Lorann Stallones

Pet Ownership and Attachment as Supportive Factors in the Health of the Elderly

AbstractIn order to examine pet ownership and pet attachment as factors supporting the health of the elderly, a national probability sample of Americans 65 years of age and older was drawn. Participants answered telephone survey questions regarding pet ownership, life stress, social support, depression, and recent illness. In multiple regression analyses, pet ownership failed to predict depression and illness behavior, while pet attachment significantly predicted depression but not illness experience. In a group with particularly great distress (the bereaved), pet ownership and strong attachment were significantly associated with less depression only when the number of available confidants was minimal.

Psychometric Evaluation of the Lexington Attachment to Pets Scale (Laps)

AbstractThis paper reports on the development and psychometric evaluation of a scale for assessing emotional attachment of individuals to their pets. Previous attachment scales have suffered variously from low internal consistency and reliance on small or nonrepresentative samples for their development. Telephone interviews of a random, representative sample of 412 pet owners in Fayette County, Kentucky, were completed in September 1990; a 69.5 percent response rate was achieved. From a preliminary set of 42 questions, a final 23-question instrument, the Lexington Attachment to Pets Scale (LAPS), was developed, having excellent psychometric properties. The scale is suitable for use with dog and cat owners. Data on internal consistency, factor structure, and item response theory (IRT) modeling are presented, along with correlations between the LAPS and several domains of variables known to relate to pet attachment.

Acute Traumatic Injuries in Rural Populations

In the United States, injuries are the leading cause of death among individuals aged 1 to 45 years and the fourth leading cause of death overall. Rural populations exhibit disproportionately high injury mortality rates. Deaths resulting from motor vehicle crashes, traumatic occupational injuries, drowning, residential fires, and suicide all increase with increasing rurality. We describe differences in rates and patterns of injury among rural and urban populations and discuss factors that contribute to these differences.

Pesticide poisoning and depressive symptoms among farm residents

PURPOSE The purpose of the study presented is to evaluate the association between pesticides and depressive symptoms among a population exposed to chemicals as a result of agricultural use. Chronic sequelae of acute pesticide poisoning from organophosphate compounds may include anxiety and depression. In some states, farmers have been reported to have higher rates of depression than other population groups. Little work has been done to describe the effects of exposure to organophosphate compounds and depressive symptoms among the farming population. METHODS Data for this study came from a cross sectional survey of farmers and their spouses conducted in an eight county area in northeastern Colorado. Personal interviews were conducted with the study participants. Depressive symptoms were assessed using the Center for Epidemiologic Studies-Depression (CES-D) scale. Pesticides applied on the farms were assessed using self-reported questionnaires. Conditional logistic regression was used to model the relationship between depression and pesticide-related illness in a stratified analysis. RESULTS Between 1992-1997, 761 individuals were enrolled in this cross sectional survey. Adjusting for a number of potential confounders, the odds ratio for depression associated with pesticide-related illness was 5.87 [95% confidence interval (CI) = 2.56-13.44]. CONCLUSIONS Exposure to pesticides at a high enough concentration to cause self reported poisoning symptoms was associated with high depressive symptoms independently of other known risk factors for depression among farm residents.

Nonfatal injuries among US children with disabling conditions.

OBJECTIVES We investigated the risk of nonfatal injury in US children with disabilities. Disability was defined as a long-term reduction in the ability to conduct social role activities, such as school or play, because of a chronic physical or mental condition. METHODS Among 57 909 children aged 5-17 years who participated in the 2000-2002 National Health Interview Survey, we identified 312 children with vision/hearing disabilities, 711 with mental retardation, 603 with attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADD/HD), and 403 with chronic asthma. We compared nonfatal injuries in the past 3 months between children with disabling conditions and those without using injury rates and logistic regression analyses. RESULTS Compared with children without a disability, a higher percentage of children with disabilities reported nonfatal injuries (4.2% for vision disability, 3.2% for mental retardation, 4.5% for attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder, and 5.7% for asthma vs 2.5% for healthy children). After we controlled for confounding effects of sociodemographic variables, children with disabilities, with the exception of mental retardation, had a statistically significantly higher injury risk than those without disabling conditions. CONCLUSIONS Children with a disabling condition from vision/hearing disability, ADD/HD, or chronic asthma had a significantly higher risk for nonfatal injuries compared with children without a disabling condition. These data underscore the need to promote injury control and prevention programs targeting children with disabilities.

Neurobehavioral and neurodevelopmental effects of pesticide exposures

The association between pesticide exposure and neurobehavioral and neurodevelopmental effects is an area of increasing concern. This symposium brought together participants to explore the neurotoxic effects of pesticides across the lifespan. Endpoints examined included neurobehavioral, affective and neurodevelopmental outcomes among occupational (both adolescent and adult workers) and non-occupational populations (children). The symposium discussion highlighted many challenges for researchers concerned with the prevention of neurotoxic illness due to pesticides and generated a number of directions for further research and policy interventions for the protection of human health, highlighting the importance of examining potential long-term effects across the lifespan arising from early adolescent, childhood or prenatal exposure.

Pet Ownership and Attachment in Relation to the Health of U.S. Adults, 21 to 64 Years of Age

AbstractPet ownership and attachment to a pet have been reported to have a salutary influence on health in selected populations. General population surveys of the beneficial effects of pet ownership have not been conducted. The purpose of this national survey was to examine the relationship of pet ownership and attachment to self-reported illness behavior and emotional distress in three stages of life: early adulthood (21 to 34 years of age), early middle age (35 to 44 years of age), and late middle age (45 to 64 years of age). Data were obtained from a probability sample of U.S. households with at least one resident aged 21 to 64 years of age selected by random-digit dialing using a two-stage cluster design stratified by U.S. census regions. The response rate was 65.7%, yielding a sample of 1,300 household respondents. Emotional distress was measured using the 20-item Center for Epidemiologic Studies Depression (CES-D) scale. Illness behavior was assessed by the number of physician visits, prescription m...

DEPRESSION AND PESTICIDE EXPOSURES IN FEMALE SPOUSES OF LICENSED PESTICIDE APPLICATORS IN THE AGRICULTURAL HEALTH STUDY COHORT

Objective: This nested case–control study evaluated the association between depression and pesticide exposure among women. Methods: The study population included 29,074 female spouses of private pesticide applicators enrolled in the Agricultural Health Study between 1993 and 1997. Cases were women who had physician-diagnosed depression requiring medication. Lifetime pesticide use was categorized as never mixed/applied pesticides, low exposure (up to 225 days), high exposure (>225 days), and a history of diagnosed pesticide poisoning. Results: After adjustment for state, age, race, off-farm work, alcohol, cigarette smoking, physician visits, and solvent exposure, depression was significantly associated with a history of pesticide poisoning (odds ratio [OR] = 3.26; 95% confidence interval [CI] = 1.72–6.19) but not low (OR = 1.09; CI = 0.91–1.31) or high (OR = 1.09; 95% CI = 0.91–1.31) cumulative pesticide exposure. Conclusion: Pesticide poisoning may contribute to risk of depression.

Relationship of helmet use and head injuries among motorcycle crash victims in El Paso county, Colorado, 1989–1990☆

A case-control study was conducted in El Paso County, Colorado to estimate differences in risk of head injury among persons in motorcycle crashes who were or were not wearing helmets. There were 71 cases, motorcyclists with head injuries from crashes, and 417 controls, motorcyclists in crashes without head injuries. Motorcyclists not wearing helmets were 2.4 times as likely to sustain head injuries (95% confidence limits: 1.23, 4.70) than motorcyclists wearing helmets. This odds ratio was adjusted for age and crash characteristics, using logistic regression. Alcohol intoxication and severity of motorcycle damage were also associated with significantly elevated odds ratios related to sustaining a head injury.

Costs, mortality likelihood and outcomes of hospitalized US children with traumatic brain injuries

Primary objective: To examine the hospitalization costs and discharge outcomes of US children with TBI and to evaluate a severity measure, the predictive mortality likelihood level. Research design: Data from the 2006 Healthcare Cost and Utilization Project Kids’ Inpatient Database (KID) were used to report the national estimates and characteristics of TBI-associated hospitalizations among US children ≤20 years of age. The percentage of children with TBI caused by motor vehicle crashes (MVC) and falls was calculated according to the predictive mortality likelihood levels (PMLL), death in hospital and discharge into long-term rehabilitation facilities. Associations with the PMLL, discharge outcomes and average hospital charges were examined. Results: In 2006, there were an estimated 58 900 TBI-associated hospitalizations among US children, accounting for