Does knowledge of college drinking policy influence student binge drinking?

The authors explored alcohol policies at 5 historically black colleges and universities (HBCUs) to gain an understanding of how students' awareness of these policies might correlate with campus binge drinking rates. Findings indicated that male students who reported being unaware of certain alcohol policies were more likely to report binge drinking than their counterparts who reported they were aware of the policies. Gender differences in awareness of alcohol policy might be an important variable influencing binge drinking on HBCU campuses.     

Organizational Fields and Third Sector Housing in Ireland,North and South

This paper applies organizational field analysis to compare the structure of the third sector housing fields in Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland. Following preliminary accounts of history, structure, funding, and regulation, four key dimensions of field structure are compared: interaction, subgroups, structural equivalence, and patterns of domination. In both fields studied, early steering by the state into specialist roles has been overtaken by state funded expansion in general needs housing--increasing the dominance of larger organizations and tensions around voluntary sector identity. However, differences remain in the extent of domination and tightness of field structure, with greater emphasis on whole organization regulation, and adherence to professional and trade bodies in Northern Ireland. It is also shown how cross-border activity and the espousal of a European model will influence future trajectories.     

Management control for effective corporate planning

The authors' object is to provide a practical technique to help senior management put long range plans into operation. A model framework is used to identify the objective requirements and principal elements of control within the firm. A procedure is then outlined to identify the weaknesses which may erode the effectiveness of the system, thus providing the basis for system design and adaptation. The use of the method is illustrated in four case studies from actual companies.     

Risk behaviors and perceptions of AIDS among street injection drug users

Standardized survey interviews (n = 325) and guided in-depth interviews (n = 22) were conducted with injection drug users (IDUs) in Long Beach, California, to document drug usage and injection patterns, sexual practices, perceived risk of HIV infection, sources of health information, and knowledge and attitudes about AIDS. Most IDUs reported sharing needles (87.9%), and a large minority reported regular sterilization of needles/syringes (40.3%). Lower rates of needle sharing were reported among cocaine users than among heroin and speedball users. HIV seroprevalence was 5.7 percent (11/194). Sexually active female (60.7%) and male (20.5%) IDUs reported exchanging sex for money or drugs. Overall, 48.3 percent of IDUs reported having made changes in their injection practices and one-third reported modifying their sexual behavior in order to avoid HIV infection. Differences in drug use, sexual practices, and drug treatment history were found with regard to gender, ethnicity, age, and type of drug injected. Implications of findings for the development of AIDS risk-reduction programs are presented.     

Associations between ongoing COVID-19 lockdown and the financial and mental health experiences of Australian families

In 2020, Australia's successful COVID-19 public health restrictions comprised a national “initial lockdown” (March–May) and “ongoing lockdown” (July–November) for metropolitan Victorian residents only. We evaluated associations between ongoing lockdown and family finances and mental health. In the June and September 2020 Royal Children's Hospital National Child Health Polls, caregivers of children in Victoria and New South Wales (NSW) reported the following: job/income loss; material deprivation (inability to pay for essential items); income poverty; mental health (Kessler-6); perceived impact on caregiver/child mental health; and caregiver/child coping. Data from caregivers (N = 1207/902) in June/September were analysed using difference-in-difference modelling (NSW provided the comparator). During Victoria's ongoing lockdown, job/income loss increased by 11% (95%CI: 3%–18%); Kessler-6 poor mental health by 6% (95%CI: −0.3%–12%) and perceived negative mental health impacts by 14% for caregivers (95%CI: 6%–23%) and 12% for children (95%CI: 4%–20%). Female (vs. male) caregivers, metropolitan (vs. regional/rural) families, and families with elementary school-aged children (vs. pre-/high-school) were the most affected. The ongoing lockdown was associated with negative experiences of mental health, employment and income, but not deprivation or poverty, likely because of government income supplements introduced early in the pandemic. Future lockdowns require planned responses to outbreaks and evidence-informed financial and mental health supports.