Influence of hometown on family physicians' choice to practice in rural settings.

Objective: This study examines the influence of a physician's hometown location on the choice of practice location, adjusting for confounding variables.

Methods: Medical school records for 2,487 Indiana University graduates (classes of 1988--1997) were matched to the American Medical Association's Masterfile data to identify the graduates' current practice locations and specialties. Urban influence codes were assigned to each county in Indiana for the purposes of defining metro or nonmetro locations.

Estimating the economic impact of secondhand smoke on the health of a community.

Purpose: This study provides a model to estimate the health-related costs of secondhand smoke exposure at a community level.

Model Development: Costs of secondhand smoke-related mortality and morbidity were estimated using national attributable risk values for diseases that are causally related to secondhand smoke exposure for adults and children. Estimated costs included ambulatory care costs, hospital inpatient costs, and loss of life costs based on vital statistics, hospital discharge data, and census data.