Prevalence of texting while driving and other risky driving behaviors among young people in Ontario, Canada: Evidence from 2012 and 2014

This paper reports on the prevalence of texting while driving and other risky driving behaviors by age and gender in two large samples of youth aged 16-19 years in Ontario, Canada. In Study 1 (N=6133), we found that males reported more frequent texting while driving and speeding than females and, in terms of age, sixteen year olds reported frequent texting while driving than older participants. In Study 2 (N=4450), which was conducted two years later, males again reported more frequent texting while driving, however there was no difference in the rate of talking on the phone while driving among males and females. Participants also reported on experiences that led to a significant reduction in their texting while driving. The most common reasons were the perceived danger of texting while driving, laws and fines against texting while driving, and observing close-calls and accidents experienced by other people. The results of both studies suggest that driving-related risk-taking behaviors co-occur and that young passengers in vehicles, including 14 and 15 year olds, are bystanders to texting while driving. Finally, there was a substantial decline in the prevalence of texting while driving across the studies. In Study 1, 27% of participants reported "sometimes" to "almost always" texting while driving compared to 6% of participants in Study 2. Limitations and implications for public campaigns targeted youth distracted driving are discussed.

Validation of daily increments and a marine-entry check in the otoliths of sockeye salmon Oncorhynchus nerka post-smolts

Juvenile sockeye salmon Oncorhynchus nerka that were reared and smolted in laboratory conditions were found to produce otolith daily increments, as well as a consistently visible marine-entry check formed during their transition to salt water. Field-collected O. nerka post-smolts of an equivalent age also displayed visible checks; however, microchemistry estimates of marine-entry date using Sr:Ca ratios differed from visual estimates by c. 9 days suggesting that microstructural and microchemical processes occur on different time scales.

Prevalence and demographic differences in microaccidents and safety behaviors among young workers in Canada

INTRODUCTION

The present study examines the self-reported frequency of non-lost work time workplace injuries ("microaccidents") and the frequency of three types of work-related safety behaviors (i.e., safety voice, safety compliance, and safety neglect) recalled over a four-week period.

METHOD

We analyzed data on microaccidents and safety behaviors from 19,547 young workers (aged 15-25years, Mdn=18years; 55% male) from multiple Canadian provinces.

RESULTS

Approximately one-third of all young workers recalled experiencing at least one microaccident at work in the last four weeks. Comparisons across three age groups revealed that younger workers, particularly between the ages of 15-18, reported more frequent microaccidents, less safety voice, less safety compliance, and more safety neglect than workers aged 19-22. This pattern of results also held for comparisons between workers in 19-22 and 23-25 age groups, except for safety voice which did not differ between these two older age groups. In terms of gender, males and females reported the same frequency of microaccidents, but males reported more safety voice, more safety compliance, and more safety neglect than females did. The results and limitations of the present study are discussed.

CONCLUSION

Frequency of microaccidents and safety behavior vary among young worker age sub-groups.

Work-related injury underreporting among young workers: prevalence, gender differences, and explanations for underreporting

INTRODUCTION

Although notifying an employer of a lost-time work-related injury is a legal requirement in many jurisdictions, employees frequently do not report such injuries.

METHOD

Based on data from 21,345 young part-time Canadian workers (55% male), we found that 21% of respondents had experienced at least one lost-time injury, with about half reporting the injury to an employer and a doctor.

RESULTS

Respondents provided 10 reasons for avoiding reporting lost-time injuries, with perceived low severity of the injury, negative reactions of others, and ambiguity about whether work caused the injury as the most common ones. Additional analysis of these categories revealed that young males cited concern about their self-identity as a reason for not reporting an injury more often than young females did. We discuss the findings in terms of implications for management practice (i.e., educating young workers about accurate injury reporting) and public policy.

PRACTICAL APPLICATIONS

Targeted campaigns should be developed for young workers, especially young male workers, who are less likely to report injuries than young female workers, to understand the importance of and to encourage injury reporting.

Favourable outcomes of coccygectomy for refractory coccygodynia

INTRODUCTION

Coccygodynia is a condition associated with severe discomfort in the region of the coccyx. While traditional procedures had poor outcomes and high complication rates, recent literature suggests better outcomes and lower complication rates with coccygectomy.

METHODS

Data were collected retrospectively from clinical notes. A questionnaire was used to evaluate the outcomes. The outcome measures included pain analogue score (PAS) in sitting and during daily activities as well as patients' overall pain relief. Overall improvement in pain and complications were documented.

RESULTS

Between 2000 and 2010, 14 patients underwent total coccygectomy for refractory coccygodynia. All patients were available for follow-up appointments and the follow-up duration ranged from 24 to 132 months (mean: 80 months). The aetiology was traumatic in eight patients and non-traumatic in six. The PAS improved from a median of 9 to 4 for sitting and from 7.5 to 2.5 for daily activities. One patient had mild discharge for more than two weeks. No patients required further surgery. Twelve patients (85.7%) had excellent or good pain relief. Only one patient was unsatisfied. A Wilcoxon signed-rank test revealed significant improvement in pain when sitting (p<0.05) and during activities of daily living (p<0.05) at the final follow-up visit. A Mann-Whitney U test did not show a significant difference in improvement in PAS between the traumatic and non-traumatic groups (p=0.282 and 0.755).

CONCLUSIONS

In our series, total coccygectomy offered satisfactory relief of pain in the majority of patients with a low wound complication rate.

Waiting for safety: responses by young Canadian workers to unsafe work

INTRODUCTION

This study examines young workers' responses to unsafe work through the lens of the exit, voice, patience, and neglect typology (Leck & Saunders, 1992).

METHOD

In Canada, social marketing campaigns and high school curriculum concerning workplace safety for young workers promote the benefits of "speaking out" against dangerous work. We conducted focus group interviews with teenagers in two Canadian cities to understand the types of work-related hazards experienced by this group, how they respond to hazards, and barriers to injury prevention.

RESULTS

Instead of speaking up about hazards, the vast majority of young workers in our sample take a "wait-and-see" approach when they have safety concerns. Their reluctance to raise issues by voicing concerns was related to fear of being fired, status as newcomers, supervisor indifference, and feelings of powerlessness.

CONCLUSIONS

Despite the emphasis on "speaking out" against unsafe work, young workers' beliefs about the perils of voicing persist.

Carbon-14 transfer into potato plants following a short exposure to an atmospheric 14CO2 emission: observations and model predictions

To improve the understanding of the environmental (14)C behaviour, the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) coordinated a Tritium and C-14 Working Group (T&C WG) in its EMRAS (Environmental Modelling for Radiation Safety) programme. One of the scenarios developed in the frame of T&C WG involved the prediction of time dependent (14)C concentrations in potato plants. The experimental data used in the scenario were obtained from a study in which potatoes (Solanum tuberosum cv. Romano) were exposed to atmospheric (14)CO(2) in a wind tunnel. The observations were used to test models that predict temporal changes in (14)C concentrations in leaves at each sampling time for each experiment and (14)C concentrations in tubers at the final harvest of each experiment. The experimental data on (14)C dynamics in leaves are poorly reproduced by most of the models, but the predicted concentrations in tubers are in good agreement with the observations.

Prevalence of risk factors for foot ulceration in patients with end-stage renal disease on haemodialysis

BACKGROUND

End-stage renal disease (ESRD) has been associated with foot ulceration and lower extremity amputation (LEA). However, the underlying risk factors for foot ulceration have received limited attention in this population.

AIM

The aim of this study was to investigate the prevalence and type of risk factors for foot ulceration present in patients with ESRD on haemodialysis without the coexistence of diabetes mellitus (DM).

METHODS

One hundred and ninety participants with ESRD and/or DM were recruited over a 6-week period. Participants were allocated into one of three groups: (i) ESRD without DM; (ii) DM without ESRD; and (iii) coexisting ESRD and DM. Participants were screened for the risk factors for foot ulceration. Statistical comparisons were made between the three groups for both the prevalence and type of risk factors using a Fisher's exact test.

RESULTS

Risk factors for foot ulceration were found to be highly prevalent in the ESRD population. Participants with both ESRD and DM exhibited statistically significant differences in risk factor presentation for peripheral neuropathy (P= 0.033), vascular insufficiency (P= 0.001) and footwear (P= 0.037) in comparison with participants with DM alone.

CONCLUSION

There are high prevalence rates of risk factors for foot ulceration in the ESRD population on haemodialysis and are comparable with those with DM. Individuals with coexisting ESRD and DM have an even greater risk for foot ulceration and LEA. This highlights the importance that regular foot screening, preventative education and treatment are necessary for patients with ESRD potentially to reduce the risk of foot ulcerations and LEAs.

Variations in structures, processes and outcomes of community mental health teams for older people: a systematic review of the literature

OBJECTIVES

In the UK and elsewhere, specialist community mental health teams (CMHTs) are central to the provision of comprehensive services for older people with mental ill health. Recent guidance documents suggest a core set of attributes that such teams should encompass. This article reports on a systematic literature review undertaken to collate existing evidence regarding the structures and processes of CMHTs for older people and to evaluate evidence linking approaches to effectiveness.

METHOD

Relevant publications were identified via systematic searches, both electronic and manual. Searches were limited to the UK for descriptions of organisation and practice but included international literature where comparisons between different CMHT arrangements were evaluated. Empirical, peer-reviewed studies from 1989 onward were included, extended to non peer-reviewed nationally or regionally representative reports, published after 1998, for the descriptive element.

RESULTS

Forty-five studies met inclusion criteria of which seven provided comparative outcome data. All but one were UK based. The most robust evidence related to research conducted in exemplar teams. Limited evidence was found regarding the effectiveness of many of the core attributes recommended in policy directives although their presence was reported in much of the literature.

CONCLUSIONS

The contrast between presentation and evaluation of attributes is stark. Whilst some gaps can be filled from related fields, further research is required that moves beyond description to evaluation of the impact of team design on service user outcomes in order to inform future policy directives and practice guidance. A framework for an evidence-based model of CMHTs for older people is provided.

SU-F-BRCD-05: Mean Regional Dose to the Esophagus Predicts Acute Toxicity Rate for Lung Cancer Patients

PURPOSE

The relationship between spatial aspects of the dose distribution and incidence of acute radiation esophagitis for non-small-cell lung cancer (NSCLC) patients is not well understood. Specifically, the location of dose along the superior-inferior (SI) axis of the esophagus has not been previously considered. We introduce the concept of mean regional dose (MRD) calculated for esophageal subvolumes, and test for significance for prediction of acute esophagitis (AE).

METHODS

The 3D dose distribution within the esophagus was extracted for 541 NSCLC patients treated with definitive photon therapy. The esophagus contour was divided into equal geometric halves, thirds, and fourths along the SI direction of the structure. MRD in each subvolume was calculated. Univariate logistic regression was performed to determine the correlation between MRD and CTCAE3.0 AE grade = 2 (medical intervention). The MRD was incorporated into an existing NTCP model (based on mean dose for the total esophageal volume) as a separate additive factor.

RESULTS

Univariate analysis indicated a significant correlation between AE grade = 2 and MRD in each of the esophageal subvolumes except for the inferior third and inferior-most quarter. There was a statistically significant improvement when including the additive MRD factor for the superior/inferior halves, superior/inferior thirds, and superior-most/inferior-most quarters into the NTCP model.

CONCLUSIONS

This study investigates previously unexplored regional differences in delivered dose to the esophagus of patients treated for NSCLC. There is evidence to suggest that dose to the superior portions of the esophagus is more important as it relates to the potential for acute toxicity. The 541 patient cohort is the largest database used to investigate AE in patients treated for NSCLC, strengthening the power of the statistical results. Additional methods to incorporate dose in individual esophagus voxels (along the SI axis) into the NTCP model are also being explored.