The impact of the number of young adults on an inpatient psychiatric unit.

Age has been shown to contribute to aggression in inpatient settings. Studies that examine violence in inpatient settings have shown that younger patients have a higher tendency of aggressive behavior toward staff and other patients (Aquilina, 1991; Hillbrand, Foster, & Spitz, 1996; James, Fineberg, Shah, & Priest, 1990; Nijman, Allerti, Merckelbach, a Campo, & Rovelli, 1997; Owen, Tarantello, Jones, & Tennant, 1998).However, though younger age has been associated with higher rates of violence, no studies have been conducted to assess the impact of multiple young adults on the functioning of an inpatient unit. This study evaluates the effect of the number of young adults on unit functioning and whether young adults mix poorly with other age groups.

Domestic abuse in pregnancy: A comparison of a self-completed domestic abuse questionnaire with a directed interview.

OBJECTIVE: The purpose of this study was to compare the results of a standardized self-completed domestic abuse questionnaire with those of a directed interview in the identification of domestic abuse in pregnant patients. STUDY DESIGN: All patients with a first prenatal visit between March 1 and September 30, 1997, were assessed for self-reported domestic abuse with a standardized domestic abuse questionnaire. This was followed by a directed interview that involved verbal review of the standardized domestic abuse questionnaire. Self-reported domestic abuse was defined as any positive response to the domestic abuse questionnaire or the directed interview. The number of patients with a positive response to either the standardized questionnaire or the directed interview, or both, were recorded. The 2 techniques were compared by the McNemar chi(2) test. The group demographics and characteristics were evaluated. RESULTS: Among the 224 patients evaluated, a total of 36% (n = 80) of the patients reported domestic abuse by either method. The standardized domestic abuse questionnaire identified 85% (n = 68) compared with 59% (n = 47) by a directed interview (P =.03). The use of the standardized domestic abuse questionnaire and the directed interview in parallel identified an additional 15% (n = 12) of patients with domestic abuse. CONCLUSION: A standardized domestic abuse questionnaire is superior to a directed interview in identifying self-reported domestic abuse in pregnancy. Utilizing both methods in parallel further increases the number of patients identified.

Self-reported dietary changes with respect to American Cancer Society nutrition guidelines (1982-1986).

A follow-up study was conducted by the Illinois Division of the American Cancer Society (ACS) in conjunction with the ongoing National Cancer Prevention Study II (CPSII) to determine whether self-report dietary changes are occurring in accordance with the ACS nutrition guidelines and to identify demographic subgroups that may be targeted for future prevention and education programs. A total of 42,300 CPSII respondents completed a 1986 questionnaire and were matched to 1982 baseline data. Dietary items were recorded as "on the average, how many days per week do you eat the following foods?" Individuals with known chronic conditions, body mass index outside a moderate range, and fewer than four completed food items were excluded. The remaining study population (n = 18,062) included men and women who were apparently healthy and primarily over the age of 50. The distribution of foods reported in 1982 and changes in foods consumed (1982-1986) among selected food groups varied modestly by sex, age, and educational level. Modest changes in the direction of decreasing intake of high-fat foods and increasing intake of high-fiber foods and cruciferous vegetables were reported. Dietary changes consistent with the ACS nutrition guidelines appear to have taken place in this population, particularly for the use of fried foods in males and intake of high-fiber foods and cruciferous vegetables in females.

A hedge for searching nutrition and disease on MEDLINE.

Written for online searchers familiar with MEDLINE, this article defines the scope of nutrition as it relates to disease, suggests background literature to familiarize the searcher with nutrition, and presents a hedge for searching nutritional aspects of disease on MEDLINE. Vocabulary decisions, methods for limiting retrieval, and other applications of the nutrition hedge also are discussed.