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HAZZA ABDULLA SALEM

H00282686

CJM

Drug use

Article 1

Section 1

Source: HCT Libraries Page > Discover> Electronic Resources

Search Terms: Drug Use

Section 2

            Title: Prescription drug use in pregnancy

            Abstract

The abstract consists of the objective, study design, results, conclusions, and key words. The purpose of the study is to offer information on the prevalence application of the prescription drugs among the pregnant in United States (Andrade et al, 2004). The design included conducting the study within the application of automated databases of 8 health care maintenance Research Network Center for Education and Research on Therapeutics. It was identified women who delivered their children at the hospital from 1^st January 1996 to 31^st December, 2000. The study evaluated the prescription drugs concerning the therapeutic classes and the Food and Drug Administration. Assumptions applied included a 270 days gestation with three 90 day trimesters of pregnancy and a 90 – period day before the pregnancy. The study did not however test non-prescription drug application.

            Within the four-year period 1996 – 2000, more than 152,000 were conducted and identified to meet the criteria study. In at least 64%, at least a vitamin and mineral supplement was administered before delivery. At least 2.4% received drugs in category A, 50% received drugs in category B, 37.8% received drugs in category C and 4.8% obtained drugs from D while 4.6% obtained drugs from X of the US Food and Drug Administration risk classification system. In general, at least 3.4% of the women obtained drugs from D while 1.1% obtained drugs from category X after the beginning of their prenatal visits. The study concluded therefore that at least one ha lf of all pregnant women received prescription drugs from either category C, D, or X. It is essential for these women to understand the effects of the drug medication on the developing baby and on the expectant mothers. The authors have ensured that a list of references is included in the article. More than seventeen peer-reviewed journals are used in the article to introduce issues and risks of using drugs while pregnant. The applied journals were written in a span of less than 20 years altogether. The study involves an appendix, which emphasizes the risks involved

            Reference

            Andrade, E. S., et al. (2004). “Prescription drug use in pregnancy” American Journal of

Obstetrics and Gynecology  191: 398- 407

Section 3

            Population

            Databases of 8 health care maintenance Research Network Center for Education and Research on Therapeutics was used to collect information on the number of expectant women who visited the hospital from 1^st January 1996 to 31^st December, 2000.

Research Approach

A retrospective study with the use of automated HMO databases was applied in collecting data in the study. The methodology applied is therefore qualitative.

Participant selection

            A database for identified women who delivered their children at the hospital from 1^st January 1996 to 31^st December, 2000 was used. From the population, a big number of women were drawn to representative populations and received drugs other than the normal vitamin and mineral supplements.

Main results

The study confirmed that at least 280,000 women were exposed to drugs with proofs of fetal danger related to them. No problem has been identified with the study as all possible cases of women are categorized in every group. Databases of every group and year have been further compared to results from other countries like France and in other periods.

Section 4

            The study has conducted research in significant field where little or controversial information is realized. The issue of drug use is often linked to the substance abuse, a much-informed topic. Drug use affects all categories of people are especially expectant women who are more vulnerable due to their condition (Lacroix, Damase-Michel, Lapeyre-Mestre & Montastruc, 2000). Drugs are known either to stimulate the body reactions of to inhibit some of the activities. Pregnant women taking drugs ought to be careful due to the new life they are carrying and sensitivity of the fetus to the environments. Most of the women and the public in generation are unaware of the implications of the drugs they use. Other than the vitamins and the mineral supplements, expectant women ought to be equipped with the health information related to the use of the drugs and any fetal risks involved. To confirm the effects of this study, a related study ought to be conducted on the prescribed drug use in expectant women and with impulsive abortions and early terminations of pregnancies. The future study will enable population become equipped with the frequency application of the prescribed drugs with proofs of fetal risks. The study confirmed that at least 1 % of the pregnant women use drugs other than vitamin and mineral supplements within the gestation period. More studies ought to be conducted to ascertain the effects of these drugs to these women and to the fetuses. According to Doering, Boothby & Cheok (2002), applications of any form of medications pose potential danger to the mother and the fetus. Since it is still uncertain on the knowledge of safe medication, it is necessary to exercise restraint on the applied medication during pregnancy (Shojania, Duncan, McDonald & Wachter, 2001).

Article Two

Section 1

Source: HCT Libraries Page > Discover> Electronic Resources

Search Terms: Drug Use

Section 2

            Title: Prescription drug use in pregnancy

            Abstract

            The study evaluates substance abuse and addiction among welfare and low-income mother (Reuters, 2004). Reuters defines the varying patterns of the drug use and goes on explain the rise and fall of drug dependency in 1970s to 1990s. this pattern is mainly driven by use of marijuana. The pattern of more dangerous drugs as cocaine has been different as its high peak was realized in the 1980s and drastic fall in the 1990s. Consequently, stock of frequent users had either died or discontinued their use. Reuters relies on databases from four non-governmental organizations, ADAM, DAWN, MTF, and NHSDA.

            Reference

            Reuter, P. Drug Use. Journal of Policy Analysis and Management. 2004: 65-81

Section 3

            Population

            Four major data sets are applied in this topic. MTF applies a survey of high school students' use of alcohol, tobacco, and other drugs, for 25 years. Cross-sectional methodology is applied together with 25 active panels. At least 2,500 respondents participate annually from high school senior class in panels. They participate to age 40. During this time, three principal investigators ask the same questions. They thus produce a very stable high-quality data set (Pollack et al, 2002). No data on the welfare status of the household in MTF is present either from cross-sectional or longitudinal. Income questions in the cross-sections are insignificant due to the kind of participants used.

NHSDA applies a sample size of 10,000 in 1990 to 70,000 in 1999. This sample is produces a state-level estimates of drug use for broad age groups. DAWN offers figures on emergency room admissions causally related to use of specific illegal drugs. This data set is thin, providing only age, sex, and race of the patient. ADAM contains data on biological assays and self-reports for drug use in a sample of arrestees in about thirty-five counties. ADAM includes a detailed survey instrument about criminal and noncriminal earnings and socio-demographic variables. The sample is nevertheless adequately large to offer useful data on earnings, family responsibility, and drug use in the criminally active female population.

            Research Approach

            The applied approach is qualitative as comparison is made on the data findings from these four organizations. Results realized in each of the group were compared to the rest and the major findings in the county.

Participant selection

            The study fails to describe how each participant from the NHSDA, ADAM, and MTF groups was selected. DAWN uses figures from the emergency room admissions causally related to use of specific illegal drugs.

Main Results

            At least 5% of the women were admitted to using an illegal drug within the one month before carrying out the study. At least 21% of the women have relied on drugs at least once in their lifetime. Marijuana was the major common drug with at least 17% of the participants relying on it in their lifetime. This was closely followed by cocaine with at least 8% of the respondents having relied on it in their lifetime.

References 

Andrade, E. S., et al. (2004). “Prescription drug use in pregnancy” American Journal of

Obstetrics and Gynecology. 191: 398- 407

Doering, P. L, Boothby, L. A, & Cheok, M. Review of pregnancy labeling of prescription drugs:

Is the current system adequate to inform of risks? Am J Obstetric Gynecology 2002; 187:333-9.

Lacroix I, Damase-Michel C., Lapeyre-Mestre M., & Montastruc J. L. Prescription of drugs

during pregnancy in France. Lancet 2000; 356:1735-6.

Pollack, Harold, Sheldon Danziger, Kristin Seefeldt, and Rukrnalie Jayakody. 2002. "Substance

Use Among Welfare Recipients: Trends and Policy Responses." Social Service Review

76 (2) (June): 256.

Reuter, P. Drug Use. Journal of Policy Analysis and Management. 2004: 65-81

Shojania K, Duncan B, McDonald K, Wachter R. M, editors. Making health care safer: a critical

analysis of patient safety practices. Evidence report/technology assessment no. 43; AJRQ

publication 01-E058. Rockville (MD): Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality; 2001.

my presentation

http://www.slideshare.net/h00282686/presentation1-60848721

Justification

Justification

It is evident that texting has taken over a part of the social life of teenagers since it presents an advantage in promoting fast and frequent communication. Previous researches on this topic have been conducted on a wider scope that involved social media messaging. Thus, narrowing down to text messaging and teens will reveal a clear picture of the situation on ground. Also, since text messaging may be official or unofficial, it is necessary that research concerning this topic targets a specific social group. Therefore, there is need to closely investigate the effects of using text in the literacy levels of teenagers.

Background research

Text messaging became popular by a student who worked in Nokia Corporation and found this to be the easiest way of quick communication without waiting for a longer time. With increased exposure, people started to use text messaging for delivering all kind of messages amongst their social circle. Texting has different kinds of effects on literacy. It stands a high chance of negatively influencing the writing skills, verbal communication skills, vocabulary level, and phonetic language of most adolescents.

Data collection procedures

Since the research focused on effects of text messages on literacy, I chose to collect data from a school setting for an increased accuracy of the findings. To collect enough data for my research, I conducted a survey with a total of 15 copies of questionnaires. Each copy of the questionnaires contained 10 questions that were to be answered by both teachers and students. The reason I included teachers was to ensure that I collect as much information as possible especially since teachers also experience the effects of texting as they interact with students both verbally and in writing.

The results and interpretation of the findings.

Results

From the research, 20% of teenagers send text messages continuously. The majority, 40%, said that they text every 2-3 hours while the least, 13.33%, claimed that they text every 6-8 hours. The statistics from the respondents show that 33.33% of the youngsters prefer texting to calling. The research shows that majority of these young people, approximately 26.66%, use slang language while only 13.33% consider the use of proper grammar and spelling. The rest, 60%, claimed to use both language types equally. Also, 86.6% of the teenagers who responded during the survey confided that text messaging has affected their academic language especially in assignments. About 40% of the persons who filled the surveys stated that they were afraid of facing examiners and interviewers. To sum up, 60% said that they use text-messaging language in their class projects.

Interpretation of the findings.

Frequent texting results to weakened use of vocabulary. One can attribute this to the use of incorrect grammar and spellings since majority of the teenagers view it as a norm to use slang and incorrect grammar while texting. From the findings, 73.33% of the youngsters involved in the research said that they did not face any difficulty in understanding the text language of other teenagers. This may be due to the use of the same language level during texting. Consequently, there is limited use of vocabularies, hence limited knowledge on the usage of the terminologies.

Since writing skills are nurtured through practice, frequent use of slang and incorrect grammar and spellings reflects in the written assignment at school. Frequent texting has resulted to limited ability of some teenagers to differentiate between formal and informal language. The findings indicate that 13.33% of the respondents claimed that they faced difficulty in judging correct spelling of most frequently used words. This may be because it is habitual for most people who text to limit the number of characters when typing the message. In addition, this research finding supports the psychological notion that this texting habit can be transferred to other activities that a person engages in. for instance, due to engagement in limited context; students readily get bored when they attend long lectures.

In conclusion, text messaging poses various disadvantages to the literacy level among the teenagers. It results to reduced use of vocabulary and deteriorated grammar due to its accommodation for incorrect grammar and slang. The writing skills of the youngsters have also worsened since the texting language is reflected in their class assignments. In addition, some teenagers have a low confidence level when facing examiners and interviewers due to language use. Thus, although texting has facilitated communication among the teens, they should take caution not to affect their level of literacy.

References

Houser, P. T. (2005, May). Using mobile phones in English education in Japan . Retrieved from http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/j.1365-2729.2005.00129.x/abstract

Keats, W. (2014). The Effects of Text Messaging on Students’ Literacy . Retrieved from http://www.ecu.edu/cs-lib/awards/upload/W-Keats-2014-First-Place.pdf

Niaz, A. (2015, Nov 26). ‘Is texting and CMC detrimental to literacy?’ . Retrieved from https://languagedebates.wordpress.com/category/text-messaging-and-literacy/

Research Questionnaire

Research Question:

My research question that I will talk about in my research is as follows:

1) Do you think that text messaging has affected your communication skills?

Yes

No

2) Did you ever notice that text messaging has affected your academic language, especially in assignments?

            Yes

            No

3) What kind of language do you use in texting?

            Slang language

            Proper grammar and spelling

            Both equally

4) Are you troubled to understand the text language of other teenagers?

            Yes

            No

5) How often do you text daily?

            Every hour

            Every 2-3 hours

            Every 6-8 hours

            Continuously

6) Do you use text language/text messages in assignments, emails and in classroom projects?

            Yes

            No

7) Do you find difficulty is judging correct spelling of most frequently used words?

            Yes

            No

8) Do you think that text language has affected your English grammar?

            Yes

            No

9) Are you afraid of facing examiners and interviewers?

            Yes

            No

10) What do you prefer the most?

            Texting

            Speaking face to face

TEXT MESSAGING AFFECT TEEN LITERACY

Introduction:

            At every corner across streets and corridors of educational institutions, we find teenagers using mobile phones. If we see them clearly they are actually texting to some of their friends, relatives or family members. Since texting has become the easiest way of communication people have started using short language instead of complete proper sentences. This proves that about 95% of the teenagers are involved in texting most of the time. If we see the log history carefully of a teenager we may find that text messages are 3x more than phone calls.  Mobile phones are one of the greatest technologies but its excessive use has increased negative affects on literacy. This doesn’t mean that texting is extremely bad but its excessive use has decreased writing and communication skills. I am presenting my own ideas about social life and the impact of using text messaging for communication on our lives daily through synthesis essay where I have used two sources to get evidence and proof to my statement. My thesis statement of this essay is, “Text messaging affects teen literacy”. The purpose of this study is to discuss about the text messaging effects on literacy observed in the UAE. To know how text messages have increased grammatical errors.

Background:             

Text messaging became popular by a student who worked in Nokia Corporation and found this to be the easiest way of quick communication without waiting for a longer period of time. With increased exposure, people started to use text messaging for delivering all kind of messages amongst their social circle. Texting has different kinds of effects on literacy depending upon its usage.

Poor Verbal Skills:

Previously it has been seen that students were most affected by text messaging. Evidence based on previous studies explains that students who text more than those who do not text have poor grammatical knowledge. They faced more spelling errors and failed to have proper verbal skills. It was investigated that teenagers used short words in text to save time and can also communicate. Over usage of short languages has decreased the ability of proper sentence structuring during examinations and in assignments. It was also seen that teenagers who had good knowledge about various topics due to reading failed to answer questions verbally. In text messages they can explain things more easily and conveniently. Verbal skills were being affected due to “textism” and the reason was diminished confidence to speak in front of people (Houser, 2005). If we see the young generation with our own eyes, conventional communication of our young generation is very poor as compared to message composing, which was very quick without any pause or error.

Effect on writing skills:

Writing skills are often groomed when repetitively practiced but it is seen that teenagers who were involved in text messaging do not enjoy writing by hand. As a result their writing speed is much less than others and their handwriting is quite dirty. On the other hand it is also seen that spelling mistakes are very common even of simple widely used words.

Communication:

The reason for enhanced use of text messaging is quick and easy communication without involving  deep and intense explanation. Mostly people prefer to stay quiet and still deliver their thoughts. For those people text messaging became an ideal source of delivering messages. The most beneficial advantage of text messaging is to inform people about various events as quickly as possible. But this immediate and prolonged use of text messaging has reduced the power to speak and explain things verbally. Slowly and gradually this affects English-speaking tendency. Due to which students applying for studies abroad where English is the first language are rejected due to poor grammar knowledge.  

Weak Vocabulary:

            Most often it has been seen that teenagers use short familiar words. This has affected their vocabulary. Poor vocabulary affects literacy badly (Niaz, 2015). Students often feel incomplete of proper words to complete their sentences while speaking. This is seen in 90% of the cases where students know the answer and understand different theories but due to lack of vocabulary and speaking skills are not able to score good marks. These mistakes are generally known as mistakes in English transcription.

Phonetic Language:

            Phonetic language has decreased the ability of teenagers to distinguish between formal and informal context. Since, text include particular limitation of characters therefore, teenagers are habitual of reducing context. This habit develops from time to time and as a result their mind become compacted due to which they are not able to elaborate definitions, theories and procedures when asked during class activities (Keats, 2014).

Many people say that textism doesn’t affect negatively because it is an advantage of transferring message to people rapidly. If we see the issue critically we can see that text messaging is obliterating the mind and restricted the capability of teenagers. Since, shortcuts become habitual individuals none of them is interested in listening or writing long lectures in class and often get bored. Literacy rate is being affected badly due to textism diverting the minds of teenagers and limiting vocabulary.

                                                                                                                                               

Proposal:                                                                                                                            

Texting has been proven the most used communication style because it is considered easier than explaining through speaking. The thesis statement is, text messaging affects literacy, because from the evidences of previous studies it has been proven that students have lost the skill of collaboration, interaction and proper grammar use. 90% of the teenage population is found using cell phones for texting friends and even colleagues for various purposes. This has decreased interaction and increased use of slang words and short languages. Text messaging affects the mind and also affects the learning patterns. Students are being interested in shortcuts due to which spelling errors are increasing with limited vocabulary knowledge.

My research is on the effects of text messaging on literacy and teenagers of the UAE are made participants of this research. I believe that my research is effective in understanding the negative aspects of text messaging. I will do this research using a questionnaire and teenagers will be asked to answer them.

References:

Houser, P. T. (2005, May). Using mobile phones in English education in Japan .   Retrieved from http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/j.1365-            2729.2005.00129.x/abstract

Keats, W. (2014). The Effects of Text Messaging on Students’ Literacy . Retrieved from     http://www.ecu.edu/cs-lib/awards/upload/W-Keats-2014-First-Place.pdf

Niaz, A. (2015, Nov 26). ‘Is texting and CMC detrimental to literacy?’ . Retrieved from    https://languagedebates.wordpress.com/category/text-messaging-and-literacy/