Do fines for violating possession-use-purchase laws reduce youth tobacco use?

The present brief report followed children exposed to consequences for violating Purchase, Use, and Possession (PUP) laws over time to assess changes in their smoking status. Youth in 24 towns were surveyed once a year for 3 years, and rates of tobacco use for those fined for PUP law violations were assessed. Of those who were given a ticket for a PUP law violation, 35 (39%) reported not smoking during year 1. Students in grade 7 were more likely to have quit smoking (84%) than those in grade 8 (35%), grade 9 (32%), or grade 10 (21%). For the two follow-up years, 45% and 41% reported not smoking. Assuming those who attrited were smokers, it is possible that about 15% to 24% of the original sample of children cited actually quit smoking over the follow-up period. The implications of these findings are discussed.     

Bridging the Gaps: An Interdependent Model for Educating Accountable Practitioners

Abstract

This article presents an Interdependent Model that integrates field instruction with the clinical and research curricula to educate students to become accountable practitioners. It describes the application of this model in teaching single-system evaluation to social work students with support from faculty, field advisers, and agency practitioners who provide field supervision. The merits of using this model as compared to other more common, less comprehensive approaches to social work education are examined. Issues relating to the implementation of the Interdependent Model are also discussed.     

Editorial

Abstract

Norman J. Smith     

Toward the Development of a More Integrated Aged Care Assessment Process for Rural Older Australians: Practitioners’ Perspectives

There is an identified need for more effective assessment processes in rural Australia, with prior research revealing little knowledge sharing and even duplication across existing services. This article aims to explore the challenges to more closely integrated assessment processes, drawing on interview data with practitioners from three agencies located in the same rural region. Findings highlight the challenges of rural assessment, both demand-driven (more older people with complex needs, geographic isolation) and supply issues (time and distance, funding formulae, workforce shortages). The need for closer collaboration is recognized but significant systemic issues require addressing if it is to be achieved.     

Nonparametric Predictive Multiple Comparisons of Lifetime Data

We consider lifetime experiments to compare units from different groups, where the units’ lifetimes may be right censored. Nonparametric predictive inference for comparison of multiple groups is presented, in particular lower and upper probabilities for the event that a specific group will provide the largest next lifetime. We include the practically relevant consideration that the overall lifetime experiment may be terminated at an early stage, leading to simultaneous right-censoring of all units still in the experiment.