Cigarette smoking among college students attending a historically Black college and university.

Very little is known about the prevalence, patterns, social norms, and trends of smoking among students attending historically Black colleges and universities (HBCUs). The current study assessed the prevalence, patterns, and norms associated with cigarette smoking among a cross-sectional random sample of 371 undergraduate college students at a historically Black university in North Carolina. Eighty-seven percent of the respondents were non-smokers. Eighty-six percent of the students reported that smoking was discouraged among their peers and 45% responded that they preferred associating with peers who did not smoke cigarettes. Seventy-one percent of the students responded that they did not smoke before the age of 18 and 55% reported that, while they were growing up, neither of their parents smoked. Preliminary findings of this study indicate that smoking is not widely practiced and has not become a socially acceptable or encouraged norm among college students attending an HBCU.

The relationship among marijuana use, prior incarceration, and inmates' self-reported HIV/AIDS risk behaviors.

Inmates report use of a wide range of drugs including heroin, methadone, and cocaine at some point in their lives without a doctor's prescription. The most commonly used drugs include marijuana and cocaine; tobacco and alcohol are also widely used [Am. J. Public Health 90 (2000) 1939; Am. J. Drug Alcohol Abuse 26 (2000) 229]. The present study explores the relationship between marijuana use and prior incarceration on 208 inmates' self-reported HIV/AIDS risk behaviors. Analysis involved descriptive and chi-square tests of association. Findings indicate that inmates with higher self-reported levels of education were significantly less likely than others to be repeat offenders. Data also support the argument that income prior to the most recent arrest and frequency of marijuana use was related to the outcome of being a repeat offender.

Measuring Depression in African American Cancer Survivors: The Reliability and Validity of the Center for Epidemiologic Study--Depression (CES-D) Scale.

The Center for Epidemiologic Study-Depression (CES-D) Scale has been used to assess levels of depressive symptomatology in cancer survivors but has not been validated in African American cancer survivors. The current study assessed the reliability and validity of the CES-D in 216 African American cancer survivors. A Cronbach alpha was calculated to determine internal consistency reliability, and correlations were computed between the CES-D and other measure of mood states (Profile of Mood States-Short Form and Bradburn Positive and Negative Affect Scales) to assess concurrent validity. The CES-D demonstrated acceptable internal consistency (= .90), and the concurrent validity was supported by significant correlations with other measures of mood states. These analyses indicate that the CES-D is a reliable and valid measure for use with African American cancer survivors. The mean CES-D score (M = 15.7, SD = 11.89) further suggests that this sample of African American cancer survivors exhibit significant levels of depressive symptomatology.

Evaluation of the American Cancer Society's breast cancer-related documents by cancer survivors.

BACKGROUND: In an attempt to address the informational needs of female breast cancer survivors, the American Cancer Society (ACS) develops and distributes written documents. Although this educational effort has been well received, little attention has been given to the suitability of the materials themselves. METHODS: A random sample of 812 survivors was derived from callers to the ACS National Cancer Information Center (NCIC) from July to December of 2000. The participants then rated the three most commonly distributed breast cancer information documents on five dimensions 1). presentation, 2). satisfaction, 3). understanding, 4). anxiety, and 5). impact. RESULTS: . Participants responded favorably to four of the five rating categories. Conclusions. The evidence suggests that the three materials had positive health outcomes and were well received by the survivors.