The worksite environment as a cue to smoking reduction.

With a modified version of the Health Belief Model as the conceptual framework, the hypothesis that exposure to a worksite health-promoting environment acted as a cue to smoking reduction among 310 smokers was tested with a quasi-experimental design. Using path analysis (LISREL), the total effects on posttest smoking were decomposed. Results showed exposure to the health-promoting environment had statistically significant direct and indirect effects on posttest smoking. The indirect effect was through the posttest perceived barriers variable. The LISREL model explained 74% of the variance in smoking reduction and fit the data satisfactorily. The importance of developing the worksite as a health-promoting force is discussed.

Age at and time since vaccination during a measles outbreak in a rural community.

During winter 1978, 350 cases of measles were reported in Livingston County, Michigan, a small, rural county. Of these cases, 250 occurred in the school-aged population. A search of school records and contact with parents provided complete vaccination data on 5,973 students. Attack rates in children vaccinated at the age of 12 months or younger were more than twice the rates of those vaccinated at older ages. Time since vaccination was not a statistically significant predictor using multiple logistic analysis.

Effects of drinking water and total sodium intake on blood pressure.

A cohort of 295 persons from a rural area of Michigan were studied to determine if a relationship exists between high levels of sodium in drinking water and blood pressure. Sodium in drinking water, dietary sodium intake, blood pressure, sodium excretion, height, and weight were measured. No significant relationships between daily mean sodium dietary intake, drinking water sodium, or sodium index (amount of drinking water sodium related to diet sodium intake), and mean blood pressure levels were found. A statistically significant relationship was found between 24-h urine sodium excretion and mean blood pressure for adults age greater than or equal to 18 yr (r = 0.239) and children age less than 18 yr (r = 0.359) and dietary intake and mean diastolic blood pressure in children only (r = 0.471). Furthermore, levels of sodium in drinking water were not related to blood pressure levels or presence of hypertension.

Is the diagnosis of "mass hysteria" an excuse for incomplete investigation of low-level environmental contamination?

"Mass hysteria" is an epidemic diagnostic term used to characterize unexplained outbreaks of syncope among women. A syncope outbreak among women in a meeting in a rural area of Michigan prompted an intense investigation for etiology. Low levels of ozone; carbon monoxide, and pentane were found associated with the outbreak. These levels were too low by themselves to explain the symptoms. A sociometric scale of intensity of illness was devised and found to be highly correlated (r = -0.94) with the weight of those who fainted. It is argued that mass hysteria may be the result of interactions of low levels of toxicants and may not be a result of the "hysterical" behavior in women at all.

Community screening for Tay-Sachs disease.

Tay-Sachs disease is a fatal genetic disease affecting Jewish infants of eastern European ancestry. While the disease may go unrecognized until nearly one year of age, death occurs by age three or four. Community screening programs have been organized to detect carriers of this autosomal recessive trait. Prenatal diagnosis now allows carrier couples to have normal children without the risk of having an affected child. These programs hopefully will serve as models for the future prevention of other genetic diseases.