Tobacco Documents Online

have auuaed the accwracy of this measnts - none havs been oonduc•ted in Anstralia - althw8h these ate anurnber of reasons for suspecting its validity. The pteaeot study exa.ainod and quantified the .owracy d Pap amear self- teport ammg a randomly se3ected tample of womea from the Newcastle eemmtmity. Aowracy' of Pap ®ear srlf- teport withia a 3 year period was aaeased by comparison with pathology records. Resuhs indicate that almoa half of the women who have not had' Pap smears within 3 years will be missed by a self-report measure of utilisatian. Some impiicatiaas for the meutttsmeat and use of self-teport data an discussed PASSIVE SMOKING AND CANCER AMONG FEMALE SEVENTH-DAY ADVENTISTS IN CALIFORNIA Terrencx L Butler Adventirt H.alth DeparasnU. SsventA-day Adveuist C1uucA, PO Baz 14, Gandow 2072 The relationship of passive smoking to the incidence of cancers was tnvetatgated among Cdtfomun Seventh-. day Adventisu. A spouse pairs cohort, consisting of ~11,060 married couples was chosen from the 34.445 ~}ubjeets of the Adventist Health Study cohort (1976- 1982). Follow-up for aseertainment of cancer iacidence and mortality was from 1976 to 1982 Passive smoking exposure for the "spouse pairs" was based on the husband's smoking status in marriage. The Mantel- Haeaszel approach and an exact method for spatse data were used to calculate adjusred summary rate ratios (RR) and appropriate 95 per oeot CL For non-.moicutg females age-adjusted' rate ratios and (95% Cl) for each outcome rcpresmt those females married to a smoker caatpated to those females married to a non-smoker. Lung cancer RR=2.01 (0.39-8.79), a11 smoking related cancers RR=1.22 (0.61-2.44); cervical cancer RR-4.86 (1.33- 17.66) and all mcident cancers RR=1.20 (0.94-134). The small number of cases for some aottmmes and the possihie misc]aasification of passive smoking exposure limited the ability to achieve omrlusive results. However the tesuhs indicate an adverse effect for passive smoke exposure and' are consistent with other teportod resuha. HEALTH STUDIES OF SEVENTH-DAY ADVENTISTS: A REVIEW' Terrence L Butler, Harley J. Stantaa, T. Martin Strahan tdvuvisr Hmlfh Department, Se.Knrk-dayAdventirt Church, P0 Box 14, Gordon 2072 This report reviews the results of two major prospective studies of Seventh-day Adventists in California and' a number of studies in other countries. Seventh.day Adventists are a conservative evangelical (]iriaian desorninmicn .vhose members are encouraged to ~follow a healthy lifeaty,le. Smoking and' drinking of jalcoholic beverages are church proscriptions. Members -'are also recommended to avoid dietary items such as mrat, ponltry, fish, ctffeate beveraga, and highly tefined foods. While the majority of members abstain from tobacco (954r) and ak.ohol (90%) there is a wide v.ri.tian among other dietary factors. Approximately half of Adventists 0 Australia and North America follow a laao- ovo vegesarian diet wht7t the other half eat meat. The 21 yesr mortaliiy follow-up (1960-1980) of 23,000 Califomia Adventists showed' that as compared to the geaeral population, Adventists had a much lower risk of death (less than 3096): from lcmg c,anexr. oosooary disease, Lrye bowd wna,r, stroke, diabues, and all nuses. Vegztarian Adventist mm eompated to Adveatists who sse meat had a lower risk d fatal corooary disease, diaberes, and death from all causes. In the second major health study the 1976-1982 follow-up of 35,000 California Adventisu, mottaliry aot the incideace of cancer and' isdtaemic heart disease (110) was ascertained. A lower risk of IIiD and several cancers was associated with a higher amstmmption of ooe or more of the following dietary hems - frnits,, ve8eubles, legumes, aod' nuts. Studies in other oooatries indicate that Adveruists live ftom ftam two to nine years longer the the geaerd population in those ootmtriu. OBSTETRIC OITTCOMES AMONG VIETNAMESE WODEN' Stunt Byrne Mitrant HealUt UwiJ. SA Health CanuwLrrios, PO Bca 63, Rwdle Mml7. Adelaide 5000 The Migrant Health Unit examined the proposition that being of non-English speaking background was a 'risk' in pregnancy by detailed analysis of the acperieace of the largest and' most geographically ooocmvated gtoop, Vietnamese women. The study rolated' the characteristics of the South Australian population to iopatient statistics and survey material One notable aspea of the mfomvtiao 8atheriog was a sttrvey, with the Family Plnming Assoeiatioq of Viattmaese +rcmm conducted by their peers. Underl',ying the particular health problems of pregnaacy is a litany of disadvantage experienced by Vietnamese people including low mcame and ownership rates for hottses or urs. Those with jobs are likely to be labourers or machine operators. The most significant single difficulty is low English competence among Vietnamese women. According to service providers and the women themselves. the need for mterprcKing beoomea aitical and:iu Lcli aaae at delivery. Culture, too, was found to have an impact m the efficacy of beahh sevioes. Many Vietnamese women do twt share our society's experience of ante-natal care and do not seek these services. As a consequence, the identification of problems may be delYyed and their effects increase& Traditian also has an iatpact dtuing and after delivery, when a woman is believed to be 'out of balance-. T6e response to her expectations .111 dicute the cornfort of the hospital stay and may be central to the outcome of the episode. The paper citess the above axnd medialitu.ons sudi as Hepatitis B. particuLrly amongst refugees, for the over- ><presarnutioo of' Vietnamese women in morbidity figuru_ jhis tn2 = `~~YrtQht ~tQ :Gd t~ r llN,,~~t4'e 17 o 2023513061 VOLUME }QII, NUMBER 3,1989 369 COMMUNfJY HEALTH STUDIES