The Louisiana Community Oil Spill Survey (COSS) dataset.

This article presents an overview of the Louisiana Community Oil Spill Survey (COSS), the dataset used in "Community Sentiment following the Deepwater Horizon Oil Spill Disaster: A Test of Time, Systemic Community, and Corrosive Community Models" [1] as well as elsewhere [2-6]. The COSS, administered by the Louisiana State University's Public Policy Research Laboratory, consists of five waves of cross-sectional trend data attuned to the characteristics and effects of the 2010 BP Deepwater Horizon (BP-DH) oil spill on those coastal Louisiana residents most affected by the disaster. Respondents were randomly drawn from a list of nearly 6,000 households in the coastal Louisiana zip codes located in Lafourche Parish, Plaquemines Parish, Terrebonne Parish, and the community of Grand Isle. COSS data were initially collected in June 2010 when oil was still flowing from the wellhead, with additional data waves, collected in October 2010, April 2011, April 2012, and April 2013. The respective response rates were: June 2010, 20%; October 2010, 24%; April 2011, 25%; April 2012, 20%; and April 2013, 19%.

Impact of Mississippi healthy students act of 2007 on district- and school-level health policies: school officials' perspectives.

BACKGROUND: Annual evaluations of the Mississippi Healthy Students Act of 2007 (MHSA) were conducted during 2009-2011 (years 1-3) among 4 stakeholder groups: (1) parents of public school students, (2) adolescents, (3) state-level policymakers (ie, legislators and other state officials), and (4) public school officials (ie, superintendents and school board members). METHODS: We examine results from the first state-wide surveys conducted among purposive samples of superintendents (N = 314) and school board members (N = 689) on childhood obesity as it related to MHSA. These school officials were surveyed in years 1-3 to determine their knowledge or attitudes toward MHSA and support of potential policies, such as reporting results of student body mass index (BMI) assessments to parents. RESULTS: Through the 3 years of the study, school officials were supportive of MHSA across a number of variables, although superintendents were consistently more supportive of current policies as compared with school board members. CONCLUSIONS: Results underscore the current and potential role of school officials relative to the process of fully implementing MHSA within all public school districts in Mississippi. Implications and 3 cases that illustrate diverse ways that school districts have chosen to implement effective school-based health initiatives are discussed.

Does time heal all wounds? Community attachment, natural resource employment, and health impacts in the wake of the BP Deepwater Horizon disaster.

On April 20, 2010, the BP-leased Deepwater Horizon (BP-DH) oil rig exploded, resulting in the largest marine oil spill in history. In this paper we utilize one-of-a-kind household survey data-the Louisiana Community Oil Spill Survey-to examine the impacts of the BP-DH disaster on the mental and physical health of spill affected residents in coastal Louisiana, with a special focus on the influence of community attachment and natural resource employment. We find that levels of both negative mental and physical health were significantly more pronounced at baseline compared to later time points. We show that greater community attachment is linked to lower levels of negative health impacts in the wake of the oil spill and that the disaster had a uniquely negative impact on households involved in the fishing industry. Further, we find evidence that the relationship between community attachment and mental health is more pronounced at later points in time, and that the negative health impacts on fishers have worsened over time. Implications for research and policy are discussed.

Child health in child care: a multi-state survey of Head Start and non-Head Start child care directors.

INTRODUCTION: Directors of Head Start (HS) and non-Head Start (non-HS) child care centers were surveyed to compare health consultation and screening for and prevalence of health risks among enrolled children. METHODS: Directors of licensed centers from five states were surveyed from 2004 to 2005. Data were analyzed using cross-tabulation and logistic regression techniques. RESULTS: A total of 2753 surveys were completed. HS centers were more likely than non-HS centers to consult health professionals (P < .0001). More than 90% of HS centers screened for health problems compared with 64.9% of non-HS centers (P < .0001). Almost all HS centers provided parents with child health information. Children at HS centers were at high risk for dental problems. Less than 3% of HS center directors, versus 11.3% of non-HS directors (P < .0002), reported TV viewing for more than an hour a day. DISCUSSION: Children in HS centers were more likely to receive health consultations and screenings, were at higher risk for dental problems, and watched less TV compared with children in non-HS centers. HS centers promoted health significantly more frequently than did non-HS centers.

Persistent clusters of mortality in the United States.

We explored how place shapes mortality by examining 35 consecutive years of US mortality data. Mapping age-adjusted county mortality rates showed both persistent temporal and spatial clustering of high and low mortality rates. Counties with high mortality rates and counties with low mortality rates both experienced younger population out-migration, had economic decline, and were predominantly rural. These mortality patterns have important implications for proper research model specification and for health resource allocation policies.