Balancing Employee Religious Freedom in the Workplace with Customer Rights to a Religion‐free Retail Environment

In October of 2009, Trevor Keezer was terminated by Home Depot for refusing to remove a pin from his uniform declaring “One Nation under God, Indivisible.” Mr. Keezer, a cashier with Home Depot, contended that the button he had worn for over one year before any action was taken by his employer expressed his support for American troops and his Christian faith. Were the actions taken by his employer warranted or was Mr. Keezer the victim of arbitrary religious discrimination unrelated to job performance? Religion is becoming an increasingly polarizing issue in the workplace, forcing retail managers to balance the respective interests of employees, coworkers, and patrons of retail establishments. And from all indications, if legislation pending in Congress is enacted, maintaining the balance will become more problematic.     

The association between mental health and acute infectious illness among a national sample of 18- to 24-year-old college students

Poor mental health is associated with physical illness, but this association is poorly characterized among college students. OBJECTIVE AND PARTICIPANTS: Using American College Health Association-National College Health Assessment data, the authors characterized poor mental health (depression, anxiety, negative affect) and examined the relationship between poor mental health and acute infectious illnesses (bronchitis, ear infection, sinusitis, strep throat) among 47,202 US college students. METHODS: The authors used frequency and cross-tabulation analyses to characterize mental health and determine univariate associations among variables. They used binary logistic regression to determine the association between poor mental health and acute infectious illness, controlling for research-derived covariates. RESULTS: The prevalence of acute infectious illness ranged from 8% to 29%. The prevalence of anxiety and depression ranged from 12% to 20%, respectively. Depression, anxiety, and exhaustion were associated with acute infectious illness across all dependent measures, with odds ratios ranging from .56 to .91. CONCLUSIONS: Poor mental health is associated with acute infectious illness among college students.     

The association of multiple risk factors with fruit and vegetable intake among a nationwide sample of college students

Few college students meet fruit and vegetable intake recommended requirements, and most receive no information from their institutions about this issue. The avoidable disease burden among students is large, the necessary information infrastructure exists, and Healthy People 2010 objectives indicate efforts should be taken to increase intake. OBJECTIVE: The authors examined the association of high-risk behaviors and fruit and vegetable intake to inform design of multiple risk factor interventions. PARTICIPANTS AND METHODS: The authors obtained data from a sample of 40,209 18- to 25-year-old college students who completed the American College Health Association-National College Health Assessment during the spring 2002 and 2003 semesters. RESULTS: Predictors of high fruit and vegetable intake for men and women included better: seatbelt and helmet use, physical activity, perceived health, sleep, self-care behaviors, and grades. Other notable predictors of high intake were reduced likelihood of cigarette smoking, alcohol use, drinking and driving, and feeling hopeless in both sexes; reduced likelihood of drinking and driving among men; and a greater likelihood of anorexia among women. CONCLUSIONS: The authors discuss implications of these findings.     

The self-prescribed use of aromatherapy oils by pregnant women

BackgroundWhile some studies have reported effectiveness of aromatherapy oils use during labour there is no reported evidence of efficacy or risks of aromatherapy oils use for pregnancy-related symptoms or conditions. A number of aromatherapy oils are unsafe for use by pregnant women yet there is currently no research examining the prevalence and characteristics of women who use aromatherapy oils during pregnancy.AimTo conduct an empirical study of the prevalence and characteristics of women who use aromatherapy oils during pregnancy.MethodsThe research was conducted as part of the Australian Longitudinal Study on Women's Health (ALSWH), focusing on the nationally representative sample of Australian women aged 31–36 years. Data were collected via a cross-sectional questionnaire (n = 8200) conducted in 2009.ResultsSelf-prescribed aromatherapy oils were used by 15.2% of pregnant women. Pregnant women were 1.57 (95% CI: 1.01, 2.43) times more likely to self-prescribe use of aromatherapy oils if they have allergies or hayfever, and 2.26 (95% CI: 1.34, 3.79) times more likely to self-prescribe use of aromatherapy oils if they have a urinary tract infection (UTI).ConclusionOur study highlights a considerable use of aromatherapy oils by pregnant women. There is a clear need for greater communication between practitioners and patients regarding the use of aromatherapy oils during pregnancy, as well a need for health care practitioners to be mindful that pregnant women in their care may be using aromatherapy oils, some of which may be unsafe.     

Can Latin America carry its international debt? A prospective analysis using the Wharton Latin American debt simulation model

The international debt of the LDCs has become a critical concern, perhaps currently the most critical one, from the perspective of debtor countries and creditors alike. Through the efforts of the IMF, the BIS, the central banks, and the large commercial banks, a crash may have averted for the time being, but the heavy burden of the debt remains, particularly in Latin America, where it is increasingly concentrated. Draconian remedial measures now threaten social and economic development throughout the continent.This article evaluates the perspective for Latin American debts and payments using a debt simulation model. Debt restructuring with the usual “IMF conditions” will impose serious economic shocks in Latin America. But even so, debt service ratios will remain high except under optimistic assumptions about growth in the industrial countries and about commodity prices. Only in case of a solid economic recovery in the United States, Europe and Japan can one be sanguine about Latin America's ability to work its way out from under the debt burden.     

Recommended Reference Values for Risk Assessment of Oral Exposure to Copper

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency's (EPA) Integrated Risk Information System (IRIS) database, the authoritative source of U.S. risk assessment toxicity factors, currently lacks an oral reference dose (RfD) for copper. In the absence of such a value, various health-based reference values for copper are available for use in risk assessment. We summarize the scientific bases and differences in assumptions among key reference values for ingested copper to guide selection of appropriate values for risk assessment. A comprehensive review of the scientific literature best supports the oral RfD of 0.04 mg/kg body weight/day derived by EPA from their Drinking Water Action Level. This value is based on acute gastrointestinal effects but is further supported by broader analysis of copper deficiency and toxicity.