Measurements of drinking patterns in the general population and possible applications in studies of the role of alcohol in cancer.
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Quantitative information on alcohol consumption patterns derives from four possible sources: indirect measures, observational studies, aggregate consumption statistics, and sample surveys of general populations. The potentials and problems of each method are briefly discussed, with primary attention to the various traditions of survey questioning and data analysis. While medically oriented epidemiologists have often used only an overall drinking volume measure, social scientists have pointed to the importance also of variability in characterizing drinking, particularly in relation to social and casualty as opposed to chronic health problems with drinking. The dimensions of drinking patterns which might be relevant to hypothesized linkages of alcohol and cancer are discussed. It is suggested that measurement will need to extend beyond volume of drinking and may indeed involve studies of new kinds of dimensions in the patterning of drinking. (+info)
Social adjustment and cognitive performance of high-risk children.
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The study children were given two group-administered tests: the Raven's Matrices and an arithmetic achievement test. In addition they were observed in their classrooms, and also ranked by their classmates in terms of standard sociometric measures. The index children tended to perform somewhat more poorly on the arithmetic and Raven's Matrices tests than the controls. Classroom observations suggested that index cases concentrated more poorly and showed more forms of withdrawal behavior than controls; moreover, they had a lower social status, as viewed by their peers. The relationship of these findings to prior work is discussed, as is the importance of gathering naturalistic observational data. (+info)
Sociometric and disruptive behavior as a function of four types of token reinforcement programs.
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Children in a first-grade classroom were divided into four groups. Baseline measures of disruptive classroom behavior were taken on a well-behaved and disruptive child in each group. Following baseline, four types of token economies were simultaneously introduced and rotated every 10 days within a Latin Square design. The token economies were: (1) individual reinforcement determined by individual performance; (2) group reinforcement determined by the behavior of the most disruptive child; (3) group reinforcement determined by the behavior of the least disruptive child; (4) group reinforcement determined by the behavior of a randomly chosen child. The token economies were compared on their effectiveness in changing target behavior, preference by the targets, ease of use, and cost. Additionally, sociometric responses were taken on questions of responsibility, friendship, and funniness. Results showed a significant decrease of inappropriate behavior for the disruptive children and no difference between the effectiveness of the four types of token economies in producing behavior change. However, there were other differences that indicated that the system in which group reinforcement was determined by a randomly selected child would be desirable for most teachers. Results also showed changes in the sociometric status of the disruptive children. As predicted, disruptive children were rated as more responsible when they were in the group reinforcement determined by the most disruptive child in the group token economy. Using behavior modification techniques indirectly to change sociometric status is suggested as offering a new potential technique for behavior change agents. (+info)
Epidemiology of headache and migraine in women.
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During a survey of a defined community, 2,933 women aged 20 to 64 years were asked standard questions about headaches. Overall, 78.7% had headaches during the year immediately preceding the survey and this proportion decreased significantly with age. Random samples of subgroups with unilateral headaches, headaches preceded by a warning, and headaches accompanied by nausea were examined clinically. From these clinical diagnoses the prevalence of women with migraine during the previous year was estimated as 19%. Nearly half of those diagnosed as having migraine had never consulted a doctor because of headaches. Women with migraine and non-migrainous headaches kept diaries of all headaches and data are presented for the time and day of onset, severity, duration and relation of menstruation for both types of headache. (+info)