Social influences on use of cigarettes,e-cigarettes,and hookah by college students

ABSTRACT

Objectives: (1) Compare social norms and perceived peer use between college student cigarette, e-cigarette, and/or hookah users and nonusers; and (2) determine variables associated with social influences. Participants: Undergraduate students attending a large university in the Southeast United States (N = 511). Methods: An April 2013 online survey assessed use of 3 types of tobacco, social norms, perception of peer use, number of smokers in life, exposure to secondhand smoke, and demographic characteristics. Results: Participants indicated greater acceptance of emerging tobacco products than for cigarettes and consistently overestimated the percent of peers who use various tobacco products. Males and current users had higher social norm scores for all 3 forms of tobacco. Conclusion: To counter marketing of alternative tobacco products, education about the dangers of their use needs to be implemented across college campuses as part of a comprehensive tobacco control strategy that also includes tobacco-free campus policies.     

A Profile of Middle-Aged and Older Adults Admitted to Nursing Homes: 2000–2008

Middle-aged adults are becoming an increasing share of the nursing home population. Minimum Data Set assessment data for 2000 and 2008 are used to explore similarities and differences in sociodemographic, residential, medical, and psychiatric characteristics of newly admitted middle-aged adults (31–64) compared to their older counterparts (65+). Relative to their share of the state population, Black middle-aged adults are overrepresented in nursing homes across 45 states and the District of Columbia. Chronic conditions, including diabetes, renal failure, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, asthma, and circulatory/heart disorders, appeared to contribute to the increasing presence of middle-aged adults. There were substantial increases in diagnoses of psychiatric disorders at admission; psychiatric diagnoses were significantly higher among middle-aged adults. Middle-aged adults were also more likely to have residential histories of prior stays in psychiatric facilities relative to older adults. States' rebalancing efforts need to attend to the increasing presence of disability associated with chronic medical and psychiatric conditions among middle-aged adults.     

Variations in nutritional risk among black and white women who receive home-delivered meals

The maintenance of good nutritional status is a cornerstone of health, function, and quality of life. To assess indicators and correlates of high levels of nutritional risk, sociodemographic, functional status, and nutritional data were collected from a diverse sample of 729 older women. Results from ordered logit analysis indicated that being Black, having an income < or = 125% of the federal poverty level, living alone, and being in the younger-old age group (ages 60 to 74 years) were associated with moderately high and very high levels of nutritional risk. An examination of individual and multiple nutritional risk indicators suggested a heightened vulnerability of Black women to inadequate dietary intake, even net of income and other influential variables. With demographic projections of an increasingly numerous and diverse older population who may face health and nutritional challenges, researchers must strengthen efforts to assist policymakers and service providers to properly target nutrition services.     

Community and Individual in the Aftermath of War: Perspectives from African Philosophy

Wartime violence and exile challenge not only individual lives and realities of community, but also the prevalent conceptualisations of these in anthropology and African philosophy. Based on the findings from research carried out in Uganda among young men who fled from war in Sudan, Congo, Ethiopia and Eritrea, and who try to survive in the capital city Kampala as so-called urban refugees, the article argues that the concept of community would benefit from renewed critical reflection, and that the individual should be granted a more prominent theoretical place in both disciplines.     

Household and Context Determinants of Child Labor in 221 Districts of 18 Developing Countries

We develop a new theoretical framework that explains the engagement in child labor of children in developing countries. This framework distinguishes three levels (household, district and nation) and three groups of explanatory variables: Resources, Structure and Culture. Each of the three groups refers to another strand of the literature; economics, sociology and anthropology. The framework is tested by applying multilevel analysis on data for 239,120 children living in 221 districts of 18 developing countries. This approach allows us to simultaneously investigate effects of household and context factors. At the household level, we find that resources and structural characteristics influence child labor, whereas cultural characteristics have no effect. With regard to context factors, we find that children work more in rural areas, especially if there are more unskilled manual jobs, and in more traditional urban areas. In more developed regions, girls tend to work significantly less.     

Exercise Self-Regulation Among Older Women Participating in a Heart Disease-Management Intervention

Using behavioral self-regulation processes may facilitate exercise among older women with heart disease. Data from women in a heart disease-management program (n = 658, mean 73 years), was used to explore associations among exercise self-regulation components (i.e., choosing to improve exercise and observing, judging, and reacting to one's behavior) and exercise capacity. General linear models showed that choosing exercise predicted higher exercise self-regulation scores postprogram and 8 months later. In turn, these scores predicted greater improvements in exercise capacity concurrently and 8 months later. Interaction analyses revealed that the effect of self-regulation on exercise capacity was stronger among women who chose to work on exercise.     

Impact of Social Work Education on Student Attitudes and Behavior concerning Oppression

Although human service professionals increasingly are the victims of violence, no data exist on the prevalence of violence in the undergraduate field setting, and only one study has addressed the incidence of violence at the graduate level. To fill this gap in the research, the authors surveyed 121 social work students and 96 field instructors at the undergraduate and graduate levels to identify safety issues, compare incidents of violence, and to examine agency policies on violence prevention and management. Findings revealed that undergraduate and graduate students experienced verbal abuse, as well as physical violence. Field instructors were verbally abused or threatened by clients, but did not report any verbal abuse by students; they also reported physical assaults by clients and paraprofessionals. Students reported that, although they received some classroom instruction on safety issues in practice, agencies used as practicum sites often did not have policies on violence or did not inform students of those policies. The authors suggest that curriculum materials on violence and safety issues be integrated into the curriculum or included in field placement seminars. They also recommend that the Council on Social Work Education mandate the inclusion of such content.     

The Changing Face of Computer Utilization in Social Work Settings

Abstract

This paper describes survey results from 103 human service agencies serving as MSW training sites. The survey concerned: (a) Their current and projected computer utilization for direct and indirect practice activities; and (b) perceived issues, benefits, and emerging training needs regarding responsible and effective use of the computer. These findings' implications for curriculum planning, for practicum development, and for reconceptualizing computer literacy are explored.