Michael French - Academia.edu (original) (raw)

Papers by Michael French

Research paper thumbnail of Alcohol Consumption and Health Among Elders

Research paper thumbnail of The long-term effects of childhood maltreatment experiences on subsequent illicit drug use and drug-related problems in young adulthood

Addictive Behaviors, Feb 28, 2011

Research paper thumbnail of Universal Helmet Laws, Alcohol Policies, and Fatal Motorcycle Fatalities

Universal helmet laws are widely believed to be effective in reducing fatal motorcycle injuries. ... 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

Research paper thumbnail of Cost-effectiveness analysis of four interventions for adolescents with a substance use disorder

Journal of Substance Abuse Treatment, Apr 30, 2008

Research paper thumbnail of Economic Costs of Underage Drinking in Florida

Research paper thumbnail of Motion Measurement by Laser Doppler Techniques

Industrial Engineering Chemistry, 1969

Research paper thumbnail of The health effects of parental problem drinking on adult children

The journal of mental health policy and economics, 2009

Much of the research on adult children of alcoholics has focused on the transmission of drinking ... 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...

Research paper thumbnail of Neglected tools for neglected diseases: mathematical models in economic evaluations

Trends in Parasitology, 2014

Despite many current interventions against neglected tropical diseases (NTDs) being highly cost-e... more Despite many current interventions against neglected tropical diseases (NTDs) being highly cost-effective, new strategies are needed to reach the WHO's control and elimination goals. Here we argue for the importance of incorporating economic evaluations of new strategies in decisions regarding resource allocation. Such evaluation should ideally be conducted using dynamic transmission models that capture inherent nonlinearities in transmission and the indirect benefits ('herd effects') of interventions. A systematic review of mathematical models that have been used for economic analysis of interventions against the ten NTDs covered by the London Declaration reveals that only 16 out of 49 studies used dynamic transmission models, highlighting a fundamental--but addressable--gap in the evaluation of interventions against NTDs.

Research paper thumbnail of Motion Measurement by Laser Doppler Techniques

Industrial & Engineering Chemistry, 1969

Research paper thumbnail of Does Alcohol Consumption Lead to Greater Health Services Utilization?

SSRN Electronic Journal, 2000

ABSTRACT While light or moderate alcohol use can improve cardiovascular health and protect agains... more ABSTRACT While light or moderate alcohol use can improve cardiovascular health and protect against other diseases, heavy or abusive drinking negatively impacts health status in a variety or ways. It seems to follow that alcohol consumption would be related to health services utilization in a similar pattern, with heavy and abusive users requiring more health care than abstainers, and light/moderate drinkers needing the least care. Surprisingly, the literature shows conflicting relationships, perhaps because heavy and abusive drinkers are not seeking care for their health problems or the health benefits of light/moderate drinking make take years to emerge. The purpose of the study is to re-examine these relationships utilizing a recent and nationally representative dataset, and a variety of alcohol use and health care measures. The analysis used contemporary econometric methods to test for and correct the potential endogeneity of alcohol use in all equations. Failure to address endogeneity of alcohol use may have created estimation bias in some of the previous studies. After addressing endogeneity when appropriate, we found evidence that heavy and abusive alcohol consumers generally had more hospital stays and emergency room visits than other drinking groups and abstainers, although interesting differences across gender and age groups were identified.

Research paper thumbnail of The economic costs of substance abuse treatment: Updated estimates and cost bands for program assessment and reimbursement

Journal of Substance Abuse Treatment, 2008

Federal, state, and local government agencies require current and accurate cost information for p... more Federal, state, and local government agencies require current and accurate cost information for publicly funded substance abuse treatment programs to guide program assessments and reimbursement decisions. The Center for Substance Abuse Treatment published a list of modality-specific cost bands for this purpose in 2002. However, the upper and lower values in these ranges are so wide that they offer little

Research paper thumbnail of What You Do in High School Matters: High School GPA, Educational Attainment, and Labor Market Earnings as a Young Adult

Eastern Economic Journal, 2014

Research paper thumbnail of Significantly Reduced Intensity of Infection but Persistent Prevalence of Schistosomiasis in a Highly Endemic Region in Mali after Repeated Treatment

PLoS Neglected Tropical Diseases, 2012

Research paper thumbnail of A Diagnostics Platform for the Integrated Mapping, Monitoring, and Surveillance of Neglected Tropical Diseases: Rationale and Target Product Profiles

PLoS Neglected Tropical Diseases, 2012

Research paper thumbnail of Marker species for identifying urban groundwater recharge sources: A review and case study in Nottingham, UK

Research paper thumbnail of The epidemiology and control of urinary schistosomiasis and soil-transmitted helminthiasis in schoolchildren on Unguja Island, Zanzibar

Transactions of the Royal Society of Tropical Medicine and Hygiene, 2009

As part of a 4-year control programme beginning in 2003 and entitled Piga Vita Kichocho, around 1... more As part of a 4-year control programme beginning in 2003 and entitled Piga Vita Kichocho, around 140,000 school-aged children on Unguja Island, Zanzibar were treated annually with a combination of praziquantel and albendazole. To provide information on the impact of this intervention, a subset of children, originating from 24 sentinel schools, were monitored in 2004, 2005 and 2006 using both parasitological and behavioural questionnaire methods. Overall, prevalence of urinary schistosomiasis fell by 52%, intensity by 55% and gross haematuria by 82%. There was a positive and statistically significant correlation between areas of elevated disease prevalence and areas of predicted high transmission based upon local occurrence of the permissive intermediate snail host. In areas of low transmission, urinary schistosomiasis was greatly reduced, but, by contrast, other intervention strategies are needed to complement and synergise with chemotherapy in high transmission areas. Whereas significant reductions were documented in the prevalence of both Trichuris trichiura and hookworm, prevalence of Ascaris lumbricoides significantly increased over the monitoring period. Through a detailed analysis of named child records, evidence of predisposition to helminth (re)infection and individual bias towards polyparasitism was detected, highlighting the often overlapping distribution of these parasites within the school-aged child.

Research paper thumbnail of The Role of Alcohol Use in Emergency Department Episodes

Substance Use & Misuse, 2008

This study investigates the association between alcohol use and emergency-department (ED) utiliza... more This study investigates the association between alcohol use and emergency-department (ED) utilization in the United States using nationally representative data from the 2001 National Health Interview Survey (N = 33,326). Estimates from our probit models indicate that among men, current drinkers are less likely to have visited the ED in the past year than former drinkers. Among women, lifetime abstainers are less likely than current drinkers to have had an ED episode. Finally, frequency of binge drinking significantly increases the likelihood of ED visits for men. The results suggest that focusing solely on problem drinking provides a limited perspective.

Research paper thumbnail of Chronic drug use and crime

Research paper thumbnail of Benefit‐cost analysis of addiction treatment in Arkansas: Specialty and standard residential programs for pregnant and parenting women

Research paper thumbnail of Cannabis Use and Antisocial Behavior among Youth

Sociological Inquiry, 2014

ABSTRACT Despite the numerous efforts to curb substance use and abuse through legislation and int... more ABSTRACT Despite the numerous efforts to curb substance use and abuse through legislation and interventions, marijuana consumption continues to be a major social problem, particularly among young adults in the United States. We provide new information on the relationship between cannabis use and antisocial behavior by analyzing a sample of young adults (aged 18–20) from the National Epidemiological Survey of Alcohol and Related Conditions (NESARC). We examine a broad set of cannabis use patterns and multiple dimensions of antisocial behaviors and test the empirical importance of two prominent criminological theories—general strain and social bond—in explaining associations between cannabis use and antisocial behavior. We include important socioeconomic, demographic, health and health behaviors, and contextual information in all regressions to control for confounding factors. Our results imply that cannabis use is positively and significantly related to antisocial behavior among young adults, and general strain and social bond theories cannot fully explain our findings. As expected, the estimated association with antisocial behavior is stronger for more frequent cannabis users.

Research paper thumbnail of Alcohol Consumption and Health Among Elders

Research paper thumbnail of The long-term effects of childhood maltreatment experiences on subsequent illicit drug use and drug-related problems in young adulthood

Addictive Behaviors, Feb 28, 2011

Research paper thumbnail of Universal Helmet Laws, Alcohol Policies, and Fatal Motorcycle Fatalities

Universal helmet laws are widely believed to be effective in reducing fatal motorcycle injuries. ... 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

Research paper thumbnail of Cost-effectiveness analysis of four interventions for adolescents with a substance use disorder

Journal of Substance Abuse Treatment, Apr 30, 2008

Research paper thumbnail of Economic Costs of Underage Drinking in Florida

Research paper thumbnail of Motion Measurement by Laser Doppler Techniques

Industrial Engineering Chemistry, 1969

Research paper thumbnail of The health effects of parental problem drinking on adult children

The journal of mental health policy and economics, 2009

Much of the research on adult children of alcoholics has focused on the transmission of drinking ... 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...

Research paper thumbnail of Neglected tools for neglected diseases: mathematical models in economic evaluations

Trends in Parasitology, 2014

Despite many current interventions against neglected tropical diseases (NTDs) being highly cost-e... more Despite many current interventions against neglected tropical diseases (NTDs) being highly cost-effective, new strategies are needed to reach the WHO's control and elimination goals. Here we argue for the importance of incorporating economic evaluations of new strategies in decisions regarding resource allocation. Such evaluation should ideally be conducted using dynamic transmission models that capture inherent nonlinearities in transmission and the indirect benefits ('herd effects') of interventions. A systematic review of mathematical models that have been used for economic analysis of interventions against the ten NTDs covered by the London Declaration reveals that only 16 out of 49 studies used dynamic transmission models, highlighting a fundamental--but addressable--gap in the evaluation of interventions against NTDs.

Research paper thumbnail of Motion Measurement by Laser Doppler Techniques

Industrial & Engineering Chemistry, 1969

Research paper thumbnail of Does Alcohol Consumption Lead to Greater Health Services Utilization?

SSRN Electronic Journal, 2000

ABSTRACT While light or moderate alcohol use can improve cardiovascular health and protect agains... more ABSTRACT While light or moderate alcohol use can improve cardiovascular health and protect against other diseases, heavy or abusive drinking negatively impacts health status in a variety or ways. It seems to follow that alcohol consumption would be related to health services utilization in a similar pattern, with heavy and abusive users requiring more health care than abstainers, and light/moderate drinkers needing the least care. Surprisingly, the literature shows conflicting relationships, perhaps because heavy and abusive drinkers are not seeking care for their health problems or the health benefits of light/moderate drinking make take years to emerge. The purpose of the study is to re-examine these relationships utilizing a recent and nationally representative dataset, and a variety of alcohol use and health care measures. The analysis used contemporary econometric methods to test for and correct the potential endogeneity of alcohol use in all equations. Failure to address endogeneity of alcohol use may have created estimation bias in some of the previous studies. After addressing endogeneity when appropriate, we found evidence that heavy and abusive alcohol consumers generally had more hospital stays and emergency room visits than other drinking groups and abstainers, although interesting differences across gender and age groups were identified.

Research paper thumbnail of The economic costs of substance abuse treatment: Updated estimates and cost bands for program assessment and reimbursement

Journal of Substance Abuse Treatment, 2008

Federal, state, and local government agencies require current and accurate cost information for p... more Federal, state, and local government agencies require current and accurate cost information for publicly funded substance abuse treatment programs to guide program assessments and reimbursement decisions. The Center for Substance Abuse Treatment published a list of modality-specific cost bands for this purpose in 2002. However, the upper and lower values in these ranges are so wide that they offer little

Research paper thumbnail of What You Do in High School Matters: High School GPA, Educational Attainment, and Labor Market Earnings as a Young Adult

Eastern Economic Journal, 2014

Research paper thumbnail of Significantly Reduced Intensity of Infection but Persistent Prevalence of Schistosomiasis in a Highly Endemic Region in Mali after Repeated Treatment

PLoS Neglected Tropical Diseases, 2012

Research paper thumbnail of A Diagnostics Platform for the Integrated Mapping, Monitoring, and Surveillance of Neglected Tropical Diseases: Rationale and Target Product Profiles

PLoS Neglected Tropical Diseases, 2012

Research paper thumbnail of Marker species for identifying urban groundwater recharge sources: A review and case study in Nottingham, UK

Research paper thumbnail of The epidemiology and control of urinary schistosomiasis and soil-transmitted helminthiasis in schoolchildren on Unguja Island, Zanzibar

Transactions of the Royal Society of Tropical Medicine and Hygiene, 2009

As part of a 4-year control programme beginning in 2003 and entitled Piga Vita Kichocho, around 1... more As part of a 4-year control programme beginning in 2003 and entitled Piga Vita Kichocho, around 140,000 school-aged children on Unguja Island, Zanzibar were treated annually with a combination of praziquantel and albendazole. To provide information on the impact of this intervention, a subset of children, originating from 24 sentinel schools, were monitored in 2004, 2005 and 2006 using both parasitological and behavioural questionnaire methods. Overall, prevalence of urinary schistosomiasis fell by 52%, intensity by 55% and gross haematuria by 82%. There was a positive and statistically significant correlation between areas of elevated disease prevalence and areas of predicted high transmission based upon local occurrence of the permissive intermediate snail host. In areas of low transmission, urinary schistosomiasis was greatly reduced, but, by contrast, other intervention strategies are needed to complement and synergise with chemotherapy in high transmission areas. Whereas significant reductions were documented in the prevalence of both Trichuris trichiura and hookworm, prevalence of Ascaris lumbricoides significantly increased over the monitoring period. Through a detailed analysis of named child records, evidence of predisposition to helminth (re)infection and individual bias towards polyparasitism was detected, highlighting the often overlapping distribution of these parasites within the school-aged child.

Research paper thumbnail of The Role of Alcohol Use in Emergency Department Episodes

Substance Use & Misuse, 2008

This study investigates the association between alcohol use and emergency-department (ED) utiliza... more This study investigates the association between alcohol use and emergency-department (ED) utilization in the United States using nationally representative data from the 2001 National Health Interview Survey (N = 33,326). Estimates from our probit models indicate that among men, current drinkers are less likely to have visited the ED in the past year than former drinkers. Among women, lifetime abstainers are less likely than current drinkers to have had an ED episode. Finally, frequency of binge drinking significantly increases the likelihood of ED visits for men. The results suggest that focusing solely on problem drinking provides a limited perspective.

Research paper thumbnail of Chronic drug use and crime

Research paper thumbnail of Benefit‐cost analysis of addiction treatment in Arkansas: Specialty and standard residential programs for pregnant and parenting women

Research paper thumbnail of Cannabis Use and Antisocial Behavior among Youth

Sociological Inquiry, 2014

ABSTRACT Despite the numerous efforts to curb substance use and abuse through legislation and int... more ABSTRACT Despite the numerous efforts to curb substance use and abuse through legislation and interventions, marijuana consumption continues to be a major social problem, particularly among young adults in the United States. We provide new information on the relationship between cannabis use and antisocial behavior by analyzing a sample of young adults (aged 18–20) from the National Epidemiological Survey of Alcohol and Related Conditions (NESARC). We examine a broad set of cannabis use patterns and multiple dimensions of antisocial behaviors and test the empirical importance of two prominent criminological theories—general strain and social bond—in explaining associations between cannabis use and antisocial behavior. We include important socioeconomic, demographic, health and health behaviors, and contextual information in all regressions to control for confounding factors. Our results imply that cannabis use is positively and significantly related to antisocial behavior among young adults, and general strain and social bond theories cannot fully explain our findings. As expected, the estimated association with antisocial behavior is stronger for more frequent cannabis users.