Elizabeth Newlin

Bio: Elizabeth Newlin is an academic researcher. The author has an hindex of 1, co-authored 1 publications receiving 46 citations.

The Association Between Hands-On Instruction and Proper Child Safety Seat Installation

Abstract: Objective. To determine if hands-on instruction in child safety seat (CSS) installation decreases the number of errors in installation. Design. Cross-sectional study. Setting. Primary care offices, emergency department, CSS checkpoint. Participants. Parents of children Main Outcome Measure. Errors in CSS use. Results. Only 6.4% of parents had a correctly installed CSS. Hands-on instruction was associated with fewer errors in seat installation. Increased parent age, completion of college, and having private insurance were also associated with fewer errors in CSS placement. The majority of parents learned to install seats from reading the manual, from friends and relatives, and from figuring it out on their own. Conclusions. Errors in CSS installation are a significant problem. Hands-on instruction decreases the numbers of errors in CSS installation. However, few parents receive hands-on instruction from experts in CSS installation. Increases in correct CSS use could result from hands-on education by trained professionals.

The Principles of Readability.

Abstract: The Principles of Readability gives a brief introduction to the literacy studies in the U.S. and the research on readability and the readability formulas.

Recurrent urinary tract infections in children: risk factors and association with prophylactic antimicrobials.

Abstract: ContextThe evidence regarding risk factors for recurrent urinary tract infection (UTI) and the risks and benefits of antimicrobial prophylaxis in children is scantObjectivesTo identify risk factors for recurrent UTI in a pediatric primary care cohort, to determine the association between antimicrobial prophylaxis and recurrent UTI, and to identify the risk factors for resistance among recurrent UTIsDesign, Patients, and SettingFrom a network of 27 primary care pediatric practices in urban, suburban, and semirural areas spanning 3 states, a cohort of children aged 6 years or younger who were diagnosed with first UTI between July 1, 2001, and May 31, 2006, was assembled Time-to-event analysis was used to determine risk factors for recurrent UTI and the association between antimicrobial prophylaxis and recurrent UTI, and a nested case-control study was performed among children with recurrent UTI to identify risk factors for resistant infectionsMain Outcome MeasuresTime to recurrent UTI and antimicrobial resistance of recurrent UTI pathogensResultsAmong 74 974 children in the network, 611 (0007 per person-year) had a first UTI and 83 (012 per person-year after first UTI) had a recurrent UTI In multivariable Cox time-to-event models, factors associated with increased risk of recurrent UTI included white race (017 per person-year; hazard ratio [HR], 197; 95% confidence interval [CI], 122-316), age 3 to 4 years (022 per person-year; HR, 275; 95% CI, 137-551), age 4 to 5 years (019 per person-year; HR, 247; 95% CI, 119-512), and grade 4 to 5 vesicoureteral reflux (060 per person-year; HR, 438; 95% CI, 126-1529) Sex and grade 1 to 3 vesicoureteral reflux were not associated with risk of recurrence Antimicrobial prophylaxis was not associated with decreased risk of recurrent UTI (HR, 101; 95% CI, 050-202), even after adjusting for propensity to receive prophylaxis, but was a risk factor for antibimicrobial resistance among children with recurrent UTI (HR, 750; 95% CI, 160-3517)ConclusionAmong the children in this study, antimicrobial prophylaxis was not associated with decreased risk of recurrent UTI, but was associated with increased risk of resistant infections

Smart Language: Readers, Readability, and the Grading of Text

Abstract: Smart Language gives a brief introduction to the adult literacy surveys and the research on readability and the readability formulas.

How readable are child safety seat installation instructions

Abstract: Objectives. To measure the required reading level of a sample of child safety seat (CSS) installation instructions and to compare readability levels among different prices of CSSs to determine whether the lower cost seats to which low-income parents have greater access are written to a lower level of education. Methods. A CD-ROM containing CSS installation instructions was obtained from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration. Pricing information was obtained for available models from an Internet-based company that provides comparative shopping information. Paper copies of the instruction sets were generated, and their readability levels were determined using the SMOG test. A second rater was used in addition to the primary investigator to assess interrater reliability of the SMOG as applied to the instruction sets. Results. The readability of instruction sets ranged from the 7th- to 12th-grade levels, with an overall mean SMOG score of 10.34. No significant associations were found to exist between readability and seat prices; this was observed whether the data were treated as continuous or categorical. Conclusions. CSS instruction manuals are written at a reading level that exceeds the reading skills of most American consumers. These instruction sets should be rewritten at a lower reading level to encourage the proper installation of CSSs.