Outcomes of a technology-based social norms intervention to deter alcohol use in freshman residence halls

OBJECTIVE: The authors tested a prototype intervention designed to deter alcohol use in residence halls. PARTICIPANTS: Approximately 384 freshmen participated in the study over a 2-year period. METHODS: The authors devised a feedback method that assessed residents' blood alcohol concentration (BAC) at night and allowed the readings to be retrieved the next day via the Web. Residents in an intervention hall received their BAC readings as well as normative feedback. In a comparison hall, residents could retrieve only the BAC readings. RESULTS: The authors found statistically significant hall differences, but they were small in size and not meaningful. CONCLUSIONS: Qualitative findings suggest the intervention had an overall positive impact, but the actions of a subgroup of rebellious drinkers might have obscured the effect. Social norms interventions could provoke some episodes of excessive drinking in students who find these messages objectionable. More research is needed to evaluate delayed BAC feedback.     

Antimicrobial resistance of urinary tract isolates in acute uncomplicated cystitis among college-aged women: choosing a first-line therapy

OBJECTIVE AND PARTICIPANTS: The authors of this retrospective case study focused on antimicrobial susceptibility of urinary tract isolates in cases of acute uncomplicated cystitis in college-aged women, aged 18 to 24 years, diagnosed at a major south-central university student health center. METHODS: The authors obtained pertinent data from patient medical and laboratory records, including, diagnoses, urine culture, and susceptibility results. RESULTS: Of 179 isolates, 161 (90%) were Escherichia coli (E. Coli) isolates, of which 23% were resistant to trimethoprimsulfamethoxazole, <1% were resistant to Ciprofloxacin, and <1% were resistant to nitrofurantoin. Sixty-eight (42%) E. Coli isolates were multidrug resistant. There were 18 isolates cultured in the study group that were significant organisms other than E. coli. For all organisms in the study group, there was a combined resistance rate of 22% to trimethoprim-sulfamethoxazole, <1.0% for Ciprofloxacin, and 7% for nitrofurantoin. CONCLUSIONS: The findings suggest that both Ciprofloxacin and Nitrofurantoin are acceptable choices for empiric therapy of acute uncomplicated urinary tract infection in this study population, keeping in mind the potential for rising resistance rates to Ciprofloxacin in the community setting.     

Rethinking the Two-Body Problem: The Segregation of Women Into Geographically Dispersed Occupations

Empirical research on the family cites the tendency for couples to relocate for husbands’ careers as evidence against the gender neutrality of household economic decisions. For these studies, occupational segregation is a concern because occupations are not random by sex and mobility is not random by occupation. I find that the tendency for households to relocate for husbands’ careers is better explained by the segregation of women into geographically dispersed occupations rather than by the direct prioritization of men’s careers. Among never-married workers, women relocate for work less often than men, and the gender effect disappears after occupational segregation is accounted for. Although most two-earner families feature husbands in geographically clustered jobs involving frequent relocation for work, families are no less likely to relocate for work when it belongs to the wife. I conclude that future research in household mobility should treat occupational segregation occurring prior to marriage rather than gender bias within married couples as the primary explanation for the prioritization of husbands’ careers in household mobility decisions.     

Marginality amidst plenty: Pathways into homelessness for older Australians

In this paper, drawing on in‐depth interviews, we illustrate that despite the significant overall increase in the wealth of older Australians over the last two decades, a sizeable proportion of older Australians (65 and over) are in a vulnerable accommodation situation and many face the possibility of finding themselves homeless. This is especially so for those older Australians who are dependent on government for their income and are living in private rented accommodation. We show that the changing nature of the housing market means that often our informants were not able to find affordable, adequate and secure accommodation. The death of a spouse, rent increases and eviction are common precipitators of a slide into a situation of imminent homelessness. The restructuring of the welfare state and the virtual freeze on the building of social housing means that older private renters who face eviction often have nowhere to turn. Besides not being able to rely on the market or government, many have minimal or no family and social networks.