Epidemiology
Substance abuse
Four projects examine individual and community risk and protective factors related to substance abuse. One is focused on substance use and related problems among Native American youth. A second focuses on inhalant use among young children in rural communities, a cross-cultural study involving five cultures. The third addresses substance use among Hispanic drop-outs. The fourth addresses substance use and consequences related to school disengagement.
Occupational safety and health:
A number of projects address occupational injuries including one to examine how farm safety climate, risk beliefs of parents and adolescents, and sleep patterns are associated with adolescent farm injuries. A comparative study using some of the same questionnaires conducted in China among adolescents studies the relationship between sleep patterns and farm injuries. In another study, migrant and seasonal farm workers in Colorado and Mexico were interviewed to identify injuries of highest concern for the workers in order to develop culturally relevant injury prevention programs. Studies are being done to assess the relationship between neurobehavioral effects of pesticide poisoning and depression, injury, and safety practices in Colorado. Other studies assess the relationship between pesticide exposed occupations and suicide mortality in Colorado and pesticide poisoning and suicidal ideation in Costa Rica. A group of studies are being conducted on workplace violence prevention among high risk workers.
Injuries
Ongoing research projects include one related to reporting of motor vehicle crashes in newspapers to determine the extent to which newspaper reports contain standard information often used to design motor vehicle injury prevention programs. The projects include one related to bicycle helmet use among college students, one related to child restraint use in Japan using culturally specific variables, and one related to obesity and injuries among children in Colorado.
Health effects of air pollution
Research focused on the health effects of air pollution includes examining the pulmonary and cardiovascular effects of ambient air pollution in various locations in the U.S. Several studies have been examining the impact of indoor biomass cook stoves on exposure and health effects in Central America. Specifically, a cross-sectional study was conducted to compare PM2.5, carbon monoxide levels, and several health endpoints in homes with traditional and improved stoves in Honduras. An intervention is also being conducted to examine indoor and personal air pollution levels and respiratory and cardiovascular outcomes in Nicaraguan women at baseline (using traditional open fire cook stoves) and after improved cook stoves with chimneys are installed in the homes.
