Actual causes of death in Alaska.

We estimated 2011-2015 Alaska mortality from modifiable behavioural risk factors using relative risks, hazard ratios, and population attributable fraction estimates from a comprehensive review of peer-reviewed literature; prevalence estimates from government reports; as well as data from the Alaska Department of Environmental Conservation for 2011-2015. To identify the number of deaths attributable to specified risk factors, we used mortality data from the Alaska Division of Public Health, Health Analytics & Vital Records Section. Data included actual reported deaths of Alaska residents for 2011-2015 that matched relevant underlying International Classification of Diseases and Related Health Problems 10th Revision codes.

Lack of in-home piped water and reported consumption of sugar-sweetened beverages among adults in rural Alaska.

Objective: To assess whether a community water service is associated with the frequency of sugar-sweetened beverages (SSB) consumption, obesity, or perceived health status in rural Alaska.

Design: We examined the cross-sectional associations between community water access and frequency of SSB consumption, body mass index categories, and perceived health status using data from the 2013 and 2015 Alaska Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System (BRFSS). Participants were categorized by zip code to 'in-home piped water service' or 'no in-home piped water service' based on water utility data.

An Innovative Tribal-State Partnership: The Development of the Healthy Alaskans 2020 Statewide Health Improvement Plan.

This article details the development of Healthy Alaskans 2020, Alaska's statewide health improvement plan. Healthy Alaskans 2020 is a framework that supports collaborative efforts among many agencies and communities working toward the common goals of improving health and ensuring health equity for all Alaskans. The initiative was created through a unique tribal-state partnership between the Alaska Native Tribal Health Consortium and the Alaska Department of Health and Social Services.

The Real Cost: Alaska's innovative media campaign to raise awareness about the direct and indirect costs of smoking to society.

Smoking incurs heavy financial costs for direct medical expenditures and lost productivity related to premature death. The Alaska Tobacco Prevention and Control Program designed a media campaign called 'The Real Cost' to raise awareness of the economic cost of smoking to all Alaskans, regardless of their smoking status. The campaign presented this information through television and radio ads between December 2012 and March 2013.

Smoking cessation patterns by socioeconomic status in Alaska.

The ongoing disparity in smoking prevalence across levels of socioeconomic status (SES) is a significant concern in the tobacco control field, and surveillance of cessation-related activity is key to understanding progress. Historically, lower SES smokers have had much lower quit ratios but this measure can be insensitive to recent quit-related behavior. It is therefore important to examine recent quit-related behavior to assess progress toward addressing this disparity, especially in states with tobacco control programs that focus on this priority population.

Estimating the Prevalence of Childhood Obesity in Alaska Using Partial, Nonrandom Measurement Data.

Although monitoring childhood obesity prevalence is critical for state public health programs to assess trends and the effectiveness of interventions, few states have comprehensive body mass index measurement systems in place. In some states, however, assorted school districts collect measurements on student height and weight as part of annual health screenings. To estimate childhood obesity prevalence in Alaska, we created a logistic regression model using such annual measurements along with public data on demographics and socioeconomic status.

Effectiveness of a tobacco quitline in an indigenous population: a comparison between Alaska Native people and other first-time quitline callers who set a quit date.

Objectives: To conduct a descriptive, comparative study of the acceptability and effectiveness of a tobacco cessation quitline (QL) among Alaska Native people and non-Alaska Native people.

Study Design: From January 2006 to January 2007, we conducted telephone surveys of first-time Alaska QL callers who set a quit date. We attempted to reach them by phone about 3 months after their call to the QL.

Hepatitis A prevalence among injection drug users.

Objective: The purpose of this study was to develop a descriptive model of the association between injection drug use and hepatitis A (HAV) in a sample of injection drug users (IDUs).

Design: From May 1997 to July 1999, 493 subjects were administered the NIDA Risk Behavior Assessment (RBA). Participants had blood drawn; sera were tested for antibodies to HAV, hepatitis B core (HBcAB), and hepatitis C.

Technology and managed care: patient benefits of telemedicine in a rural health care network.

Rural health providers have looked to telemedicine as a technology to reduce costs. However, virtual access to physicians and specialists may alter patients' demand for face-to-face physician access. We develop a model of service demand under managed care, and apply the model to a telemedicine application in rural Alaska.

"Here's what I'd do...": condom promotion strategies proposed by high-risk women in Anchorage, Alaska.

Women drug users are at significant risk of sexually transmitted HIV; however, interventions aimed at increasing condom use by this population have been relatively ineffective. The authors conducted a series of focus groups with 17 current and former drug-using women to identify (a) reasons for using versus not using condoms, (b) intervention strategies they believed would be most effective at increasing condom use, and (c) previous ineffective intervention strategies. Risk of HIV, sexually transmitted diseases, and pregnancy was the main reason given for using condoms.

A condom skill scale: assessing condom skills among female drug users.

Use of latex condoms is a primary form of sexual risk reduction, and consequently many intervention programs have focused efforts on increasing condom use among high-risk populations. Use alone, however, will not fully protect the individual if condoms are not used correctly. The objective of this study was to describe the development and properties of a scale measuring demonstrated condom use skill using a sample of 261 drug-using women.

Needle exchange and injection drug use frequency: a randomized clinical trial.

Despite a lack of evidence that needle exchange programs (NEPs) cause an increase in injection drug use, there are still concerns over fostering increased injection behavior with NEPs. The design was a randomized controlled trial conducted from May 1997 to June 2000 comparing injection drug users (IDUs) who are randomly assigned to have access to an NEP versus training in how to purchase needles and syringes (NS) at pharmacies. Of 653 IDUs recruited into the study, 600 were randomized: 426 were followed-up at 6 months, and 369 were followed-up at 12 months.

Perceptions of power equality among drug-using women.

This study examined the associations between perceptions of the power equality in a current sexual relationship and each of several alternative indicators of power in a sample of drug-using women. Using targeted sampling, 262 women were recruited from the streets of Anchorage, Alaska. A battery of face-to-face questionnaires was administered to adult women who gave evidence of recent drug use (track marks or positive urinalysis) and had been recently sexually active.

Social isolation and domestic violence among female drug users.

The objective of this study was to examine the association between social isolation, domestic violence, and substance dependence among street-recruited female drug users. Hierarchical logistic regression was used to assess the independent contribution of social isolation and substance dependence to the likelihood that women will experience physical abuse. One hundred women (38.