The passage of universal helmet legislation requiring motorcycle riders of all ages to wear helmets is a timely and controversial issue with far-reaching public health implications, especially as the number of motorcycle fatalities... more
The passage of universal helmet legislation requiring motorcycle riders of all ages to wear helmets is a timely and controversial issue with far-reaching public health implications, especially as the number of motorcycle fatalities continues to rise. In 2008, only 20 states had a universal helmet policy, an effective safety measure for reducing motorcycle fatalities and serious injuries.We used state-specific longitudinal data for the continental United States from 1990 through 2005 to determine which industry, political, economic, and demographic factors had a significant influence on the enactment of universal helmet policies. Our findings suggest that political climate and ideology are important predictors of helmet policies.
Research Interests: Political Science, Politics, Ideology, Motorcycles, Injury Prevention, and 15 morePublic Health, Health Policy, Suicide prevention, Medicine, Humans, Legislation, United States, Regression Analysis, Occupational Safety and Health, Longitudinal Studies, Human Factors and Ergonomics, Poison Control, Government Regulation, Medical and Health Sciences, and Accidents Traffic
Research Interests: Psychology, Addiction Medicine, Public Opinion, Addiction, Health Policy, and 15 moreMedicine, Social Class, Ambivalence, Humans, Female, Male, Addiction Treatment, Middle Aged, Social Values, Adult, Public health systems and services research, Drug Therapy, Public spending, Economic Benefit, and Logistic Models
Universal helmet laws (UHLs) are widely believed to be effective in reducing motorcycle fatalities. In this chapter, we further investigate the effectiveness of such policies by focusing on their long-term impact as well as their effect... more
Universal helmet laws (UHLs) are widely believed to be effective in reducing motorcycle fatalities. In this chapter, we further investigate the effectiveness of such policies by focusing on their long-term impact as well as their effect on motorcycle use. Using state-level longitudinal data from 1975 to 2005, we estimate how the adoption and repeal of UHLs influence motorcycle safety. Our results confirm earlier findings that adoption of UHLs prevents fatalities, whereas repeals lead to higher fatality rates. We provide evidence that UHLs operate as intended, decreasing fatalities mainly by improving safety rather than by reducing motorcycle riding. Finally, using dynamic specifications, we show that the long-term effects of both adoption and repeal persist in the years beyond the policy change.
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Research Interests: Business, Health Economics, Motorcycles, Injury Prevention, Suicide prevention, and 14 moreMedicine, Applied Economics, Safety, Humans, Popularity, United States, Occupational Safety and Health, Longitudinal Studies, Human Factors and Ergonomics, Public health systems and services research, Longitudinal data, Poison Control, Public Policy, and Accidents Traffic
Research Interests: Health Psychology, Addiction, Health Planning, Adolescent, Employment, and 15 moreAttendance, California, Child, Crime, Female, Adolescents, Addiction Treatment, Abstinence, Experimental Study, Educational Status, Economic evaluation, Estimation Method, Adolescent Behavior, Behavioral Health Services, and Clinical evaluation
This article identifies and describes several methodologic challenges encountered in economic evaluations of substance abuse interventions for adolescents. Topics include study design, the choice of perspective, the estimation of costs... more
This article identifies and describes several methodologic challenges encountered in economic evaluations of substance abuse interventions for adolescents. Topics include study design, the choice of perspective, the estimation of costs and outcomes, and the generalizability of results. Recommendations are offered for confronting these challenges using examples from research on adolescent substance abuse and dependency/addiction. 2008 Society for Adolescent Medicine. All rights reserved.
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Much of the research on adult children of alcoholics has focused on the transmission of drinking patterns from parents to their children and the development of alcohol-related problems. Less is known about how exposure to parental problem... more
Much of the research on adult children of alcoholics has focused on the transmission of drinking patterns from parents to their children and the development of alcohol-related problems. Less is known about how exposure to parental problem drinking affects children as they progress into adulthood in terms of other mental health outcomes. This is crucial information, in part because the average age of onset for depression and other mental health disorders is during late adolescence or young adulthood. The objective of this study was to rigorously assess the long-term impacts of parental problem drinking on adult children's mental and self-perceived overall health. The study improves on previous literature by analyzing a range of mental health markers and other predictors of morbidity, by focusing on a period of adulthood that only a limited number of studies have examined, and by using data from a highly regarded and nationally representative panel study. The analysis used data fr...
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Health care organizations in the United States face a significant nursing shortage, which seriously impacts the quality and availability of health care. Confronting this challenge requires involvement from organizations beyond the public... more
Health care organizations in the United States face a significant nursing shortage, which seriously impacts the quality and availability of health care. Confronting this challenge requires involvement from organizations beyond the public sector. This paper explores an initiative by Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Florida, exemplifying the concept of ‘strategic philanthropy,’ to contribute their financial resources and strong institutional ties to respond to the current and future shortage of nurses in Florida. Through this intervention, the company and partnering organizations hope to benefit the health care sector, the public, and themselves from the outcomes associated with the generation of a greater supply of nurses. Copyright © 2006 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
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Universal helmet laws are widely believed to be effective in reducing fatal motorcycle injuries. In this paper, we further investigate the effectiveness of such policies by comparing motorcycle fatalities of in-state versus out-of-state... more
Universal helmet laws are widely believed to be effective in reducing fatal motorcycle injuries. In this paper, we further investigate the effectiveness of such policies by comparing motorcycle fatalities of in-state versus out-of-state riders. We study whether fatalities of out-of-state riders are disproportionately higher for states without helmet policies. For this purpose, we use state-level longitudinal data for 1982-2008 from
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Universal helmet laws (UHLs) are widely believed to be effective in reducing motorcycle fatalities. In this chapter, we further investigate the effectiveness of such policies by focusing on their long-term impact as well as their effect... more
Universal helmet laws (UHLs) are widely believed to be effective in reducing motorcycle fatalities. In this chapter, we further investigate the effectiveness of such policies by focusing on their long-term impact as well as their effect on motorcycle use. Using state-level longitudinal data from 1975 to 2005, we estimate how the adoption and repeal of UHLs influence motorcycle safety. Our results confirm earlier findings that adoption of UHLs prevents fatalities, whereas repeals lead to higher fatality rates. We provide evidence that UHLs operate as intended, decreasing fatalities mainly by improving safety rather than by reducing motorcycle riding. Finally, using dynamic specifications, we show that the long-term effects of both adoption and repeal persist in the years beyond the policy change.
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Concierge medicine (also called retainer practices or consumer-focused care) represents a new approach to the delivery of primary care. This model involves more personalized attention and greater resources for individual patients, thus... more
Concierge medicine (also called retainer practices or consumer-focused care) represents a new approach to the delivery of primary care. This model involves more personalized attention and greater resources for individual patients, thus limiting the number of patients who can be served at each practice. All enrolled members must pay an annual membership fee or retainer. Given the short history and novelty of concierge medicine, this article explores the clinical, economic, marketing, ethical, and policy implications of this innovative approach to primary care.
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Research Interests: Psychology, Addiction Medicine, Public Opinion, Addiction, Health Policy, and 15 moreMedicine, Social Class, Ambivalence, Humans, Female, Male, Addiction Treatment, Middle Aged, Social Values, Adult, Public health systems and services research, Drug Therapy, Public spending, Economic Benefit, and Logistic Models
Research Interests: Business, Health Economics, Motorcycles, Injury Prevention, Suicide prevention, and 14 moreMedicine, Applied Economics, Safety, Humans, Popularity, United States, Occupational Safety and Health, Longitudinal Studies, Human Factors and Ergonomics, Public health systems and services research, Longitudinal data, Poison Control, Public Policy, and Accidents Traffic
Research Interests: Health Psychology, Addiction, Health Planning, Adolescent, Employment, and 15 moreAttendance, California, Child, Crime, Female, Adolescents, Addiction Treatment, Abstinence, Experimental Study, Educational Status, Economic evaluation, Estimation Method, Adolescent Behavior, Behavioral Health Services, and Clinical evaluation
Research Interests: Environmental Health, Humans, Emergency Room, Hospitalization, Female, and 15 moreAlcohol Drinking, Instrumental Variable, Alcohol Consumption, Health Status, Clinical Sciences, Aged, Binge drinking, Health Care Utilization, Alcohol Use, Health Effect, Epidemiologic Studies, Health benefits, Heart Diseases, health status indicators, and Interviews as topic
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Although evaluation methods for health care programs have been fairly well developed, it is often claimed that the standard methods of clinical and economic evaluation cannot be easily applied to adolescent addiction programs. Treatment... more
Although evaluation methods for health care programs have been fairly well developed, it is often claimed that the standard methods of clinical and economic evaluation cannot be easily applied to adolescent addiction programs. Treatment interventions for adolescents have an important health focus, but also have other social outcomes (i.e. externalities) related to education, family life, and criminal justice. There is little guidance in the literature regarding how to value the costs and benefits of adolescent interventions, which are unique in that they affect different individuals in a number of sectors of the economy. The objectives of this paper are to explore the additional methodologic challenges that are encountered in evaluations of addiction programs in general and adolescent addiction interventions in particular. We will also discuss the ways in which they can be addressed, using examples from addiction research and health care evaluations.
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Background: A positive relationship between alcohol use and criminal activity has been well documented among adults, but fewer studies explore this relationship among adolescents. Methods: Using data from 4 waves of the National... more
Background: A positive relationship between alcohol use and criminal activity has been well documented among adults, but fewer studies explore this relationship among adolescents. Methods: Using data from 4 waves of the National Longitudinal Study of Adolescent Health (Add Health), we examine alcohol use patterns and criminal activity from adolescence to young adulthood. Fixed‐effects models partially address the potential endogeneity of alcohol use, and, because numerous studies indicate that males are more likely than females to engage in drinking and criminal activity, the analyses are segmented by gender. Results: We find a strong positive relationship between alcohol consumption, the commission of crimes, and criminal victimization for both genders. Various sensitivity analyses and robustness checks support this core finding. Conclusions: Our results have important policy implications, as public policy tools that aim to reduce drinking among adolescents could also reduce cr...
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The passage of universal helmet legislation requiring motorcycle riders of all ages to wear helmets is a timely and controversial issue with far-reaching public health implications, especially as the number of motorcycle fatalities... more
The passage of universal helmet legislation requiring motorcycle riders of all ages to wear helmets is a timely and controversial issue with far-reaching public health implications, especially as the number of motorcycle fatalities continues to rise. In 2008, only 20 states had a universal helmet policy, an effective safety measure for reducing motorcycle fatalities and serious injuries. We used state-specific longitudinal data for the continental United States from 1990 through 2005 to determine which industry, political, economic, and demographic factors had a significant influence on the enactment of universal helmet policies. Our findings suggest that political climate and ideology are important predictors of helmet policies.