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This article reports on the convenience food and restaurant use habits of female-headed single parent families. Consumer behavior researchers have been encouraged to study the family, especially with respect to decision making. The most comprehensive existing theoretical marketing model on family purchasing and decision making assumes that children are growing up in a two parent family structure. However, in actuality, the family structure today includes not only married couples with children, but also a myriad alternative family structures, including female-headed single parent families. According to the 1990 US census, there are 92 million households in the United States, with 70 percent considered family households and 30 percent considered nonfamily households. Of the 64 million family households, approximately 11 percent are headed by females alone, compared with 5 percent in 1970. Female-headed single parent families represent the fastest growing family type, up 36 percent since 1980.

Unplanned intubation after surgery is a marker for severe adverse events. We investigated the incidence, risk factors, and prognosis of unplanned intubation after general and vascular surgery and sought to determine whether the deployment of a hospital-wide medical emergency team (MET) had a preventive effect. We included all patients undergoing general and vascular surgical procedures between April 1, 2006, and June 30, 2008, from our American College of Surgeons National Surgical Quality Improvement Program data. Risk factors and incidence rates of unplanned intubation were compared before (preMET) and after (postMET) June 7, 2007. Chart review identified case details and fatality rates. There were 2426 patients included (1815 preMET, 611 postMET). The overall incidence of unplanned intubation was 2.6 per cent; significant risk factors included chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, dependent functional status, and emergent operation. Most (84%) unplanned intubations occurred in a critical care setting and the most common underlying reason was sepsis (40%). The overall case fatality rate was 43 per cent but varied significantly depending on the underlying reason for unplanned intubation. Incidence rates of unplanned intubation did not change significantly after MET deployment, suggesting that other strategies are needed to prevent this rare but highly morbid and mortal event.