November 2007 AJPH Highlights: Politics, Policy and Public Health

Newswise — The articles below will be published online Sept.27, 2007, at 4 p.m. (EDT) by the American Journal of Public Health under "First Look" at http://www.ajph.org/first_look.shtml, and will appear in the November 2007 print issue of the Journal. "First Look" articles have undergone peer review, copyediting and approval by authors but have not yet been printed to paper or posted online by issue. The American Journal of Public Health is published by the American Public Health Association, www.apha.org, and is available at www.ajph.org. To stay up to date on the latest in public health research, sign up for new Journal content e-mail alerts at http://www.ajph.org/subscriptions/etoc.shtml?ck=nck. (1) WORK STRESS MAY INCREASE RISK OF DEPRESSION Increased levels of job strain and a lack of social support at work are associated with higher risk of depression.

Researchers utilized data from the Canadian Community Health Survey 1.2, a population-based survey of 24,324 employed, community-dwelling individuals conducted in 2002. Researchers also assessed the prevalence of lifetime (recurrent) and 12-month depressive episodes and psychosocial work stress. Analysis showed that increased levels of job strain were significantly associated with an increased risk of major depressive episodes among men. A similar, but statistically insignificant, trend was also seen among women. For both genders, a lack of social support at work was significantly related to depression.

"Depression in the workplace is a major public health problem that requires intervention yet remains underrecognized and undertreated," the study's authors said. "Both primary preventative approaches and high-quality treatments by primary care, occupational health and mental health professionals can be used to reduce the burden of depression in the workplace." [From: Major Depressive Episodes and Work Stress: Results From a National Population Survey. ]

(2) CLIMATE CHANGE MAY CAUSE SIGNIFICANT INCREASE IN HEAT-RELATED PREMATURE MORTALITY BY THE 2050SResearchers estimate a 47 percent to 95 percent increase in heat-related premature deaths by the 2050s due to climate change in the New York City region.

Researchers projected the future impacts of climate change on summer heat-related premature deaths in the New York City metropolitan area. Current and future climates were stimulated with a global-to-regional climate modeling system. Summer heat-related premature deaths in the 1990s and 2050s were estimated by using a range of scenarios and approaches to modeling acclimatization. Projected increases in heat-related premature mortality in the 2050s ranged from 47 percent to 95 percent, with a mean of 70 percent when compared to the 1990s. Acclimatization effects, which can include increased use of air conditioning, heat alerts and cooling shelters as well as gradual physiological acclimatization, reduced regional increases in projected heat-related premature mortality by about 25 percent. These results are consistent with previous studies that have applied climate model projections in mortality assessments and fall within the range of values suggested for other U.S. and European cities.

"In the future, integrated climate-health modeling systems could help reveal the geography of local vulnerabilities to climate change, which have been associated with poverty, social isolation and lack of access to medical care," the study's authors said. "Health impact assessment tools may eventually help local planners develop climate impact adaptations that are more efficient and inform the greenhouse gas regulatory process now emerging in the United States and elsewhere." [From: Projecting Heat-Related Mortality Impacts Under a Changing Climate in the New York City Region. ]

(3) WORKING ADOLESCENTS MORE LIKELY THAN THEIR NON-WORKING PEERS TO SMOKE CIGARETTES Working for pay during the school year is positively associated with the likelihood of tobacco use among adolescents.

Researchers used data from the second generation of the Baltimore Prevention and Intervention Research Center studies to investigate the link between working for pay and adolescent tobacco use. The study involved 799 adolescents who were followed since first grade. Tenth graders who worked more than 10 hours a week on average (high intensity) were three times more likely to report current use of tobacco than were non-workers. Surprisingly, students that worked moderately (less than 10 hours a week) tended to initiate tobacco use later than did non-workers and high-intensity workers.

"Given that young workers in this study and in most other studies are concentrated among certain industries (such as fast food, other restaurant work and retail), efforts should be made to encourage these industries to be smoke-free," the study's authors said. "Previous research has indicated that totally smoke-free workplaces are associated with reductions in prevalence of smoking, and we believe that these policies may also lead to reduced smoking incidence among young people." [From: The Role of Working for Pay on Adolescent Tobacco Use. ]

(4) INDIVIDUALS WITH A HIGH FEAR OF CRIME TWICE AS LIKELY TO SUFFER FROM DEPRESSIONFear of crime is associated with poorer mental health, limitations in physical functioning and lower quality of life.

Researchers analyzed data from 2002 to 2004 of the Whitehall II study, a longitudinal study of more than 10,000 London-based civil servants, to investigate the relationship between fear of crime, mental health and physical functioning. After adjusting for age, gender, employment grade, length of residence and previous mental health status, researchers found that participants with high fear of crime were almost twice as likely to suffer from depression and 1.5 times more likely to exhibit anxiety symptoms than were those reporting low fear of crime. Fear of crime was also associated with decreased physical functioning and lower quality of life. Fear was lowest among those who saw friends regularly, took part in vigorous physical activity and participated in more social activities.

"Initiatives to reduce the fear of crime may encourage greater participation in physical and social activities and improve a nation's health," the study's authors said. [From: Fear of Crime and Mental Health and Physical Functioning. ]

(5) VERBAL ABUSE BY TEACHER DURING CHILDHOOD MAY INCREASE RISK OF EARLY SEXUAL INTERCOURSEVerbal abuse by a teacher is directly associated with early onset of sexual intercourse, especially among girls.

Researchers followed 312 children in primary school to examine the links between peer rejection and verbal abuse by a teacher during childhood with early onset of sexual intercourse and the mediating role of delinquent behavior and low self-esteem. Verbal abuse by teacher, peer rejection and antisocial behavior among students was assessed each year from kindergarten to fourth grade. Self-esteem and early sexual intercourse were assessed in seventh grade. After controlling for gender, early deviant characteristics during childhood and pubertal status, researchers found that verbal abuse by teacher during childhood is directly associated with early sexual intercourse and indirectly by its link with delinquent behavior, especially among girls. In addition, peer rejection was indirectly associated with a higher risk of early sexual intercourse by its link to self-esteem, but only among girls.

"Our findings emphasize the importance of teacher education and early prevention efforts with disruptive children in order to prevent later sexually risky behavior and potential negative health outcomes in both genders," the study's authors said. [From: Peer and Teacher Effects On the Early Onset of Sexual Intercourse. ]

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