An in-home beef study evaluated consumer ratings of clod steaks (n = 1,264) as influenced by USDA quality grade (Top Choice, Low Choice, High Select, and Low Select), city (Chicago and Philadelphia), consumer segment (Beef Loyals, who are heavy consumers of beef; Budget Rotators, who are cost-driven and split meat consumption between beef and chicken; and Variety Rotators, who have higher incomes and education and split their meat consumption among beef, poultry, and other foods), degree of doneness, and cooking method. Consumers evaluated each steak for Overall Like, Tenderness, Juiciness, Flavor Like, and Flavor Amount using 10-point scales. Grilling was the predominant cooking method used, and steaks were cooked to medium-well and greater degrees of doneness. Interactions existed involving the consumer-controlled factors of degree of doneness and(or) cooking method for all consumer-evaluated traits for the clod steak (P < 0.05). USDA grade did not affect any consumer evaluation traits or Warner-Bratzler shear force values (P > 0.05). One significant main effect, segment (P = 0.006), and one significant interaction, cooking method x city (P = 0.0407), existed for Overall Like ratings. Consumers in the Beef Loyals segment rated clod steaks higher in Overall Like than the other segments. Consumers in Chicago tended to give more uniform Overall Like ratings to clod steaks cooked by various methods; however, consumers in Philadelphia gave among the highest ratings to clod steaks that were fried and among the lowest to those that were grilled. Additionally, although clod steaks that were fried were given generally high ratings by consumers in Philadelphia, consumers in Chicago rated clod steaks cooked in this manner significantly lower than those in Philadelphia. Conversely, consumers in Chicago rated clod steaks that were grilled significantly higher than consumers in Philadelphia. Correlation and stepwise regression analyses indicated that Flavor Like was driving customer satisfaction of the clod steak. Flavor Like was the sensory trait most highly correlated to Overall Like, followed by Tenderness, Flavor Amount, and Juiciness. Flavor Like was the first variable to enter into the stepwise regression equation for predicting Overall Like, followed by Tenderness and Flavor Amount. For the clod steak, it is likely that preparation techniques that improve flavor without reducing tenderness positively affect customer satisfaction. (+info)
Maintenance of a smoking cessation program in public health clinics beyond the experimental evaluation period.
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OBJECTIVES: As phase 3 of a study to evaluate a smoking cessation program in public health practice, the authors assess the maintenance and impact of the It's Time smoking cessation program in seven public maternal and child health clinics in Chicago. METHODS: The authors interviewed 404 clinic patients in the study's baseline phase (prior to introduction of the It's Time intervention program), and 610 in the program maintenance phase (in the year after experimental evaluation had ended) to assess exposure to smoking cessation interventions offered at the clinic, and smoking cessation outcomes (quit, actions toward quitting, scores on action, motivation, readiness, and confidence scales). The authors controlled for clustering of smokers within clinics, smokers' characteristics prior to clinic visit, and type of clinic service. They compared outcomes by study group (control or intervention) to which each clinic had been assigned in the earlier experimental phase. RESULTS: Compared to baseline, smokers in the maintenance phase had greater exposure to posters, provider advice and booklet, and better outcomes on seven of eight smoking cessation measures, including quitting. These improvements were larger for clinics with prior experience implementing It's Time. CONCLUSION: Participation in the experimental evaluation of the It's Time program prepared and possibly motivated the clinics to continue the program. Continuing the program resulted in greater delivery of interventions and improved smoking cessation outcomes for smokers in the clinics. (+info)
Early adult characteristics and mortality among inner-city African American women.
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OBJECTIVES: This study examined predictors of longevity in a cohort of inner-city African American women. METHODS: Data were derived from a cohort study of inner-city African American mothers whose median age in 1966 was 31 years. Analyses involved single-decrement life tables and pooled logistic regression. RESULTS: Giving birth for the first time before age 25 and having at least a high school education predicted longevity in this sample. Effects of later age at first delivery in terms of mortality risk were stronger after 55 years and, especially, after 70 years. CONCLUSIONS: The findings offer support for Geronimus's weathering hypothesis. Predictors of longevity among African Americans may be distinct from predictors for the population as a whole. (+info)
Acute stroke care in Illinois: a statewide assessment of diagnostic and treatment capabilities.
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BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE: To define areas for quality improvement in acute stroke care, a statewide assessment of preparedness for acute stroke diagnosis and treatment was carried out among 202 acute receiving hospitals in Illinois. METHODS: Medical directors or their designees completed a 1-page survey form that addressed availability of personnel, diagnostic technology, and organized programs for the treatment of acute stroke patients at their facility. In the analysis, acute care receiving hospitals in the Greater Chicago Metropolitan Area (GCMA) (Cook, Dupage, Lake, Will, and Kane counties) were compared with those in the remainder of the state. RESULTS: Of the acute care receiving hospitals, 91% responded to the survey. Overall, 99% had an emergency room receiving facility, 98.3% had a CT scanner, and slightly >70% had a recombinant tissue plasminogen activator (r-TPA) protocol. We found that 93.2% of residents in Illinois lived in a county with at least 1 acute care facility with an r-TPA treatment protocol. However, many of the non-GCMA receiving hospitals did not have a neurologist or a neurosurgeon available. Furthermore, specialized stroke diagnostic technology (eg, transcranial Doppler, diffusion-weighted MRI, MR angiography) was generally lacking in both the GCMA and non-GCMA, as were stroke community awareness programs and acute care stroke teams. CONCLUSIONS: Stroke is a preventable and treatable disease. However, there are barriers to stroke care that are based on the availability of personnel, diagnostic technology, and programs. A systematic approach to the organization, implementation, and maintenance of services could improve outcome for stroke patients and reduce the public health burden of this deadly disease. (+info)
Holding the line with a watchful eye: the impact of perceived parental permissiveness and parental monitoring on risky sexual behavior among adolescents in psychiatric care.
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Adolescents in psychiatric care are at increased risk of HIV, yet little is known about the family factors related to sexual risk taking among these youth. We explored whether perceived parental monitoring and perceived parental permissiveness were linked to high-risk sexual behavior in 169 ethnically diverse urban youth seeking mental health services in Chicago, and we tested whether adolescent gender moderated these associations. We evaluated sexual risk taking at a global level and for specific risk behaviors (e.g., sex without a condom, sex while using drugs and alcohol). Girls reported more risky sex overall than boys, and girls were more likely than boys to report having sex without a condom. At low levels of parental permissiveness, rates of risky sex among boys and girls' did not differ, but at high levels of permissiveness girls reported more sexual risk taking than boys, and girls were more likely than boys to report having sex while using drugs and alcohol and having sex without a condom. Findings highlight the complexity of adolescent sexual behavior and the need for multilevel assessment of risk taking. Results suggest that parental monitoring and permissiveness are more strongly associated with sexual risk taking in troubled girls than troubled boys, and they underscore a need for gender-sensitive, family-focused HIV-prevention programs. (+info)
Smoking among Chinese Americans: behavior, knowledge, and beliefs.
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Objectives. This report describes and examines factors significantly associated with smoking among Chinese Americans, using multiple logistic regression methods. Methods. We conducted a population-based survey (n = 644, age = 40-69 years) in Chicago's Chinatown using a Chinese questionnaire based on the National Health Interview Survey (NHIS). Results. Smoking prevalence was 34% for males and 2% for females. Some 93% of current smokers had smoked regularly for 10 or more years. Low education (odds ratio [OR] = 2.41; 95% confidence interval [CI] = 1.31, 4.46), use of a non-Western physician or clinic for health care (OR = 2.64; 95% CI = 1.46, 4.80), and no knowledge of early cancer warning signs and symptoms (OR = 2.52; 95% CI = 1.35, 4.70) were significantly associated with smoking among men. Conclusions. The male prevalence of smoking is higher than those reported in California, the NHIS, and the Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System (BRFSS); exceeds the rate for African Americans aged 18 years and older; is comparable with the rate for African American males aged 45 to 64 years; and is far above the Healthy People 2010 target goal of less than 12%. Multisite surveys and smoking cessation campaigns in Chinese are needed. (+info)
Evaluating Chicago's success in reaching the Healthy People 2000 goal of reducing health disparities.
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OBJECTIVE: This study was designed to assess Chicago's progress from 1980 to 1998 in addressing the Healthy People 2000 goal of reducing health disparities. METHODS: Chicago vital statistics and surveillance data were used to calculate black:white rate ratios of mortality and morbidity for 1980-1998. Mortality and morbidity rate ratios were also used to compare people living in areas with the lowest median household income with those living in the highest for 1979-1981, 1991-1993, and 1996-1998. The health measures included mortality associated with leading causes of death; all-cause mortality, incidence rates for two communicable diseases; and two birth outcomes. RESULTS: Both black:white and low-income:high-income rate ratios monotonically increased for virtually all measures of mortality and morbidity. Almost all of the rate ratios and linear trends were statistically significant. From 1980 to 1998, the black:white rate ratio for all-cause mortality increased by 57% to 2.03. From 1979-1981 to 1996-1998, the low-income:high-income rate ratio for all-cause mortality increased by 56% to 2.68. CONCLUSIONS: These findings provide clear evidence that disparities in health did not decrease in Chicago. Instead, racial and economic disparities increased for almost all measures of mortality and morbidity used in this study. The fact that the Healthy People 2000 campaign to reduce and then eliminate health disparities was not effective must serve as a stimulus for improved strategies. (+info)
Prediction of depressive distress in a community sample of women: the role of sexual orientation.
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OBJECTIVES: This study compared factors known or hypothesized to influence depressive symptomatology in a community sample of lesbians and heterosexual women. METHODS: Data were collected in a multisite survey of lesbians' physical and mental health. RESULTS: Findings confirmed earlier reports suggesting that traumatic life events such as physical and sexual abuse, and individual traits and coping styles are risk factors for depressive distress. However, findings of higher rates of suicidal behavior and of several risk factors for depressive distress among lesbians suggest that risk for depression may differ among lesbians and heterosexual women. CONCLUSIONS: Sexual orientation may represent an important but poorly understood risk factor for depressive distress as well as suicidal ideation and behavior. (+info)