bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Investigative Interviewers' Perceptions of Their Difficulty in Adhering to Open-Ended Questions with Child Witnesses
Authors: Wright Rebecca , Powell Martine B.
Published: June 2007

Best practice guidelines for conducting investigative interviews of children emphasise the importance of obtaining free narrative accounts with the use of open-ended questions. However, research indicates that most investigative interviewers underutilise open-ended questions, even following intensive training in their use. The aim of the current study was to explore investigative interviewers' perceptions of their difficulty in asking open-ended questions. During a training course on how to use open-ended questions, eight child abuse investigators were individually interviewed about why they had asked specific questions in a 10-minute mock interview conducted immediately earlier with a school child. Overall, three reasons were identified. These related to: 1. the specificity of the information required from children; 2. the unfamiliar nature of the open-ended discourse style; and 3. the complex distinction between open-ended versus specific questions. Each of these themes is discussed, along with the implications for trainers and researchers in child investigative interviewing.
Towards an Integrated Theory of Police Management
Authors: Domonoske Clair
Published: June 2007

Although there has been, for many years, a growing body of literature considering aspects of general management in business and commerce, much of it has little direct applicability to policing. Much of the police-related management material is poorly integrated with the realities of policing and tends not to form an academic discipline in its own right. Police management as an academic discipline is best described as the study of the management of discretion in the regulation of community conflict. It is the integration of those two aspects of police work with broader managerial theory that this article considers. The partial paradigm presented here demonstrates what may be considered the emergence of a new and robust academic discipline that presents opportunities for the development of a distinctive body of theory specific to police management. The article reviews the major portions of the paradigm and provides a sketch of the defence of the principles selected.
Improving Geocoding Rates in Preparation for Crime Data Analysis
Authors: Brimicombe Allan J. , Brimicombe Lily C. , Li Yang
Published: June 2007

Problem-oriented policing requires quality analyses of patterns and trends in crime incidences. A common form of analysis is the identification of geographical clusters or ‘hot spots’. For such analyses, crime incident records must first be geocoded, that is, address-matched so as to have geographical co-ordinates attached to each record. The address fields in crime databases typically have omissions and inaccuracies whilst a good proportion of crimes occur at non-address locations. Consequently, geocoding can have an unacceptably low hit rate. We present and test an improved automated and consistent approach to batch geocoding of crime records that raises the hit rate by an additional 65 per cent to an overall rate of 91 per cent. This is based on an actual implementation for a UK police force. Kernel density surfaces used to visualise the results of the test show that the additional geocoded records have distinct spatial patterning. This would indicate that without the improved hit rate, geocoded crime records are likely to be spatially biased and that ‘hot spots' of crime tend also to be ‘hot spots' of otherwise un-geocoded data.
Cameos from the World of District Judges
Authors: Darbyshire Penny
Published: June 2007

This article draws cameo portraits from observational research of the working lives of three diverse district judges (magistrates' courts), exercising their criminal jurisdiction in a variety of courts. It puts flesh on the bones of previous statistical research. Its purpose is to provide an insight into their day-to-day working world and their approach to it, especially the unseen youth court, for those of us who are unfamiliar with it, such as academics, many practising lawyers and other levels of the judiciary.

‘Here, it's like easyJet. You turn up and take off.’
Can the General Fraud Offence ‘Get the Law Right’?: Some Perspectives on the ‘Problem’ of Financial Crime
Authors: Wilson Gary , Wilson Sarah
Published: June 2007

The Fraud Bill, which received Royal Assent on 8 November 2006, created an offence of fraud in English criminal law which marks a departure of utmost significance from the approach adopted hitherto, whereby a number of related offences cover behaviour deemed to amount to fraud. To mark the passage of the Fraud Act 2006 into law, this article examines the references which were made during its consideration in Parliament to fraud as activity which is serious and which is often erroneously portrayed as ‘victimless' crime. In joining these key criminal policy-making debates with academic study of white-collar crime, it will be suggested that as yet too little attention is being paid to ‘ambiguous' popular perceptions of financial crimes for there to be confidence that the fraud offence will, in the words of the current Solicitor-General, ‘get the law right’.
Corporate Manslaughter: A Radical Reform?
Authors: Griffin Stephen
Published: June 2007

The objective of this article is to analyse critically the proposed new statutory offence of corporate manslaughter. The article considers the content of the proposed legislation in depth and seeks to determine whether it offers a radical alternative to the common law position. Although the intention of the proposed legislation is to remove restrictive legal obstacles associated with the prosecution of corporate manslaughter cases, the article raises serious doubts in relation to whether the proposed legislation will, in fact, achieve its goal.
Regulatory Offences and Reverse Burdens: The ‘Licensing Approach’
Authors: Glover Richard
Published: June 2007

The recent case law on burdens of proof and the presumption of innocence has been inconsistent and, at times, unclear. This article argues that where legislation appears to create a reverse legal burden this may generally be justified for regulatory offences, as defined by the ‘licensing approach’ proposed here (rather than by reference to moral stigma and blame). It will be suggested that there is existing authority for this approach and that it provides the potential for greater clarity and consistency in the law.
Police Reform in England and Wales: Producer-Driven or Consumer-Led? An Evaluation of the Current Police Reform Programme
Authors: Loveday Barry
Published: June 2007

This article considers the current status of police reform and the many problems associated with it. It argues that the current proposals are very largely producer-driven rather than consumer-led and if implemented would serve to undermine the Prime Minister's policy commitment to both public service reform and the encouragement of greater consumer choice. Recent public opinion polls indicate that consumer perceptions of police amalgamations are almost wholly negative. It is also argued that the criteria for determination of ‘stand-alone’ forces set by the Home Office has proven to be highly arbitrary. It argues for the need for more effective collaboration between forces and for much closer local authority involvement in the delivery of local police services. It highlights possible local government reform proposals within the forthcoming White Paper and the need to link reform of local government structures with those of police forces. It concludes with an evaluation of neighbourhood policing strategy and the need for joint responsibility and oversight between police and local authority to both anchor and sustain this important initiative.
The Police Use of Deadly Force: International Comparisons
Authors: Parent Rick
Published: June 2007

While the societies of the United States of America and Canada are similar in many ways, recent research has noted significant differences in the rates of extreme violence between the two nations. Extreme violence includes the police use of deadly force, the murder of police officers by an assailant, the homicide rate of the general population and violent crime such as firearm robberies. Despite the differences in crime rates, trends in crime in the two countries are quite similar. The findings of this study illustrate that the perceived threat and calculated risk for police officers in the United States is substantially higher then for police officers in Canada, and in many other nations. This may explain why police officers in the United States utilise deadly force in greater frequency than in most western nations.
Racial Influences on the Likelihood of Police Searches and Search Hits: A Longitudinal Analysis from an American Midwestern City
Authors: Leinfelt Fredrik H.
Published: June 2007

In the recent past, there has been a significant policy space and political salience for issues pertaining to racial profiling and alleged discriminatory police practices. Problems and questions surrounding racial profiling are important as they challenge the fundamental assumptions of our legal system by corroding its most basic components of fairness and equality. The systemic assumption is, of course, that police do not use race as a criterion (or pretext) for discretionary traffic stops. The present study examined traffic stop data from officerinitiated traffic stops collected from a Midwestern American police agency over a two-year period ( N = 13,566). In concordance with previous studies, multivariate analysis shows that minorities were searched at a higher rate than are white motorists. Results also suggest that police search minorities at a disproportionate rate compared to whites and are less successful in finding contraband on minority motorists.

In contrast to some previous research, however, findings from the present analysis also showed large variations within minority populations; Native Americans were searched four times more than whites, Latinos were searched almost three times more frequently than whites, and blacks were searched below the overall ‘minority average’ in the examined jurisdiction. These findings would suggest that a simple dichotomisation of race/ethnicity disguise and camouflage potentially important racial differences.
Re-Engineering the Police Organisation: Implementing Workforce Modernisation in England and Wales
Authors: Loveday Barry
Published: June 2007

This article assesses the need for major re-engineering of the police service in England and Wales to project and sustain the workforce modernisation programme in England and Wales. It argues that having avoided the bureaucratic cul-de-sac that police mergers represented, a real opportunity for effective reform has now arisen. This reform would encompass immediate delegation to basic command units of manpower budgets and the determination of policing services at this level. The article draws on the experience of one chief officer who was to confront the problems of bureaucratic inertia within his own police force and some organisational practices that served to undermine police service delivery. It considers the current problems surrounding the centralised control of police budgets and the impact of this on the ability of BCU Commanders to sustain effective reassurance policing. The article also assesses the impact and future implications of workforce modernisation along with recent evaluations of the PCSO and ‘mixed-economy teams' from pilot sites. Finally the article draws on recent experience from one police force Chief Officer Team to evaluate the continuing problem of police organisational culture particularly in relation to workforce modernisation and the future expansion of the role of police staff within police forces in England and Wales.
None of the Above: Lessons to Be Learnt from the Police Force Structures Debate
Authors: Godfrey John
Published: June 2007

This article reviews the events of September 2005 to August 2006 through the eyes of a police authority that was involved actively in resisting the former Home Secretary's plan to regionalise police forces. It offers some conclusions on what the experience has to say about the nature of our commitment to the local governance and accountability of the police service, how the position of police authorities within the tripartite structure has been affected by what has happened and how police authorities might be better prepared in future to assert their position on behalf of local communities and to counter continuing centripetal political, managerial and professional pressures for ever larger and ever more remote organisational structures.
Australian Family Therapy: Have We Lived Up To Our Mission Statement?
Authors: Darracott Robin
Published: June 2007

In 1983 the Fourth Australian Family Therapy Conference had the theme ‘Merging the Streams — Integrating Trends in Family Therapy’. In his keynote address Brian Stagoll outlined concerns regarding the nature of family therapy as it was then developing in Australia. This article revisits some of these themes to see where we have come from, where we are heading and which topics continue to be ignored. Evidence is drawn from articles that stood out for me in the Australian Journal of Family Therapy (later the Australian and New Zealand Journal of Family Therapy) and selected relevant papers from the 1983 conference itself. Finally, I speculate upon possible reasons for the absence of discussion on certain issues, most strikingly: systemic influences upon indigenous Australians, farm families, working with children in families, certain aspects of gender, the systemic implications of addiction; and environmental impacts on families now and for the future. The danger for family therapy is becoming stuck in a closed system that ignores the wider system.
‘Cleaning Your Glasses’: A Prerequisite for ‘Catching Your Child Being Good’
Authors: Redshaw Stewart
Published: June 2007

Used widely throughout the parenting literature, the phrase ‘Catch them being good’ encapsulates much of current practice that has been shown to be effective in reducing instances of non‐compliance in children with complex and challenging behaviours. ‘Catching your child being good’ is obviously in line with the strategies of praise, encouragement and positive reinforcement. But for some parents, ‘Catching their child being good’ after long periods of defiance becomes almost an impossible task. Metaphorically speaking, ‘Cleaning your glasses' is a necessary prerequisite for effectively ‘catching your child being good’. This metaphor and an associated six‐phase therapeutic intervention seek to enhance a parent's ability to ‘Catch their child being good’, by working through parental distortions, restraints and negativity. This paper introduces the metaphor's origin and use; describes keys concepts; and gives a detailed case example to highlight the advantages and limitations of the intervention.
I Am a Therapist and I Have Three Tennis Balls in My Office
Authors: O'Donoghue Mark
Published: June 2007

There is wisdom in the saying that ‘To a person with a hammer everything looks like a nail’. As a therapist my hammer is talking, naturally and inevitably, and most things look like they need talking. But, there are times when I put my talking tool aside and select another tool and my three tennis balls are one of the tools for which I reach.
Bringing Two Worlds Together: A Collaborative Interview With JoEllen Patterson
Authors: Burgess‐Manning Julie
Published: June 2007

JoEllen Patterson is Professor in the Marital and Family Therapy Program at the University of San Diego. She is also an Associate Clinical Professor of Family Medicine and Psychiatry at the University of California, San Diego, directing a medical family therapy clinic embedded in a Family Medicine residency (equivalent to General Practice in New Zealand). She also works in Pediatrics and Reproductive Medicine at UCSD. At present her work involves training family therapy students and family medicine residents to do interdisciplinary work using a biopsychosocial model. Research suggests that our bodies are influenced by our mental health; our immune systems and cardiovascular systems seem especially susceptible to mind‐body interplay. JoEllen is particularly interested in how family functioning influences the mind‐body system. In 2003, JoEllen Patterson received a Fulbright Senior Scholars award to visit the Wellington School of Medicine and Health Sciences, and the Child, Adolescent and Family Service in Lower Hutt, New Zealand. She spent two weeks between the clinical service and the academic department, teaching, consulting and advising. I was lucky enough to arrange this posting and to spend time with her during it.
Parent and Child Therapy (PACT) In Action: An Attachment‐Based Intervention for a Six‐Year‐Old With a Dual Diagnosis
Authors: Amos Jackie , Beal Simon , Furber Gareth
Published: June 2007

This case study explores Parent and Child Therapy (PACT), an attachment‐based intervention for mothers and children experiencing intractable relationship distress originally developed by Heather Chambers (a Child Psychotherapist and Family Therapist working in New Zealand). We describe the use of PACT with a mother—child dyad presenting a history of severe abuse and neglect. The child had been diagnosed with Conduct Disorder and co‐morbid Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder. We consider the themes arising in the therapy, the emotional process experienced by the mother and child, the initial outcome and 10‐month follow up. The case study indicates that PACT can be learned and used by practitioners outside of the team that conceptualised and developed it. The case highlights the links between externalising difficulties and attachment disorganisation and points to PACT as a promising treatment for the chronic sequelae of early interpersonal childhood trauma. The need for research and possible directions of this research are discussed.
‘Drawing the Circle That Takes Them In’: Liz Mackenzie in Conversation
Authors: Crago Hugh
Published: June 2007

Liz Mackenzie's involvement with family therapy began in 1978 at the Psychiatry Department of the Adelaide Children's Hospital. She contrasts the field then and now, naming some of the dysfunctional facets of family therapy. She became manager of a specialist foster/residential program in the non‐government sector, definitely the most difficult, extending and satisfying period in her working life. In 2007, she is back where it began for her, in the (renamed) Women's and Children's Hospital, working in a Child and Adolescent Community Health team
Choosing a Valid Assessment of Attachment for Clinical Use: A Comparative Study
Authors: Crittenden Patricia McKinsey , Claussen Angelika Hartl , Kozlowska Kasia
Published: June 2007

This article addresses the clinical issue of selecting assessments of attachment that are relevant to decision making for families. The validity of three commonly used methods of assessing attachment in preschool‐aged children was compared using a sample of 51 low‐income mother—child dyads. Thirty‐eight of the children had been abused or neglected. The dyads were seen in a Strange Situation that was classified using each of the three methods: (a) the Ainsworth‐extended method, (b) the Cassidy‐Marvin (C‐M) method, and (c) the Preschool Assessment of Attachment (PAA). Validity was evaluated in terms of maltreatment status, maternal sensitivity, child DQ, and maternal attachment strategy. The PAA and C‐M classifications matched in only 37% of cases. The Ainsworth‐extended method differentiated secure versus insecure children on two variables. The CM method differentiated secure versus insecure children on one variable. The PAA differentiated secure versus insecure children on all four variables and subgroups on one. Moreover, it was tied to other family relationship variables in meaningful ways. If applied in clinical settings, these three methods would result in very different groups of children being seen as safe and at risk. We argue that clinicians cannot afford to be uninformed about the validity of alternative means of assessing attachment.
Clinician Optimism: Development and Psychometric Analysis of a Scale for Mental Health Clinicians
Authors: Byrne Mitchell K. , Sullivan Nichole L. , Elsom Stephen J.
Published: June 2007

Clinician optimism is an important factor in achieving treatment outcomes in counselling contexts. Currently, there are no measures of mental health clinician optimism which report substantial psychometric validation. This study sought to assesses the validity and reliability of the Therapeutic Optimism Scale (TOS). 223 mental health clinicians working in a range of clinical settings were administered the TOS and convergent and discriminate validity were established. Test–retest reliability was established over a period of 1 month. The TOS was found to achieve acceptable reliability (Cronbach's α = .68) and yielded consistent scores over a one month period (r = .68, p < .01). Factor analyses revealed a 3-factor solution reflecting (1) General Treatment Outcome Expectancy, (2) Personal Treatment Outcome Expectancy, and (3) Pessimism. These findings support the utility of the TOS for research purposes, but further revision is recommended to enhance the reliability of the scale.
Motivation, Psychological Distress and Exercise Adherence Following Myocardial Infarction
Authors: Ljubic Mary Angela , Deane Frank P. , Zecchin Robert P. , Denniss Robert
Published: June 2007

Fifty patients with myocardial infarction were recruited from a hospital based Cardiac Education and Assessment Program (CEAP) in Sydney, Australia. The Exercise Motivation Inventory-2 (EMI-2) and the Depression, Anxiety and Stress Scale (DASS) were administered prior to commencement in the program and re-administered by telephone interview at 5-month followup. Four exercise adherence measures were completed: attendance, exercise stress test, self-report ratings and a 7-day activity recall interview. There was a 46% adherence rate for MI patients during the hospital based CEAP. Of those individuals who completed CEAP, 91% obtained functional improvement on the exercise stress test. For the 38 patients who were followed-up by telephone interview at 5 months, 71% were exercising according to CEAP prescription. Higher levels of anxiety were associated with lower levels of self-reported exercise adherence. The 3 strongest motivations for exercise in this group of MI patients were all health related; wanting to be free from illness, maintaining good health and recovering from the effects of coronary heart disease. The discussion highlights the implications of these findings for cardiac rehabilitation programs and the need for empirically driven guidelines for measuring exercise adherence.
Two-Year Follow-Up of a Community Gatekeeper Suicide Prevention Program in an Aboriginal Community
Authors: Deane Frank P. , Capp Kim , Jones Caroline , de Ramirez Dawn , Lambert Gordon , Marlow Beth , Rees Anna , Sullivan Edwina
Published: June 2007

Few studies report long term follow-up of community gatekeeper training programs that aim to facilitate help-seeking for suicide and there are none in Aboriginal communities. This study aimed to determine long term effects of the Shoalhaven Aboriginal Suicide Prevention Program (SASPP), which used community gatekeeper training as its primary strategy. Following consultation with the Aboriginal community, a brief questionnaire and semi-structured interview was completed by 40 participants who attended a community gatekeeper workshop 2 years earlier. Fifteen of the 40 participants stated that they had helped someone at risk of suicide over the 2-year follow-up period. Intentions to help and confidence to identify someone at risk of suicide remained high. A significant relationship was found between intentions to help prior to the workshop and whether participants had actually helped someone at risk of suicide. Correlations suggested a link between intentions to help, and subsequent help provision. However, it is unclear whether workshop attendance contributed to this effect. Future prevention programs need to be customised to specific Aboriginal communities to reduce barriers to helpseeking behaviour.
Young Women and Injured Blokes: Gender and Change in Rehabilitation Work
Authors: Lumb Peter
Published: June 2007

This article begins by reviewing some findings contained in the recent report: Gender, Workplace Injury and Return to Work (2005), before elaborating a relational perspective on gender and its importance to rehabilitation counselling. The article presents data about gender and injury in and out of workplaces, with a special interest in gendered data. Data is also presented about gender of rehabilitation counsellors, before reflecting on the complexity associated with gendered professionals and injured older men. The article draws on Australian data sets, and takes a critical sociological approach.
The Roy Castle Fag Ends Stop Smoking Service: A Successful Client-Led Approach to Smoking Cessation
Authors: Owens Christine , Springett Jane
Published: June 2007

The Roy Castle Fag Ends Community Stop Smoking Service (RCFE) is commissioned by three primary care trusts (PCTs) to provide the adult smoking-cessation service across Liverpool. The service is not theoretically driven but there are several principles governing RCFE, which maintain the client-led, person-centred philosophy. Unique aspects are that the service is provided by trained lay advisors with a nonmedical background and there is no waiting list — clients can self-refer by calling a helpline or walking into a meeting. At RCFE, clients control their own quit attempt as well as self-regulating attendance at meetings and discharge from the service. Relapsed clients are also welcomed back without fear of criticism or the need for an appointment. Possible reasons for the success of RCFE include the client-led methodology, the community approach that removes doctor–patient barriers that may exist, and the nature of the group meetings, which allows interaction between clients who are at different stages of the quit process. Introducing some of the RCFE principles into other stop-smoking services may help to increase the overall smoking-cessation rate in England.
Smoking in Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease: A Need of the Taken-for-Granted Body
Authors: Gullick Janice G. , Stainton M. Colleen
Published: June 2007

Smoking is the major predisposing factor for chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), yet there has been little understanding of the embodied experience of smoking addiction for the person with chronic breathlessness and their close family members. This interpretive study applies Merleau-Ponty's existential philosophy of the body as a philosophical framework. Heideggerian hermeneutic phenomenology was the mode of inquiry used to gain understanding by engaging 15 people who were admitted to hospital for palliative surgery for emphysema, and 14 close family members in a total of 58 in-depth interviews. People with severe emphysema experienced smoking as a need of their taken-for-granted body. This need was experienced as an intense enjoyment, and as a response to triggers for smoking that were still perceived by the automatic body long after smoking cessation. People with COPD and their families described a link between heavy smoking and exacerbations of breathlessness that created a tension between continued smoking behaviour and awareness of smoking-related illness. Failure to overcome the body's addiction to smoking could lead to the person's denial of the relationship between their need to smoke and their worsening breathlessness. The need to smoke can lead to family anger that is mediated by each family member's personal experience of addiction. Even after cessation, the issue of smoking as part of the situation of COPD was in the foreground for family carers, as it was for the breathless people themselves. This discussion highlights the importance of ‘the right words at the right time’ in assisting a multifaceted approach to smoking cessation.
Implementation of Smoking Cessation Services in Respiratory Medicine
Authors: Jiménez-Ruiz Carlos A. , Martín Juan José Ruiz , Guerrero Ana Cicero , Miranda Juan Antonio Riesco , Mochales Jenaro Astray , García Angel Guirao
Published: June 2007

Smoking is a leading cause of respiratory disorders. Smoking cessation is crucial for improving and even for curing many respiratory diseases. Smokers with respiratory diseases can suffer from comorbidities and a higher degree of nicotine dependency than ‘healthy smokers’. For this reason, smoking cessation services (SCS) should be an integral part of a chest unit. The SCS must be run by professionals with expertise and must be well-equipped. They should provide cessation support for all patients who smoke, and educational programs for health professionals. They also have a role in investigation of new treatment strategies.
Effect of Season, City Size, and Recruitment Source on Latinos' Participation in a Statewide Smoking Cessation Program
Authors: Dornelas Ellen A. , Fischer Edward H.
Published: June 2007

Latino No Fumes:Protege tu Salud was a smoking cessation demonstration project carried out in 2003 to 2004 that recruited Spanish-speaking smokers in 8 Connecticut cities. Recruitment was through radio and TV announcements, by mail, and at clinics and hospitals. 252 current smokers — mainly of Puerto Rican ancestry — signed up for the program; 75% of them attended one or more of the program's 6 weekly, group counselling sessions. One third of the registrants attended at least 5 of the sessions offered. Attendance of one or more sessions was only 55% for summer or winter groups, but 98% for sessions held in the fall. For the summer or winter sessions (only), attendance at one or more sessions was significantly greater in small than in larger cities. At program end, 14% of the participants were verified nonsmokers (self-reported abstinence and carbon monoxide readings < 9 ppm). The reported quit rates were 18% and 13%, respectively, at 3 and 6 months. The amount of attendance was not significantly related to the reported end of program quit-rates. Nearly all nonsmokers at program end had attended groups conducted by just 3 (of the 7) trained counsellors, who were presumably more effective in helping these Latino smokers to quit.
Can Smoking for Positive or Negative Reinforcement Together With Dependence Help Us Better Diagnose Smokers?
Authors: Fagerström Karl , Jimenez-Ruiz Carlos A. , Mochales Jenaro Astray , Gilljam Hans
Published: June 2007

With more medications available for smoking cessation treatment the need to diagnose the tobacco dependence for better tailoring of treatment is growing. It has been suggested that smokers can be peak seekers or trough maintainers vis-à-vis blood nicotine concentrations (Russell, 1990), or smoking predominantly for coping with withdrawal or smoking for pleasure (Juniper et al., 2005). In this article a related concept, smoking for negative reinforcement (NR) or positive reinforcement (PR), is investigated. A simple 1-question assessment of type of reinforcement is suggested. From data from smokers attending smoker's clinics — 2 from Sweden using varenicline and 1 from Spain using nicotine patches — it looks as if smokers smoking predominantly for PR do better than NR smokers when treated with varenicline, while there is no difference when they are treated with nicotine replacement. When degree of nicotine dependence is crossed with type of reinforcement it looks as if NR/low nicotine dependent smokers have the best outcome (64%) compared with 47% (p < .01) for the whole sample treated with nicotine replacement. When varenicline is used, the PR/low dependent group had the best quit rate with 85% compared with 67% (p < .05) for the whole sample. This brief report proposes that smoking for PR or NR, possibly combined with degree of dependence, should be further studied as a tool for tailoring smoking cessation treatments.
Evidence of Declining Nicotine Dependency in New Callers to a National Quitline
Authors: Li Judy , Grigg Michele
Published: June 2007

Objective:To look for evidence of changing nicotine dependency self-reported by new callers to a national quitline in New Zealand between 2001 and 2005.Methods:Levels of self-reported nicotine dependence of new callers were compared across 5 years to determine changes over time.Results:Statistically significant decreases were found in all 3 measures of nicotine dependence over the 5-year period: time to first cigarette (7.9% decline for smoking within 30 minutes of waking), intensity of inhalation (36.8% decline for ‘heavy’ inhalation), and number of cigarettes per day (29.8% decline for 21+ cigarettes per day).Conclusions:The results showed the proportion of callers with high nicotine dependency remains large but decreased continuously during the 5-year period. A decline of highly nicotine dependent callers to the Quitline may indirectly suggest an increased proportion of hard-core smokers in the overall smoking population as this group tends to be less likely to consider quitting smoking. However, the results may also suggest that the overall smoking population was less nicotine dependent in 2005, than it was in 2001, or that the Quitline has become less appealing to heavily nicotine dependent smokers.
Don DeLillo, aesthetic transcendence and the Kitsch of death
Authors: Coyle John
Published: June 2007

Rather than revelling in postmodern depthlessness DeLillo's fiction pursues a Modernist fascination with aesthetic transcendence, which is usually invested in invocations of the visual arts. The novel is then proposed as a form of resistance to media saturation and death as spectacle.
Mass Distribution of Free, Intranasally Administered Influenza Vaccine in a Public School System
Authors: Carpenter L. Rand , Lott John , Lawson Brian M. , Hall Stephanie , Craig Allen S. , Schaffner William , Jones Timothy F.
Published: June 2007

OBJECTIVE. School-based influenza vaccination programs are a potentially important method of protecting the community against influenza. We evaluated the feasibility and success of a large, school-based influenza vaccination campaign.

METHODS. On-site administration of intranasally administered, live attenuated influenza vaccine was offered to all students and staff members in a large, metropolitan public school system in October to December 2005. We evaluated vaccine coverage levels, resources expended, and physician and parent attitudes and knowledge.

RESULTS. Of 53420 public school students, 24198 were vaccinated with live attenuated influenza vaccine. Of 5841 school staff members, 3626 were vaccinated with live attenuated influenza vaccine or inactivated influenza vaccine. The proportions of students vaccinated were 56% among elementary schools, 45% among middle schools, and 30% among high schools. Schools with larger proportions of black or low-income families had lower vaccine coverage levels. The health department and school system expended 6900 person-hours during the campaign, and various health department clinics were closed for a total of 84 half-days. Community physicians were supportive of the campaign and frequently advised participation for eligible patients. Some physicians had misunderstandings about live attenuated influenza vaccine contraindications. Concern about adverse effects, having asthma, negative physician advice, and nonparticipation in any vaccination program were common reasons for students not participating.

CONCLUSIONS. This influenza vaccination campaign in a large public school system achieved relatively high vaccine coverage levels but required a substantial resource commitment from the local health department. This evaluation has critical implications for the ongoing debate regarding immunization policies for school-aged children and preparedness plans for pandemic influenza.
Relationship between the iron status of pregnant women and their newborns
Authors: Paiva Adriana de A , Rondó Patrícia H C , Pagliusi Regina A , Latorre Maria do R D O , Cardoso Maria A A , Gondim Sheila S R
Published: June 2007

OBJECTIVE: To determine the relationship between iron nutritional status of pregnant women and their newborns using a combination of hematological and biochemical parameters for the diagnosis of iron deficiency. METHODS: A cross-sectional study was conducted in Jundiaí, Southeastern Brazil, in 2000. Venous blood samples collected from 95 pregnant women and from their umbilical cord and used for the determination of complete blood count, serum iron, total iron-binding capacity, serum ferritin, zinc protoporphyrin, and transferrin saturation. Women were classified into three groups: anemic, iron deficient and non-iron deficient. Statistical analysis included the Tukey-HSD test, Pearson's correlation coefficient and multiple linear regression analysis. RESULTS: Among pregnant women, 19% were anemic (97.9% mildly anemic and 2.1% moderately anemic) and 30.5% were iron deficient. No significant difference was seen in mean values of any parameter studied between newborns in the three groups (p>0.05). Multiple linear regression analysis showed weak association between neonatal and maternal parameters. CONCLUSIONS: The iron nutritional status of pregnant women with iron deficiency or mild anemia does not seem to have a significant impact on the iron levels of their children.
Anemia em menores de seis anos: estudo de base populacional em Pelotas, RS
Authors: Assunção Maria Cecília Formoso , Santos Iná da Silva dos , Barros Aluísio Jardim Dornellas de , Gigante Denise Petrucci , Victora César Gomes
Published: June 2007

OBJETIVO: Analisar a prevalência de anemia em crianças menores de seis anos, em uma amostra probabilística de área urbana. MÉTODOS: Foi realizado estudo com crianças de zero a cinco anos de idade, na cidade de Pelotas, RS, em 2004. Foram coletadas informações sobre características demográficas, socioeconômicas, antropométricas, de morbidade e sobre alimentação, por meio de questionário aplicado às mães ou responsáveis. As crianças foram pesadas e medidas. A concentração de hemoglobina foi medida com hemoglobinômetro portátil, HemoCue e anemia foi definida como valores de hemoglobina <11 g/dL. A associação entre anemia e preditores foi expressa como razão de prevalência. Foi realizada análise multivariada por regressão de Poisson a partir de um modelo conceitual, considerando o efeito do delineamento do estudo. RESULTADOS: Foram identificadas 534 crianças e as perdas e recusas totalizaram 27 crianças (5,1%). A prevalência de anemia foi 30,2% (IC 95%: 23,5%;37,0%). Na análise multivariada, somente idade e renda familiar permaneceram significativamente associadas com anemia. CONCLUSÕES: A anemia foi, em grande parte, socialmente determinada na população estudada. Intervenções com o objetivo de combatê-la devem ser delineadas para amenizar esta condição em curto prazo e direcionadas para populações menos favorecidas economicamente.
Freqüência de consumo de dietas ricas em gordura e pobres em fibra entre adolescentes
Authors: Neutzling Marilda Borges , Araújo Cora Luiza Pavin , Vieira Maria de Fátima Alves , Hallal Pedro Curi , Menezes Ana Maria Baptista
Published: June 2007

OBJETIVO: Descrever a freqüência e os fatores associados ao consumo de dietas ricas em gordura e pobres em fibra em adolescentes. MÉTODOS: Estudo de delineamento transversal com adolescentes de 10 a 12 anos, realizado em 2004/2005, em Pelotas, RS. A freqüência alimentar no ano anterior à pesquisa foi avaliada pelo questionário de Block, composto por 24 itens alimentares, pontuados de acordo com a freqüência de consumo de alimentos ricos em fibras e gorduras. Na análise bruta, as prevalências de dietas ricas em gordura e pobres em fibra foram comparadas conforme sub-grupos das variáveis independentes (sexo, cor da pele, nível socioeconômico, escolaridade materna e estado nutricional do adolescente). Para controle de fatores de confusão, uma análise multivariável por regressão de Poisson foi realizada para cada desfecho. RESULTADOS: Foram encontrados 4.452 adolescentes, representando 87,5% da coorte original. A maioria dos jovens (83,9%) consumia dieta pobre em fibra, e mais de um terço deles (36,6%) consumia dieta rica em gordura. O nível socioeconômico e a escolaridade materna mostraram-se diretamente associados com a prevalência de consumo de dietas ricas em gordura. Jovens dos níveis socioeconômicos A+B e C apresentaram menor freqüência de consumo de dietas pobres em fibra. CONCLUSÕES: A prevalência de dietas ricas em gordura e pobres em fibra foi elevada nessa população de adolescentes. Políticas públicas dirigidas aos determinantes dos hábitos alimentares são necessárias e urgentes.
Vírus da raiva em quirópteros naturalmente infectados no Estado de São Paulo, Brasil
Authors: Scheffer Karin Corrêa , Carrieri Maria Luiza , Albas Avelino , Santos Helaine Cristina Pires dos , Kotait Ivanete , Ito Fumio Honma
Published: June 2007

OBJETIVO: Identificar as espécies de morcegos envolvidas na manutenção do ciclo da raiva, verificar a distribuição do vírus da raiva em tecidos e órgãos de morcegos e os períodos de mortalidade dos camundongos inoculados. MÉTODOS: A positividade para o vírus da raiva foi avaliada por imunofluorescência direta em morcegos de municípios do Estado de São Paulo, de abril de 2002 a novembro de 2003. A distribuição do vírus nos morcegos foi avaliada pela inoculação de camundongos e infecção de células N2A, com suspensões a 20% preparadas a partir de fragmentos de diversos órgãos e tecidos, além de cérebro e glândula salivar. A mortalidade dos camundongos foi observada diariamente, após inoculação intracerebral. RESULTADOS: Dos 4.393 morcegos pesquisados, 1,9% foram positivos para o vírus da raiva, pertencentes a dez gêneros, com predomínio de insetívoros. A média do período máximo de mortalidade dos camundongos pós-inoculação a partir de cérebros e glândulas salivares de morcegos hematófagos foi de 15,33±2,08 dias e 11,33±2,30 dias; insetívoros, 16,45±4,48 dias e 18,91±6,12 dias; e frugívoros, 12,60±2,13 dias e 15,67±4,82 dias, respectivamente. CONCLUSÕES: As espécies infectadas com o vírus da raiva foram: Artibeus lituratus, Artibeus sp., Myotis nigricans, Myotis sp., Eptesicus sp., Lasiurus ega, Lasiurus cinereus, Nyctinomops laticaudatus, Tadarida brasiliensis, Histiotus velatus, Molossus rufus, Eumops sp. e Desmodus rotundus. A pesquisa de vírus em diferentes tecidos e órgãos mostrou-se que os mais apropriados para o isolamento foram cérebro e glândulas salivares.
Versão em português da Family Environment Scale: aplicação e validação
Authors: Vianna Vânia P T , Silva Eroy Aparecida da , Souza-Formigoni Maria Lucia O
Published: June 2007

OBJETIVO: Traduzir a Escala do Ambiente Familiar (Family Environment Scale) para a língua portuguesa e aplicar o instrumento para sua validação. MÉTODOS: A tradução foi aplicada a membros de famílias brasileiras, visando avaliação da consistência interna e a concordância entre membros da mesma família. Foram selecionados 154 voluntários não sujeitos a qualquer intervenção para lidar com problemas familiares, residentes na cidade de São Paulo, em 2003. As pontuações médias nas dez subescalas do instrumento foram comparadas entre homens e mulheres e entre membros da mesma família. Avaliou-se a consistência interna pelo alfa de Cronbach. RESULTADOS: A pontuação máxima possível era nove em cada subescala (bom funcionamento familiar), exceto em relação a conflito e controle. Na maioria das subescalas, a pontuação média da amostra estudada esteve entre 5,1 e 7,6 (homens) e entre 5,4 e 7,7 (mulheres). Nas subescalas conflito e controle as médias variaram entre 1,8 e 4,6 (homens) e entre 1,6 e 4,6 (mulheres), sendo semelhantes às relatadas em estudos internacionais, exceto maior pontuação nas subescalas coesão e organização, e menor na subescala conflito. Não houve diferença estatisticamente significativa entre as pontuações atingidas por homens e mulheres. A confiabilidade da escala avaliada pelo alfa de Cronbach variou entre 0,61 e 0,78 para as dez subescalas. CONCLUSÕES: Fatores culturais podem ter influenciado os resultados obtidos em algumas subescalas. A versão em português da Escala do Ambiente Familiar apresentou razoável consistência interna que permite sua utilização para avaliar alterações no ambiente ou funcionamento familiar, e após intervenções terapêuticas.
Evolução da pesquisa epidemiológica em atividade física no Brasil: revisão sistemática
Authors: Hallal Pedro Curi , Dumith Samuel de Carvalho , Bastos Juliano Peixoto , Reichert Felipe Fossati , Siqueira Fernando Vinholes , Azevedo Mario Renato
Published: June 2007

OBJETIVO: Descrever a evolução da pesquisa epidemiológica em atividade física no Brasil. MÉTODOS: Revisão sistemática da literatura, realizada em bases de dados eletrônicas (Medline/PubMed, Lilacs, Ovid, Science Direct, BioMed Central e High Wire), em periódicos nacionais não indexados, por busca específica por autores e contato com pesquisadores. A seleção dos artigos teve como critérios de inclusão: amostra representativa de alguma população definida; tamanho da amostra de pelo menos 500 indivíduos; coleta de dados realizada no Brasil; mensuração de atividade física e relato dos resultados com base nessa variável. RESULTADOS: Foram incluídos 42 estudos. O primeiro artigo foi publicado em 1990, observando-se tendência de aumento de publicações a partir de 2000. Foi detectada disparidade regional nas publicações, com concentração de estudos nas regiões Sudeste e Sul. A maioria dos estudos (93%) utilizou questionários como instrumentos de pesquisa, cujos conteúdos variaram, assim como as definições operacionais de sedentarismo, dificultando a comparação dos resultados. CONCLUSÕES: Embora a literatura em epidemiologia da atividade física venha crescendo quantitativamente no Brasil, limitações metodológicas dificultam a comparação entre os estudos, tornando a padronização de instrumentos e definições essenciais para o avanço científico da área.
Zoster Vaccine Live
Authors: Kockler Denise R. , McCarthy Michelle W.
Published: June 2007

Herpes zoster is a neurocutaneous disease caused by the varicella‐zoster virus and is associated with significant morbidity and long‐term sequelae in older adults. Until recently, treatment options for these complications have been primarily targeted at disease state management and symptom relief. Zoster vaccine live is the first vaccine approved for the prevention of herpes zoster. The vaccine was approved by the United States Food and Drug Administration for adults aged 60 years or older. Results of the Shingles Prevention Study demonstrated that in older individuals, administration of zoster vaccine live reduces the burden of illness associated with herpes zoster by 61.1%, the frequency of herpes zoster pain and discomfort by 51.3%, and the frequency of postherpetic neuralgia by 66.5%. Overall, adverse events reported in clinical trials of zoster vaccine live were classified as mild. Events that occurred more frequently in zoster vaccine live recipients than in placebo recipients included injection site reactions, headache, respiratory infections, fever, flu syndrome, diarrhea, rhinitis, skin disorders, respiratory disorders, and asthenia. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices recently recommended universal vaccination for those 60 years of age and older, including those who have experienced previous episodes of shingles.