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We reviewed the authorship characteristics, editorial processing, and final fate of 126 papers dealing with data from countries other than the United States and Canada and submitted to the American Journal of Public Health in 1989. The acceptance rate of these international health papers was 22%, similar to that of all papers (25%). Authors from developed countries had higher acceptance rates than authors from developing countries, but the highest acceptance rate (36%) was for international health papers with joint authorship from both developed and developing countries. Of 83 rejected papers, 72% were published in other journals. Of these, 45% were published in journals covered by Index Medicus, a figure similar to that for all papers rejected by the Journal. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article discusses the position of the American Public Health Association on reduced prescription drug coverage because of increasing drug prices in the U.S. The association has called for the addition of a prescription drug benefit to the Medicare program, at the same time recognizing that drug pricing will be a major factor determining whether a Medicare drug benefit is practicable. Factors that contribute to high drug prices are the large profit margins cleared by the drug industry, advertising and marketing expenditures, and large international price disparities that buyers are subjected to.

The article examines the position of the American Public Health Association (APHA) on the expansion of midwifery as a key strategy to improving access to care for childbearing families in the U.S. The association has publicly supported the use of innovative strategies to improve birth outcomes and decrease maternal and newborn morbidity an mortality but these documents do not address access to midwifery services. It is recommended that the APHA should urge all state legislatures to legalize the practice of midwifery and promulgate regulations in order to assure the safety of the public's health as it relates to midwifery practice.

The article examines the effect of religious or secular hospital mergers on patients' access to health services in the U.S. Patients are losing access to many reproductive health services when their local secular hospitals merge with nearby religiously-affiliated facilities that object to those services on ethical grounds. Services banned by the merged entity may include contraception, abortions, sterilizations, in vitro fertilization, emergency contraception for rape victims, and the discussion of condom use as part of HIV prevention counseling. Formerly secular hospitals and nursing homes also restrict end-of-life choices. Recommendations to the American Public Health Association are presented.

The article addresses further debate and decision-making by the American Public Health Association (APHA) on a public policy statement on safe drinking water. The paper provides the scientific basis and justification for the importance of improving water supplies in the U.S. The quality and safety of drinking water in the U.S. continues to be an important public health issue. Specific contaminants of concern include microbial contaminants and chemical contaminants. Recommended goals for the APHA are to foster greater involvement of the public health professional as advisor, educator and advocate on issues related to drinking water and health, and to promote understanding in public health practice and policy making of the potential public impact of water contamination.

Objectives. We investigated child labor violations among US adolescents working in the retail and service industries. Methods. We used interview data from a nationally representative sample of working adolescents, and investigated reports of select child labor violations (e.g., hours, equipment, and work permits). We computed weighted percentages of respondents reporting each type of discrete (and aggregated) violation. Results. Nearly 37% of respondents reported a violation of the hazardous occupations orders (i.e., prohibited jobs or use of equipment), and 40% reported a work permit violation. Fewer than 2% reported working more than the maximum weekly hours allowed during the school year, but 11% reported working past the latest hour allowed on a school night, and 15% reported working off the clock. Conclusions. Significant numbers of US adolescents are employed in violation of the child labor laws and as a result are exposed to safety risks. Although our data did not allow for an analysis of enforcement, our findings demonstrate gaps in employer compliance with the law. We suggest that closer attention to enforcement policy and practice is needed. (Am J Public Health. 2008;98:1693-1699. doi:10.2105/AJPH.2007.122853) [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: An exhaustive bibliography which assesses the methodological rigor of the patient compliance literature, and citation data from the Science Citation Index (SCI) are combined to determine if methodologically rigorous papers are used with greater frequency than substandard articles by compliance investigators. There are low, but statistically significant, correlations between methodological rigor and citation indicators for 138 patient compliance papers published in SCI source journals during 1975 and 1976. The correlation is not strong enough to warrant use of citation measures as indicators of rigor on a paper-by-paper basis. The data do suggest that citation measures might be developed as crude indicators of methodological rigor. There is no evidence that randomized trials are cited more frequently than studies that employ other experimental designs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article discusses the development of the "American Journal of Public Health (AJPH)" in the U.S. The journal was first published in 1911, however, it was not the first serial publication of the American Public Health Association (APHA). During the early days of AJPH, mostly of their articles were from APHA meetings. Contributions from different sectors started in 1956. Several years after, the publication has changed in character and content. Advances in science and technology are considered the main force behind AJPH's growth.

The article focuses on the American Public Health Association (APHA) and the "American Journal of Public Health." APHA has endured political and fiscal adversity, adopted a global public health mission, worked through staff departures and embraced a change in leadership with the appointment of Georges C. Benjamin as its newest executive director. In moving all of the opinion pieces, departments, feature articles and forums to the front section of the journal we were both radical and pragmatic. But listing the types of papers or table-of-contents is not the same as defining or developing a written concept statement for the front section of the journal. The challenge of finding a compelling image to feature on the cover effectively symbolizes the underlying tensions involved in composing the physical layout of the journal. And so, the cover of every issue of the journal serves as the rallying point for a public health topic we hope to advance through the issue. If we are to contribute to social change that eliminates health and other inequalities, we need to continue to enlist committed and devoted public health partners inside and outside the health sector to work with us.

Objectives. An earlier paper estimated the per-case and national incidence costs of Alzheimer's disease for 1983. This paper updates the estimates of costs per case to 1991 and presents new national prevalence estimates of the economic and social costs of the disease. Methods. All data for the cost estimates were taken from published sources or provided by other researchers. Results. At midrange values of the estimated cost and epidemiological parameters, the discounted (at 4%) direct and total costs of Alzheimer's disease were $47 581 and $173 932 per case, respectively. The estimated 1991 national direct and total prevalence costs were $20.6 billion and $67.3 billion, respectively. Assuming conservatively that the prevalence of the disease remains constant, the estimated discounted present values of the direct and total costs of all current and future generations of Alzheimer's patients are $536 billion and $1.75 trillion, respectively. Conclusions. The $536 billion and $1.75 trillion figures are minimum estimates of the long-term dollar losses to the US economy in 1991 caused by Alzheimer's disease. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article focuses on the conflict between the public health sector and the tobacco industry in the U.S. According to the author, the said conflict can be likened to David and Goliath, with the tobacco industry portraying Goliath. The tobacco industry has launched a personal attack upon the credibility and integrity of Stanton Glantz, who wrote several papers against the smoking and the tobacco industry, in general. A letter was sent by Thomas Humber, president of the National Smokers Alliance, to the author criticizing a paper written by Glantz on the effect of smoke-free restaurant ordinances on restaurant sales.

The article highlights the report concerning the "American Journal of Public Health" in the U.S. The report includes the manuscripts that were received by the Journal. The author mentions the publications of more papers that focus on the environmental and occupational health, as well as the desire to publish papers about maternal and child health. It is also asserted in the report that the rejection of around 80% of the submissions as stated in the publication standards and space limitations should not discourage the contributors to the Journal.

A major source of childhood lead poisoning, still a serious problem in the United States, is paint. The dangers of lead were known even in the 19th century, and the particular dangers to children were documented in the English-language literature as early as 1904. During the first decades of the 20th century, many other countries banned or restricted the use of lead paint for interior painting. Despite this knowledge, the lead industry in the United States did nothing to discourage the use of lead paint on interior walls and woodwork. In fact, beginning in the 1920s, the Lead Industries Association and its members conducted an intensive campaign to promote the use of paint containing white lead, even targeting children in their advertising. It was not until the 1950s that the industry, under increasing pressure, adopted a voluntary standard limiting the amount of lead in interior paints. (Am J Public Health. 2000;90:36-46) [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article reports on the announcement of Vision Care Section of the American Public Health Association in the U.S. of its awards program for 1987. The association solicits nominations in the three categories of awards including distinguished achievement, outstanding student and outstanding paper or project. The distinguished achievement award is the highest honor bestowed by the Vision Care Section, designed to recognize the leaders in vision care and public health. The outstanding student award provides recognition to a student who has demonstrated the ability in the promotion of vision care in the public health field. The paper or project award is designed to recognize an individual, institution, or group that have significantly contributed to the advancement of vision care.

Since the 1930s threshold limit values have been presented as an objectively established measure of US industrial safety. However, there have been important questions raised regarding the adequacy of these thresholds for protecting workers from silicosis. This paper explores the historical debates over silica threshold limit values and the intense political negotiation that accompanied their establishment. In the 1930s and early 1940s, a coalition of business, public health, insurance, and political interests formed in response to a widely perceived "silicosis crisis." Part of the resulting program aimed at containing the crisis was the establishment of threshold limit values. Yet silicosis eases continued to be documented. By the 1960s these cases had become the basis for a number of revisions to the thresholds. In the 1970s, following a National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health recommendation to lower the threshold limit value for silica and to eliminate sand as an abrasive in blasting, industry fought attempts to make the existing values more stringent. This paper traces the process by which threshold limit values became part of a compromise between the health of workers and the economic interests of industry. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objectives. There has been a lack of reliable national data on the number of pregnant women using drugs and the number of newborns affected by such use. The major reasons for this lack have been inadequate sampling and data collection procedures and the lack of a risk assessment perspective in analysis. This paper corrects for these inadequacies. Methods. Data from 1979 through 1990 from the National Hospital Discharge Survey, an annual survey by the National Center for Health Statistics, were analyzed. Results. Between 1979 and 1990 there was a 576% increase in the rate of discharges of drug-using parturient women in the United States and a 456% increase in the rate of discharges of drug-affected newborns. After adjustment for underreporting, a "best estimate" of the number of discharges from 1988 through 1990 was about 88 000 per year for drug-using parturient women and about 48 000 per year for drug-affected newborns. Conclusions. Although the data support the occurrence of a national epidemic of drug use among pregnant women during the 1980s, the size and severity of this epidemic have been overstated. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article discusses the position paper 9211: Domestic Violence adopted by the American Public Health Association. The paper aims to mobilize public health professionals and public health agencies to engage in actions regarding the prevention of domestic violence. It defines domestic violence as an act that leads to physical, emotional and other injury to anther individual. The acts include physical, sexual, emotional abuse, incest and neglect. The scope of the problem for spouse/cohabiting partner abuse, child abuse and elder abuse is discussed. Proposed actions such as prevention and education, legal/judicial reform and service delivery are also tackled.

The article examines how the "American Journal of Public Health," the official organ of the American Public Health Association cope with the changes in the health policy in the U.S. During the period of editorship of Dr. George Rosen, both the Journal's circulation and its sponsoring organization's membership has doubled. The source of offerings to the Journal expanded far beyond the lists of Association members and the papers presented at public health meetings during the years of Rosen's editorship.

Health planning in this paper is considered as a developmental process in which different types of planning appear at different times. These types are discussed and the place in the complex health care system developing in the United States is assessed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Predictions that measles would be eradicated through vaccination have not been fulfilled. The reasons for this failure are analyzed in this paper, and the possibilities for successful action against measles are outlined. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A widely publicized but unpublished study of the relationship between gun shows and gun violence is being cited in debates about the regulation of gun shows and gun commerce. We believe the study is fatally flawed. A working paper entitled "The Effect of Gun Shows on Gun-Related Deaths: Evidence from California and Texas" outlined this study, which found no association between gun shows and gun-related deaths. We believe the study reflects a limited understanding of gun shows and gun markets and is not statistically powered to detect even an implausibly large effect of gun shows on gun violence. In addition, the research contains serious ascertainment and classification errors, produces results that are sensitive to minor specification changes in key variables and in some cases have no face validity, and is contradicted by 1 of its own authors' prior research. The study should not be used as evidence in formulating gun policy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The development of modern epidemiology, particularly cancer epidemiology, is often seen as a post-World War II phenomenon. However, the First National Cancer Survey, conducted from 1937 to 1939 as part of the newly formed National Cancer Institute's initial activities, provided the first data on the occurrence of cancer in the United States. This project was directed by a young sociologist, Harold Fred Dom. Through Dom, many of the methodological innovations in sociology, such as the use of surveys and observational study designs, were incorporated into modern epidemiology. I examine Dorn's training and early career in the content of the First National Cancer Survey as a means of investigating the beginnings of modem epidemiology. (Am J Public Health. 2008;98:2150-2158. doi:10.2105/AJPH.2007.1l7440) [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Highlights the contributions of Louis Tompkins Wright in health care racial integration in the United States. Family background; Educational attainment; Details on his career in the military. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article presents a position paper from the American Public Health Association relative to the protection of the public against foods and beverages that are unfit for human consumption in the U.S. The association advises the government regulatory agencies and the food industries to reduce the widespread occurrence of food borne diseases across the country. It also advocates adoption of measures which will reward the traditional sanitary inspections and quality control programs. In addition, the group endorses the concepts and sampling plans developed by the International Commission on Microbiological Specifications for Foods.

The article presents a position paper from the American Public Health Association relative to alternatives in maternity care in the U.S. The association endorses the philosophy of family centered maternity care with full recognition of human rights. It urge to the modification of the in-hospital environment to make family- entered care available to both high-risk and low-risk mothers who desire it. In addition, the group urges to develop guidelines for promotion of mother and infant bonding. Other significant decisions of the group are presented.

The following six papers examine a broad range of disease processes and relevant social conditions, such as urban living, social disorganization, poverty, socioeconomic status, and emotional conflict and instability, and show that much illness and death is caused, directly and indirectly, by social and personality factors. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper, based on an analysis of cancer articles published in popular periodical literature since the early part of the century, argues that gender has played a key role in medical and popular understandings of cancer. Cancer education, the author finds, has taught women and men different things. Public health materials created with the intention of improving health through education actually send a multiplicity of messages, not all of them helpful. This essay suggests that public health messages targeted by sex are problematic, although perhaps necessary. The paper also contributes to scholarship concerned with the question of how people develop their ideas about risk of disease. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The decades just before and after the founding of the American Public Health Association in 1872 saw an efflorescence of political cartooning and caricature in national-circulation weeklies. Part of the political and social critique that cartoonists and their editors provided the public focused on needs or opportunities for preventing illness and accidents. This paper presents a small selection of editorial cartoons that agitated in support of public health activities over 4 decades. The goals are to illustrate several concerns that rose to national prominence in that era, to examine the kinds of imagery that newspapers and magazine editors offered their readers, and to observe how frequently the public was encouraged 10 see politicians and commercial interests as responsible for preventable health problems. This discussion focuses exclusively on propagandistic images, leaving aside the reportorial depictions of events in the news and the neutral illustrations of methods and machines in scientific and technical publications. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Henry E. Sigerist, an internationally renowned medical historian, played a surprisingly important and visible role in American medical politics in the 1930s and 1940s. Born in Paris of Swiss parents, he was professor in Leipzig, Germany, before coming to the United States in 1932 as professor of the history of medicine at Johns Hopkins University. Once in America, Sigerist become deeply involved in medical politics and the campaign for national health insurance. He argued that individualized medical practice was outdated and should gradually be superseded by state-run and state-financed health services. National health insurance was but one step in this historical progression. Sigerist thus lent the weight of history itself to the cause of medical care reform. The charming and erudite Sigerist was welcomed by leaders of academic medicine in America. Soon, he emerged as a spokesman of the left wing of the medical profession, an effective and popular speaker, and an impassioned advocate of socialized medicine. This paper traces Sigerist's political ideas and activities, and his contributions toward medical care reform in the United States. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper presents trends in the growth in the US uninsured population, using cross-sectional national estimates from 1977, 1987, 1989, and 1992 and focusing specifically on coverage problems experienced by Hispanic Americans. An examination of the composition of uninsured persons added between 1977 and 1992 shows that almost 40% of the difference is accounted for by persons of Hispanic origin, with those of Mexican origin alone constituting 27%. In addition, the annual average rate of growth in the uninsured Hispanic population between 1977 and 1992 was 9.7%, compared with only 2.3% for the uninsured non-Hispanic population. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective. The assessment of the adequacy of prenatal care utilization is heavily shaped by the way in which utilization is measured. Although it is widely used, the current major index of utilization, the Kessner/Institute of Medicine Index, has not been subjected to systematic examination. This paper provides such an examination. Methods. Data from the 1980 National Natality Survey are used to disaggregate the components of the Kessner Index for detailed analysis. An alternative two-part index, the Adequacy of Prenatal Care Utilization Index, is proposed that combines independent assessments of the timing of prenatal care initiation and the frequency of visits received after initiation. Results. The Kessner Index is seriously flawed. It is heavily weighted toward timing of prenatal care initiation, does not distinguish timing of initiation from poor subsequent utilization, inaccurately measures utilization for full-or post-term pregnancies, and lacks sufficient documentation for consistent computer programming. Conclusions. The Adequacy of Prenatal Care Utilization Index offers a more accurate and comprehensive set of measures of prenatal care utilization than the Kessner Index. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A review of the five centuries since Columbus discovered America helps us understand the mutual contributions of the Old and the New Worlds to the history of diseases and their treatment. It also shows the consequences of this "mutual discovery" as they are currently emerging in the fields of health, culture, and the environment. To evaluate the multiple aspects of the interchange between the Old and New Worlds, this paper discusses the following the causes of the rapid decline of the original American populations; the diffusion of communicable diseases between the two civilizations; the health consequences of nutritional changes on both sides of the Atlantic; drug addictions, as they developed through the centuries and as they exist today; the ways diseases were and are evaluated, prevented, diagnosed, and treated; and the mutual impact of different models of health services. Arguing that a major global change following the discovery of America was the transition from isolation of the two worlds to communication, and more recently, to global interdependence the paper also discusses some problems of bioethical relevance and the possible impact of new epidemics. Finally, it suggests that a critical analysis of the past may help stimulate future cooperation and solidarity. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper describes the sexual behavior changes made by 686 gay and bisexual men in San Francisco between 1984 and 1988, focusing on the individual maintenance of this behavior change over time. There were drastic reductions in insertive and receptive unprotective anal intercourse over time and the vast majority of subjects were able to maintain these changes for at least 12 months prior to the last interview. A total of 12 percent of participants admitted to relapsing to unprotected receptive anal intercourse following initial behavior change; 10 percent reported engaging in unprotected receptive anal sex during every year of the study period. Men were more likely to practice unprotected anal intercourse in 1988 if at baseline they were younger, practiced unprotected anal intercourse, reported more sex partners, did not have a close friend or lover with AIDS, and engaged in fewer other health-related behaviors. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: This paper estimates the economic costs of Alzheimer's Disease to individuals and to society, based on review of published Alzheimer's Disease-related research. The analysis is derived from epidemiological projections and cost information for the United States population in 1983. Estimated costs include both direct medical care and social support costs, as well as indirect costs, such as support services provided by family or volunteers, and the value of lost economic productivity in Alzheimer's Disease patients, Mid-range estimates of net annual expected costs for an Alzheimer's Disease patient, excluding the value of lost productivity, are $18,517 in the first year and $17,643 in subsequent years, with direct medical and social services comprising about half of these costs. Under base case assumptions, the total cost of disease per patient in 1983, was $48,544 to $493,277, depending upon patient's age at disease onset. The estimated present value of total net costs to society for all persons first diagnosed with Alzheimer's Disease in 1983 was $27.9-31.2 billion. Development of a public or private insurance market for the economic burdens of Alzheimer's Disease would fill some of the gaps in the current US system of financing long-term chronic disease care. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The purpose of this paper is to determine the influence of federal mine safety inspections on underground coal mine accidents. An economic incentives model is developed to relate federal enforcement activities to accident rates. The determinants of accident rates are analyzed for 535 coal mines during the period 1973-75. Estimates based on these data when applied to the model indicate that increasing inspections by 25 per cent would have produced a 13 per cent decline in fatal accidents and an 18 per cent decline in disabling accidents. (Am J Public Health 1985; 75:497-501.) [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: This paper presents estimates of t11,2 number of diagnostic x-ray examinations performed in the United States. the population dose delivered, the percentage of that dose contributed by credentialed and noncredentialed operators, and one measure of performance: collimation of the x-ray beam. An estimated 82 per ¢ of medical x-ray examination:, are performed by voluntarily certified (ARRT or ARCRT) operators. These procedures contribute 90 per ¢ of the radiation dose to the population. Data from the Nationwide Evaluation of X-Ray Trends (NEXT) program indicate that certified operators collimate the x-ray beam somewhat better than noncertified for chest examinations. They also indicate in it difference,; in collimation practices may be attributed to the type of facility as well as to the credentials of the operators. One third of the medical x-ray machines are in states presently requiring licensure of operators. It appears from these estimates that instituting operator licensure in the remaining states may reduce population dose by a maximum of one or two per ¢. (Am J Public Health 1985:75:270-274.) [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: In this paper we review evidence on smoking and lung cancer among Latinos, including findings from several unpublished studies and technical reports. Recent surveys of smoking behavior in California. Texas. and New Mexico indicate a notable sex difference in smoking among Latinos, with Latino males smoking at least as frequently as White males, while Latino females report smoking rates considerably lower than White females. Our analysis of the 1979 and 1980 National Health Interview Surveys corroborates this finding and also indicates that this pattern holds true for subgroups of the Latino population, including country of origin. Taken together, these findings suggest that among Latino males rates of lung cancer and other cigarette-linked diseases may increase in the near future. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: This paper analyzes the potential of using measures of social function as health indicators in dental research. It discusses existing methodologies and presents findings from a cross section of studies that adopt a social function perspective in the investigation of oral health status. While the literature in this area is small, much of the research concerns disability days associated with dental problems, The United States National Health interview Survey reported in 1981 than 4.87 million dental condition caused 17.7 million days of restricted activity. 6.73 million days of bed disability, and 7.05 million days of work loss. Other reports suggest that these data may be underestimates due to the National Health Surveys definition of disability days. Several other studies have found work loss to affect from 15 per ¢ to 33 per ¢ of samples studied resulting in many more work loss days than reported by the National Health Surveys. Our study concludes that traditional measures of oral health status such as decayed, missing, and filled teeth and the periodontal index--should be linked to measures of social outcome in order to place dental conditions within the broader context of health status in terms that are relevant to policy makers. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: The 1980 Census data provide a valuable resource for health services research on Hispanics. Hispanics are the fastest growing minority group in the United States and yet there is a paucity of large-scale empirical research on their health care and access needs. This paper describes how the census can assist in: 1) estimating the overall health care needs of this group. 2) identifying target groups within the Hispanic population who may have special health care problems (e.g., children, elderly, pregnant women. etc.); and 3) using other data sources to improve the quality of studies carried out on Hispanics. It also discusses problems in using the census for Hispanic health services research and some strategies for dealing with these problems. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: Recent studies have indicated higher rates of certain respiratory conditions among children who live in households with adults who smoke cigarettes. This paper analyzes data from the 1970 National Health Interview Survey. Children in families with no smokers had an average of 1.1 fewer restricted-activity days and 0.8 fewer bed-disability days per year than did children in families with two smokers. Children in families with one smoker were in between. Acute respiratory illness accounted for the difference in disability days among children in families with different smoking characteristics. Family smoking was also measured by the combined number of cigarettes smoked by adults; children in families which smoked 45 or more cigarettes a day had 1.9 more restricted activity days and 0.9 more bed-disability days due to acute respiratory conditions than did children in families who did not smoke cigarettes. The age of the child, the number of adults in the family, the education of the family head, and the family income were all controlled and did not eliminate the relationship between children's health and family smoking. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper uses findings from five nationally representative surveys of high school seniors from 1975 through 1979 to examine the correlates of licit and illicit drug use, and to consider whether recent changes in youthful drug use are linked to any changes in the correlates. Males still exceed females in use of alcohol and marijuana, but no longer in cigarette smoking. Black seniors now report less drug use than Whites. Other dimensions of family background, region, and urbanicity show only modest associations with drug use. Above average drug use occurs among those less successful in adapting to the educational environment, as indicated by truancy and low grades; those who spend many evenings out for recreation; and those with heavy time commitments to a job and/or relatively high incomes. Drug use is below average among seniors with strong religious commitments and conservative political views. From 1975 through 1979, among seniors cigarette use peaked and subsequently declined, marijuana use rose and then leveled off, and the (still infrequent) use of cocaine rose rapidly. However, these shifts in drug use were not accompanied by substantial shifts in the above correlates of use. The findings thus suggest that the kinds of young people most at risk remain much the same, while the types and amounts of substances they use shift somewhat from year to year. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: Data presented in This paper were obtained from interviews of 1,129 Chicanas in Los Angeles in 1973. The women were 15-44 years of age, and married to Chicanos. While the level of contraceptive use prior to the last pregnancy was somewhat lower for Chicanas than for all women in the United States. they were equally successful in their fertility planning. For Chicano contraceptors, the success rate ranged from 65 per ¢ before the first pregnancy to 42 per ¢ before the fourth, a little higher than for all women in the United Stales. For non-contraceptors, there were similar differences in success between the two groups. These findings suggest that the higher fertility of Chicanas is a consequence of their desire for larger families rather than unsuccessful family planning. The findings on the determinants of fertility planning success suggest that ethnicity and type of health facility care for the last pregnancy are more important variables than age, age at marriage, socioeconomic status and religiosity. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]