Airway obstruction among Latino poultry processing workers in North Carolina.

This analysis was conducted to evaluate the prevalence of airway obstruction among Latino poultry processing workers. Data were collected from 279 poultry processing workers and 222 other manual laborers via spirometry and interviewer-administered questionnaires. Participants employed in poultry processing reported the activities they perform at work.

Prevalence of bifid median nerves and persistent median arteries and their association with carpal tunnel syndrome in a sample of Latino poultry processors and other manual workers.

Introduction: The prevalence of bifid median nerves and persistent median arteries, their co-occurrence, and their relationship to carpal tunnel syndrome (CTS) are only understood partially.

Methods: We screened 1026 wrists of 513 Latino manual laborers in North Carolina for bifid median nerves and persistent median arteries using electrodiagnosis and ultrasound.

Results: A total of 8.

Ultrasound for carpal tunnel syndrome screening in manual laborers.

Introduction: Manual laborers are at increased risk for carpal tunnel syndrome (CTS), and a combination of history, physical examination, and nerve conduction studies is often used to screen for CTS in this population. Neuromuscular ultrasound may be a better screening tool, because it is painless. In this study we compare the accuracy of nerve conduction studies and ultrasound for CTS screening.

Dermatologist-diagnosed skin diseases among immigrant Latino poultry processors and other manual workers in North Carolina, USA.

Background: Immigrant Latino workers represent an expanding workforce in rural areas of the USA, where their employment is concentrated in occupations such as poultry processing that entail chemical, infectious, and mechanical skin exposures. Occupation-related skin illnesses in this vulnerable population are not well characterized.

Objectives: This study was designed to describe the prevalences of skin diseases among immigrant Latino poultry processors and other manual workers in North Carolina.

Simultaneous use of non-medical ADHD prescription stimulants and alcohol among undergraduate students.

Background: Use of prescription stimulants used to treat Attention Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) for reasons other than prescribed, known as non-medical use, is a growing problem among undergraduates. Previous studies show that non-medical prescription stimulant (NMPS) users consume more alcohol than individuals who do not use NMPS. However, research on simultaneous use of NMPS and alcohol is limited.

Prevalence of epicondylitis, rotator cuff syndrome, and low back pain in Latino poultry workers and manual laborers.

Background: The goal of this study is to improve understanding of immigrant Latino manual workers' occupational health, focusing on upper body musculoskeletal injury.

Methods: Physical exams were conducted with a representative sample of 516 Latino poultry workers and manual laborers in western North Carolina; outcome measures were prevalence of epicondylitis, rotator cuff syndrome, and low back pain.

Results: Low back pain (n = 89; 17.

Impact of a randomized campus/community trial to prevent high-risk drinking among college students.

Background: High-risk drinking by college students continues to pose a significant threat to public health. Despite increasing evidence of the contribution of community-level and campus-level environmental factors to high-risk drinking, there have been few rigorous tests of interventions that focus on changing these interlinked environments. The Study to Prevent Alcohol Related Consequences (SPARC) assessed the efficacy of a comprehensive intervention using a community organizing approach to implement environmental strategies in and around college campuses.

The prevalence of carpal tunnel syndrome in Latino poultry-processing workers and other Latino manual workers.

Objective: To determine the prevalence of carpal tunnel syndrome (CTS) in Latino poultry-processing workers.

Methods: Symptoms and nerve conduction studies were used to prospectively assess 287 Latino poultry-processing workers and 226 Latinos in other manual-labor occupations.

Results: The prevalence of CTS was higher in poultry-processing (8.

Poultry processing work and respiratory health of Latino men and women in North Carolina.

Objective: To evaluate associations between poultry processing work and respiratory health among working Latino men and women in North Carolina.

Methods: Between May 2009 and November 2010, 402 poultry processing workers and 339 workers in a comparison population completed interviewer-administered questionnaires. Of these participants, 279 poultry processing workers and 222 workers in the comparison population also completed spirometry testing to provide measurements of forced expiratory volume in 1 second and forced vital capacity.

Screening and brief intervention for tobacco use by student health providers on college campuses.

Objective: This study assessed college students' reports of tobacco screening and brief intervention by student health center providers.

Participants: Participants were 3,800 students from 8 universities in North Carolina.

Methods: Web-based survey of a stratified random sample of undergraduates.

Treatment of insomnia in depressed insomniacs: effects on health-related quality of life, objective and self-reported sleep, and depression.

Study Objectives: Insomnia is associated with poor health related quality of life (HRQOL) in depressed patients. Prior clinical trials of hypnotic treatment of insomnia in depressed patients have shown improvement in HRQOL, but in these studies HRQOL was relegated to a secondary outcome, and objective measures of sleep were not undertaken.

Design: Double-blind, randomized, placebo-controlled clinical trial.

High-risk versus low-risk football game weekends: differences in problem drinking and alcohol-related consequences on college campuses in the United States.

Unlabelled: Collegiate football games provide multiple social opportunities for alcohol use by students over the course of the weekend. The goal of this study was to examine alcohol use and alcohol-related consequences on football game weekends to determine differences based on characteristics of the game.

Methods: A random sample of students from two large, public universities in the United States completed a survey on the Sunday-Friday following a high-risk weekend (HRW, important, home game) and low-risk weekend (LRW, no home game or game of importance) (N = 3,238 total).

Attrition bias in a U.S. Internet survey of alcohol use among college freshmen.

Objective: Attrition bias is an important issue in survey research on alcohol, tobacco, and other drug use. The issue is even more salient for Internet studies, because these studies often have higher rates of attrition than face-to-face or telephone surveys, and there is limited research examining the issue in the field of drug usage, specifically for college underclassmen. This study assessed whether measures of high-risk drinking and alcohol-related consequences were related to attrition groups ("stayers" or "leavers") in a cohort of college freshmen.