Alcohol use and mental health symptoms in female firefighter recruits.

BACKGROUND: Limited research suggests that female firefighters report problem drinking at higher rates than the general population. AIMS: To identify longitudinal drinking patterns in female firefighters, make comparisons to male firefighters and examine problem drinking in relation to post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and depression. METHODS: Study participants included 33 female and 289 male firefighter recruits, who were assessed over their first 3 years of fire service. RESULTS: Female firefighters consumed increasing numbers of drinks per week, with a median of 0.90 drinks per week at baseline, and 1.27 drinks in year 3. Female firefighters reported binge drinking at high rates, with nearly half binging at least once per year across all time points (44-74%). The percentage that reported binge drinking three or more times per month doubled over the course of the study (from 9% to 18%). Overall, males reported higher rates of binge drinking and a greater number of drinks per week; however, binge drinking rates among females increased over time and became comparable to rates of binge drinking among males. A greater percentage of female than male firefighters met the criteria for problem drinking by year 1. Problem drinking was associated with screening positive for PTSD at year 1 and depression at year 2, but not with occupational injury. CONCLUSIONS: Over time, female firefighters reported increasing amounts of drinking, more frequent binge drinking and more negative consequences from drinking. These findings along with existing literature indicate female firefighters change their drinking in the direction of their male counterparts.

The Dieter's Inventory of Eating Temptations: a measure of weight control competence.

This research reports the development and initial investigation of the reliability and validity of the Dieter's Inventory of Eating Temptations (DIET), a self-report inventory designed to assess behavioral competence in six types of situations related to weight control: (a) overeating, (b) negative emotions, (c) exercise, (d) resisting temptation, (e) positive social, and (f) food choice. The scales were shown to have adequate test-retest reliability and internal consistency. A comparison of 193 normal weight and 168 overweight subjects showed that overweights rated themselves as less competent in the overeating, negative emotions, and exercise situations. As a further validation, DIET scores were compared with measures of eating style derived from self-monitoring records. All of the DIET scales were significantly associated with specific parameters of eating behavior. In order to identify subtypes of overweight and normal weight individuals, cluster analyses were performed. Normal weight and overweight subjects could be grouped into interpretable clusters based on their profile of DIET scores. These data suggest that there is a relationship between eating patterns and body weight, and that there may be several types of problem behavior patterns. Treatment programs should combined assessment of behavioral competency in energy balance situations with intensive skill training in areas where situation specific competency deficits are found.

Effects of pre-natal and continued lead exposure on activity levels in the mouse.

Binghamton heterogeneous (HET) stock mice were exposed to 0.5% lead acetate solution from conception through adulthood. Activity was measured in an open field, shuttle-box, and the home cage. Independent groups of animals were tested at several ages in the light (day) and dark (night). Despite significant blood-lead level differences between the control and lead treated animals, developmental and activity differences between groups were restricted to selected measures. The lead-treatment appeared to alter only jumping in the open field and some consummatory behaviors observed in the home cage. This research does not provide support for a model which proposes a simple, direct relationship between low-level lead toxicity and hyperactive behavior. It is suggested that future research focus on the specific conditions under which activity is measured. Animal parallels to a human "hyperactive disorder" may need to be reformulated in terms of attention deficits which mark the childhood disorder.