Presents results of a serologic survey for antibodies to Toxocara canis (the common roundworm of dogs) in a sample of 4,652 New York City children. Discusses findings of a case-control study conducted to identify host and environmental risk factors for T. canis infection and to investigate its consequences. (KH)

To assess the need, interest in, and benefits of contraception services, 516 women at high risk for sexually transmitted diseases (STDs) were surveyed. Forty-six percent were not using contraception, but 62 percent expressed interest in contraception. Provision of the services may address the dual need for preventing unwanted pregnancies and STDs.…

Discusses some social and cultural origins of health needs among Chinese-Americans and describes the role of community participation in health programing for the Chinatown of Boston, Massachusetts. (Author/JM)

Describes fathers whose children were born to teenage mothers in Baltimore, Maryland, in 1983. These fathers were at a serious educational and financial disadvantage when compared to fathers whose partners were aged 20 or above. White teenage fathers had lower educational attainment than Black; many more Black teenage fathers were unmarried than…

A study of fatal and nonfatal interpersonal violence-related injuries over one year in a poor African-American community in Philadelphia (Pennsylvania) reveals that violence-related injury is the most common injury type for persons aged 15-49 years. Results yield dramatic evidence of the extent of urban violence for adults and children. (SLD)

Controversy over attempts to establish a needle and syringe exchange scheme in New York City (1985 to 1991) as an Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome (AIDS) prevention measure are described. These efforts highlight several political and social pitfalls in AIDS prevention. (SLD)

Black-white differences in infant mortality rate are examined for 38 large metropolitan statistical areas for 1982 through 1986. The most important difference predictor was a "segregation index" (residential dissimilarity) apparently independent of variation in median family income and poverty prevalence but possibly reflecting…

Studies the degree to which psychiatric and substance abuse problems and victimization place families at elevated risk of requiring emergency housing and prevalence of these problems among 677 mothers in families requesting shelter and 495 comparison-group housed mothers in New York City. Problems, reported infrequently, correlate with…

A random household survey of 569 African-American adults in Oakland and 568 in San Francisco (California) indicates a high prevalence of smoking (41.9 percent), with smoking more likely by those reporting high stress. Stressful environment may contribute to high-risk smoking behavior among urban African Americans. (SLD)

Examines the effect of a four-year program of prenatal and postnatal nurse home visitation on the life-course development of women who were either teenaged, unmarried, or poor. (FMW)