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Papers by Leslie Alexander
Journal of Epidemiology & Community Health, 1992
Study objective-The aim was to determine whether or not there was a measurable risk of ill health... more Study objective-The aim was to determine whether or not there was a measurable risk of ill health associated with contact with sea water for children between the ages of 6 and 11 years old. Design and Setting-This was a prospective survey carried out on Blackpool beach. Parents of children between the ages of 6 and 11 years were interviewed over a seven week period during July, August, and September, 1990. Respondents were followed up 10-14 d after the original interview by either telephone or post. Water samples were collected on each day of the survey. Participants-939 interviews with parents or guardians were completed on the beach; 857 (919%) of these persons agreed to a follow up interview. The results ofthis study are based on 703 cases of matched data, of
Health Education, 2004
Increasing numbers of young people use Information and Communication Technology (ICT) for educati... more Increasing numbers of young people use Information and Communication Technology (ICT) for education, work and leisure activities. Research on ICT and Upper Limb Disorders (ULDs) in adults has shown that functional impairment, pain and discomfort in the upper limbs, neck and shoulder increases with frequency and duration of exposure to computer use. This paper reports secondary analyses of the Health Behaviour in School‐aged Children: WHO Collaborative Cross‐National Study (HBSC). Data from 11‐, 13‐ and 15‐year‐olds living in Scotland have been used to illustrate that extended periods of time spent computing are associated with neck/shoulder pain and headache. This is a topic which warrants a place on the Health Education agenda.
Botanica Marina, 1987
A Standard method is suggested for proving the efficacy of vital and mortal stains. Three stains ... more A Standard method is suggested for proving the efficacy of vital and mortal stains. Three stains were used to demonstrate the need for such a tool in phycological toxicity testing. With the ubiquitous green alga Enteromorpha intestinalis it was shown that rnore than one control group of dead plants is to be preferred for greater reliability and that the efficacy of a stain varies with, for example, both age and population in a single species. The reliability of data is also dependent upon the time lapse between the staining of a sample and the reading of results. Toxicants, e. g., copper, included in an incubation medium have been shown to affect the pattern of staining.
Archives of Environmental Health: An International Journal, 1993
The Blackpool, Wyre and Fylde Health Authority, in the North West of England, could be described ... more The Blackpool, Wyre and Fylde Health Authority, in the North West of England, could be described as a "low-level lead exposure area." Primary sources of lead exposure are atmospheric fallout (both indoors and outdoors) and potable water consumption. Deciduous teeth were collected from children living in this area as were water samples and outdoor dust samples. Both total lead concentrations and 206Pb:207Pb ratios were determined for a defined subset of teeth. Significant differences in the total lead concentrations were found for teeth collected from children resident in different targeted areas (i.e., Blackpool, Fleetwood, and Garstang). No significant differences were found between the total lead concentrations or the 206Pb:207Pb ratios from dust and water samples in these areas. Examination of the 206Pb:207Pb ratios for dust, water, and teeth obtained from each area separately revealed differing patterns of exposure to lead. Determination of 206Pb:207Pb ratios, in addition to total lead concentrations, enabled the differences in sources of exposure to be identified in these communities. The authors conclude that isotopic analyses are an important aspect of community survey work, and these analyses can be helpful in accurately targeting intervention strategies aimed at reducing exposure to lead.
British Medical Journal, 2005
differences in blood lipids, insulin, and leptin persist with increasing age these could be of pu... more differences in blood lipids, insulin, and leptin persist with increasing age these could be of public health importance. As the provision of school dinners has changed little in the past five years, 1 the differences could be of continuing relevance. However, the extent to which the differences reflect dissimilarities in the composition of school dinners and home provided school meals or other aspects of the dietary patterns and health behaviours of the two groups remains uncertain. Despite these uncertainties, we can draw two general conclusions. Firstly, the lower mean folate concentration seen among pupils eating school dinners suggests that new initiatives likely to increase the folate content of school dinners would be appropriate. 5 Secondly, the other differences seen suggest that the average health status of pupils eating school dinners is no worse-and may actually be better-than that of pupils eating meals provided from home. This suggests that efforts to improve the diet and nutrition of British children and adolescents will need to extend beyond school dinners to tackle overall dietary patterns and their societal determinants if they are to be successful. We are grateful to the research team members and to the participating schools and pupils. We thank P M Ueland and H Refsum (department of pharmacology, University of Bergen) for the measurement of serum folate. Contributors: PHW developed the idea for this report, conducted the study with assistance from DGC, and drafted the paper. CGO did the statistical analysis. NS provided analyses of leptin. All authors contributed to the final version of the paper. PHW is the guarantor.
Journal of Epidemiology & Community Health, 1992
Study objective-The aim was to determine whether or not there was a measurable risk of ill health... more Study objective-The aim was to determine whether or not there was a measurable risk of ill health associated with contact with sea water for children between the ages of 6 and 11 years old. Design and Setting-This was a prospective survey carried out on Blackpool beach. Parents of children between the ages of 6 and 11 years were interviewed over a seven week period during July, August, and September, 1990. Respondents were followed up 10-14 d after the original interview by either telephone or post. Water samples were collected on each day of the survey. Participants-939 interviews with parents or guardians were completed on the beach; 857 (919%) of these persons agreed to a follow up interview. The results ofthis study are based on 703 cases of matched data, of
Health Education, 2004
Increasing numbers of young people use Information and Communication Technology (ICT) for educati... more Increasing numbers of young people use Information and Communication Technology (ICT) for education, work and leisure activities. Research on ICT and Upper Limb Disorders (ULDs) in adults has shown that functional impairment, pain and discomfort in the upper limbs, neck and shoulder increases with frequency and duration of exposure to computer use. This paper reports secondary analyses of the Health Behaviour in School‐aged Children: WHO Collaborative Cross‐National Study (HBSC). Data from 11‐, 13‐ and 15‐year‐olds living in Scotland have been used to illustrate that extended periods of time spent computing are associated with neck/shoulder pain and headache. This is a topic which warrants a place on the Health Education agenda.
Botanica Marina, 1987
A Standard method is suggested for proving the efficacy of vital and mortal stains. Three stains ... more A Standard method is suggested for proving the efficacy of vital and mortal stains. Three stains were used to demonstrate the need for such a tool in phycological toxicity testing. With the ubiquitous green alga Enteromorpha intestinalis it was shown that rnore than one control group of dead plants is to be preferred for greater reliability and that the efficacy of a stain varies with, for example, both age and population in a single species. The reliability of data is also dependent upon the time lapse between the staining of a sample and the reading of results. Toxicants, e. g., copper, included in an incubation medium have been shown to affect the pattern of staining.
Archives of Environmental Health: An International Journal, 1993
The Blackpool, Wyre and Fylde Health Authority, in the North West of England, could be described ... more The Blackpool, Wyre and Fylde Health Authority, in the North West of England, could be described as a "low-level lead exposure area." Primary sources of lead exposure are atmospheric fallout (both indoors and outdoors) and potable water consumption. Deciduous teeth were collected from children living in this area as were water samples and outdoor dust samples. Both total lead concentrations and 206Pb:207Pb ratios were determined for a defined subset of teeth. Significant differences in the total lead concentrations were found for teeth collected from children resident in different targeted areas (i.e., Blackpool, Fleetwood, and Garstang). No significant differences were found between the total lead concentrations or the 206Pb:207Pb ratios from dust and water samples in these areas. Examination of the 206Pb:207Pb ratios for dust, water, and teeth obtained from each area separately revealed differing patterns of exposure to lead. Determination of 206Pb:207Pb ratios, in addition to total lead concentrations, enabled the differences in sources of exposure to be identified in these communities. The authors conclude that isotopic analyses are an important aspect of community survey work, and these analyses can be helpful in accurately targeting intervention strategies aimed at reducing exposure to lead.
British Medical Journal, 2005
differences in blood lipids, insulin, and leptin persist with increasing age these could be of pu... more differences in blood lipids, insulin, and leptin persist with increasing age these could be of public health importance. As the provision of school dinners has changed little in the past five years, 1 the differences could be of continuing relevance. However, the extent to which the differences reflect dissimilarities in the composition of school dinners and home provided school meals or other aspects of the dietary patterns and health behaviours of the two groups remains uncertain. Despite these uncertainties, we can draw two general conclusions. Firstly, the lower mean folate concentration seen among pupils eating school dinners suggests that new initiatives likely to increase the folate content of school dinners would be appropriate. 5 Secondly, the other differences seen suggest that the average health status of pupils eating school dinners is no worse-and may actually be better-than that of pupils eating meals provided from home. This suggests that efforts to improve the diet and nutrition of British children and adolescents will need to extend beyond school dinners to tackle overall dietary patterns and their societal determinants if they are to be successful. We are grateful to the research team members and to the participating schools and pupils. We thank P M Ueland and H Refsum (department of pharmacology, University of Bergen) for the measurement of serum folate. Contributors: PHW developed the idea for this report, conducted the study with assistance from DGC, and drafted the paper. CGO did the statistical analysis. NS provided analyses of leptin. All authors contributed to the final version of the paper. PHW is the guarantor.