A prospective study of the utility of standardized instruments in predicting recidivism among first DWI offenders.

Objective: The present study investigated the utility of four instruments--the MacAndrews scale of the MMPI-2 (MAC), four scales of the Alcohol Use Inventory (AUI), the Michigan Alcoholism Screening Test (MAST) and the Skinner's Trauma Scale (STS)--in assessing risk for rearrest among first driving while impaired (DWI) offenders.

Method: Subjects were clients (N = 1,384, 80% male) convicted of a DWI offense who were referred to the Lovelace Comprehensive Screening Program for evaluation and who completed a court-mandated screening program. Stratified life table analysis was used to determine rearrest rates in the period following the screening referral.

Use of computer interview data to test associations between risk factors and pregnancy outcomes.

Computer interviews have been used in a variety of settings as a means of gathering data and providing health education information. The objective of this study was to determine whether data gathered from a computer interview have predictive validity in determining pregnancy outcomes. Pregnant women (N = 190) completed a computer-assisted interview to provide risk factor information.

Breast cancer survival among New Mexico Hispanic, American Indian, and non-Hispanic white women (1973-1992).

A study of breast cancer survival was conducted among New Mexico Hispanic and non-Hispanic white women and New Mexico and Arizona American Indian women diagnosed between 1973 and 1992. The goals were to determine whether, after adjusting for first treatment and the extent of disease at diagnosis, American Indian and Hispanic women had poorer survival than non-Hispanic whites and, if survival had improved over time, whether comparable improvements had been made for the three racial/ethnic groups. Five-year relative survival rates were calculated, and a Cox proportional hazards model was constructed to compare survival between races/ethnicities, adjusting for first treatment and the extent of disease at diagnosis.

Nonmelanoma skin carcinoma in Albuquerque, New Mexico: experience of a major health care provider.

Background: Although nonmelanoma skin carcinomas (NMSC) are increasing nationwide, rates are difficult to measure precisely, because few registries include types of carcinoma. Albuquerque, New Mexico is a high risk site for both melanoma and NMSC. In a National Cancer Institute (NCI) survey conducted between 1977 and 1978, NMSC incidence rates among non-Hispanic white males were the highest of 8 national study sites.

Mortality in a cohort of orchard workers exposed to lead arsenate pesticide spray.

During the period from 1890 to 1940, lead arsenate was the major pesticide used in apple orchards to control the coddling moth. In the Wenatchee area of Washington State, lead arsenate spray was used for longer periods and in larger quantities than in other areas of the United States. In 1938, a cohort of 1,231 people who lived in this area was selected for a study to determine the effects of exposure to lead arsenate spray and residue.

Cardiovascular disease in Navajo Indians with type 2 diabetes.

Rates of both type 2 diabetes and cardiovascular disease have risen sharply in recent years among Navajo Indians, the largest reservation-based American Indian tribe, but the association between the two conditions is not entirely clear. Rates of cardiovascular disease and some possible associations in several hundred diabetic and non-diabetic Navajos were estimated. Nearly one-third (30.

Alcohol abuse screening instruments: normative test data collected from a first DWI offender screening program.

Objective: A variety of instruments are used by Driving While Impaired (DWI) screening programs nationwide to assess offenders for alcohol- or drug-related problems. This study presents normative data from five standardized instruments administered by a DWI screening program: the MAC scale of the MMPI, the Alcohol Use Inventory (AUI), the Michigan Alcoholism Screening Test (MAST), the Drug Abuse Screening Test (DAST) and the Skinner's Trauma Scale (STS).

Method: The population under study were 2,317 first DWI offenders who completed screening evaluations in 1989-91.

History of smoking from the Washington State death certificate.

Beginning in 1988, a question added to the Washington State death certificate asked whether the decedent had smoked during the last 15 years of life. We analyzed death certificate data to evaluate the effectiveness of this question in identifying groups with high smoking rates and occupations with high rates of respiratory disease death among nonsmokers. We obtained statistical death certificate data from the Washington State Department of Health for resident deaths occurring between 1988 and 1991.

Smoking prevalence during pregnancy for women who are and women who are not Medicaid-funded.

Maternal smoking has been related to a number of adverse pregnancy outcomes. Although maternal smoking prevalence has decreased over time, certain populations have retained a high smoking prevalence and remain at high risk for adverse pregnancy outcomes. This study used the Washington State First Steps Program Database to estimate the difference in maternal smoking prevalence between mothers whose prenatal or delivery care was Medicaid-funded and mothers whose care was not Medicaid-funded.