Using PhenX toolkit measures and other tools to assess urban/rural differences in health behaviors: recruitment methods and outcomes

Abstract

BackgroundThe overall study was designed to examine how vacation behavior affects rural and urban Minnesotans and North Dakotans. The purpose of this substudy was to describe the method for sampling, follow-up and response rate by gender and urban/rural location to help inform future studies in this population.MethodsEssentia health primary care patients (n = 1344) were sent a 21-page self-administered questionnaire. The questionnaire included questions on demographics, work history, perceived stress, work productivity, depression and mania screeners, tobacco use, dietary information, vacation habits, and technology use. Participants were offered $10 to complete the questionnaire.ResultsThe overall response to the three mailings to 1344 adults aged 25–64 was 38.8% for a final sample size of 522 completed surveys. Despite the oversampling of males, the total number of responses from males was lower than for females. The response rates between urban and rural locations were nearly identical for the males (33.3% and 33.0% respectively) but higher for rural females than urban females (47.2% and 42.6% respectively). Seventy-eight percent were currently employed. Sixty-nine percent of the participants reported being married, 5.4% were living with a partner, 14% were divorced widowed or separated and 11% were never married. Forty-seven percent of our population had an associate degree or some college, 29% had a Bachelor’s degree or higher, 17% had their diploma or equivalent and 2% had not completed high school.ConclusionsThe goal of the sampling frame and recruitment strategy for this study was to assemble a cohort of approximately 1000 working adults, represented equally by age, gender and rural location. We ended up with a smaller cohort than desired. The law of diminishing returns was observed, although the third mailing was more effective for men than women.Electronic supplementary materialThe online version of this article (doi:10.1186/1756-0500-7-847) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.

Prevalence and Determinants of Mucous Membrane Irritations in a Community Near a Cement Factory in Zambia: A Cross Sectional Study

“…For instance excessive tearing and itching of the eye; nasal itching and fullness; and head pain and throat clearing are all common manifestations when mucous membranes of the eyes, nose and/or the sinuses are exposed to chemical irritants. Literature shows that irritations of the eyes due to exposure to chemicals and particulate matter often manifest as excessive tearing with or without itching, while swelling or discharge, which were less often reported, is often related to infections of the eyes [ 17 , 18 , 19 ].…”

“…Merhaj et al demonstrated similar findings when they reported that 97% of the respondents in a community within the vicinity of a cement factory suffered from eye irritations [ 20 ]. Additionally, nasal itching and fullness of the nostrils are often associated with allergic responses to specific, non-infectious particles such as plant pollens, dust mites, animal air, industrial chemicals and medicines, while nasal discharge is often due to infectious or foreign lodgment in the nasal cavity [ 18 , 19 ]. Furthermore, head pain and throat clearing have been demonstrated to be common manifestations of sinus irritation [ 21 , 22 ].…”

An Implementation Trial to Improve Tobacco Treatment for Cancer Patients: Patient Preferences, Treatment Acceptability and Effectiveness

“…A PEI index score (0-10) is the sum of intervention steps each patient reports that the provider implemented. Tobacco use and socio-demographics (e.g., age, gender, race/ethnicity, rural/urban residence) were obtained using questions from the PhenX toolkit [31]. The PEI was administered at baseline collected reasons for tobacco treatment selection, past-7-day point prevalence of cigarette smoking, number of cigarettes per day, cigarette type, age of smoking onset, and cancer site and time since diagnosis.…”

Identification, Characterization and Antibiotic Resistance of Bacterial Isolates Obtained from Waterpipe Device Hoses

“…The moist sweetened tobacco (called Mo’assal) is placed in the head and is burned by lit charcoal. The mainstream smoke aerosol is produced when the smoker sucks through the hose via the mouthpiece [ 5 , 6 ].…”

“…Since users require a waterpipe device to smoke, they usually smoke at their family or friends’ homes. In addition, they smoke in public sites where the device is available such as cafés (hooka bars), restaurants and picnic areas [ 5 ]. The device including the hose is usually used by multiple individuals and the only part that gets changed is the mouthpiece [ 3 ].…”