationship between gambling behaviours and risk of gambling-related harm in a nationally representative population sample. Design Risk curves of gambling frequency and expenditure (total amount and percentage of income) were plotted against harm from gambling. Setting Data derived from 19 012 individuals participating in the Canadian Community Health Survey,Mental Health and Well-being cycle, a comprehensive interview-based survey conducted by Statistics Canada in 2002. Measurement Gambling behaviours and related harms were assessed with the Canadian Problem Gambling Index. Findings Risk curves indicated the chances of experiencing gambling-related harm increased steadily the more often one gambles and the more money one invests in gambling. Receiver operating characteristic analysis identified the optimal limits for low-risk participation as gambling no more than two to three times per month, spending no more than $501,1000CAN per year on gambling and investing no more than 1% of gross family income on gambling activities. Logistic regression modelling confirmed a significant increase in the risk of gambling-related harm (odds ratios ranging from 2.0 to 7.7) when these limits were exceeded. Conclusions Risk curves are a promising methodology for examining the relationship between gambling participation and risk of harm. The development of low-risk gambling limits based on risk curve analysis appears to be feasible. [source]

Incense use and respiratory tract carcinomas,

CANCER, Issue 7 2008
A prospective cohort study
Abstract BACKGROUND. Incense use is an integral part of daily life in large parts of Asia. The burning of incense is a powerful producer of particulate matter and the smoke contains a multitude of well-characterized carcinogens. However, to the authors' knowledge, no convincing association has been reported between exposure to incense smoke and the development of cancer. Therefore, the relation between incense use and the risk of respiratory tract carcinomas was analyzed in a prospective cohort study. METHODS. Between 1993 and 1998, a population-based cohort of 61,320 Singapore Chinese who were free of cancer and ages 45 to 74 years completed a comprehensive interview regarding living conditions and dietary and lifestyle factors. Through linkage to population-based registries, the cohort was followed through 2005 and cancer occurrence determined. The relative risk for these cancers associated with incense use was estimated using a Cox proportional hazards model. RESULTS. A total of 325 upper respiratory tract (UPT) carcinomas and 821 lung carcinomas were observed during follow-up. Incense use was associated with a significantly increased risk of UPT carcinomas other than nasopharyngeal, whereas no overall effect was observed on lung cancer. The duration and intensity of incense use were associated with an increased risk of squamous cell carcinomas in the entire respiratory tract (P for trend = .004), whereas there was no significant association noted between incense use and nonsquamous cell carcinomas. The relative risk of squamous cell carcinomas among long-term incense users was 1.8 (95% confidence interval [95% CI], 1.2-2.6; P = .004) in the entire respiratory tract. CONCLUSIONS. The results of the current study indicate that long-term use of incense is associated with an increased risk of squamous cell carcinoma of the respiratory tract. Cancer 2008. © 2008 American Cancer Society. [source]

A prospective study of tobacco and alcohol use as risk factors for pharyngeal carcinomas in Singapore Chinese

CANCER, Issue 6 2007
Jeppe T. Friborg MD
Abstract BACKGROUND Nasopharyngeal carcinoma (NPC) is a rare disease in most populations; however, in areas of Southeast Asia and North Africa and in the Arctic, undifferentiated NPC is the most frequent pharyngeal malignancy. Although smoking and alcohol have been established firmly as synergistic risk factors for other pharyngeal carcinomas, previous studies on the association between these risk factors and NPC have not been consistent. Therefore, the authors analyzed this relation in a cohort of Singapore Chinese, which is a population with a high incidence of NPC. METHODS From 1993 to 1998, a population-based cohort of 61,320 Singapore Chinese ages 45 years to 74 years who were free of cancer completed a comprehensive interview on living conditions and dietary and lifestyle factors. By linkage to Singapore population-based registries, the cohort was followed through 2005, and cancer occurrence was determined. The relative risk of NPC and other oropharyngeal carcinomas in the cohort was investigated by using a Cox proportional hazards model. RESULTS In total, 173 NPCs and 75 other oropharyngeal carcinomas were observed during 601,879 person-years of follow-up. Smoking for >40 years was associated with a doubled risk of NPC (relative risk, 2.0; 95% confidence interval, 1.2,3.3), whereas smoking intensity, age at smoking initiation, and alcohol consumption were not associated with NPC risk. In contrast, smoking duration, smoking intensity, age at smoking initiation, and alcohol consumption all were associated with an increased risk of other oropharyngeal carcinoma (P for trend, <.0001). CONCLUSIONS Smoking and alcohol influenced the risk of NPC and other oropharyngeal carcinomas differently in a high-incidence NPC population. Long-term smoking was a risk factor for NPC, but alcohol consumption was not. Cancer 2007. © 2007 American Cancer Society. [source]

The Child Welfare System: Through the Eyes of Public Health Nurses

PUBLIC HEALTH NURSING, Issue 4 2005
Janet U. Schneiderman
Abstract,Objective: This qualitative descriptive study investigates how public health nurses working within the child welfare system view the organization and the organization's effect on their case management practice. Design: Semistructured interviews were conducted utilizing the Bolman,Deal Organizational Model. This model identifies four frames of an organization: symbolic, human resources, political, and structural. Sample: A purposive sample of nine nurses and one social worker was selected to participate in comprehensive interviews. Results: Data analysis identified two main themes. The first theme was the presence of organizational structural barriers to providing case management. The second theme was the lack of political influence by the nurses to change the structure of the organization; hence, their skills could be more completely utilized. Conclusions: Public health nurses who work in child welfare will need to systematically analyze their role within the organization and understand how to work in "host settings." Nursing educators need to prepare public health nurses to work in non-health care settings by teaching organizational analysis. [source]