Superfund sites are geographic locations selected by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency as having extreme toxic chemical spills. In this article, we address three main research questions: (1) Are there geographical areas where the number (or density) of Superfund sites is significantly higher than in the rest of the USA? (2) Is there an association between cancer incidence and the number (or density) of Superfund sites? (3) Do counties with Superfund sites have higher proportions of minority populations than the rest of the USA? We study the geographic distribution of the overall cancer incidence rate (2007)(2008)(2009)(2010)(2011) in addition to the geographic variation of Superfund sites for 2013. We used the disease surveillance software package SaTScan with its scan statistic to identify locations and relative risks of spatial clusters in cancer rates and in Superfund site count and density. We also used the surveillance software FlexScan to support and complement the results obtained with SaTScan. We find that geographic areas with Superfund sites tend to have elevated cancer risk, and also elevated proportions of minority populations.

Background While rape is a very serious crime and public health problem, no spatial mapping has been attempted for rape on the national scale. This paper addresses the three research questions: (1) Are reported rape cases randomly distributed across the USA, after being adjusted for population density and age, or are there geographical clusters of reported rape cases? (2) Are the geographical clusters of reported rapes still present after adjusting for differences in poverty levels? (3) Are there geographical clusters where the proportion of reported rape cases that lead to an arrest is exceptionally low or exceptionally high? Methods We studied the geographical variation of reported rape events (2003-2012) and rape arrests (2000-2012) in the 48 contiguous states of the USA. The disease Surveillance software SaTScan™ with its spatial scan statistic is used to evaluate the spatial variation in rapes. The spatial scan statistic has been widely used as a geographical surveillance tool for diseases, and we used it to identify geographical areas with clusters of reported rape and clusters of arrest rates for rape. Results The spatial scan statistic was used to identify geographical areas with exceptionally high rates of reported rape. The analyses were adjusted for age, and in secondary analyses, for both age and poverty level. We also identified geographical areas with either a low or a high proportion of reported rapes leading to an arrest. Conclusions We have identified geographical areas with exceptionally high (low) rates of reported rape. The geographical problem areas identified are prime candidates for more intensive preventive counseling and criminal prosecution efforts by public health, social service, and law enforcement agencies Geographical clusters of high rates of reported rape are prime areas in need of expanded implementation of preventive measures, such as changing attitudes in our society toward rape crimes, in addition to having the criminal justice system play an even larger role in preventing rape.

This study, in a natural setting, attempted to predict health-related behavior on the basis of the personality construct locus of control. Thirty-six participants in a weight reduction program completed the Multidimensional Health Locus of Control Scale (MHLC) and a value scale that included the values of "health" and "physical appearance." Subjects also were asked to determine their weight loss goal in pounds. Three months later their progress was assessed, and 22 of the subjects again completed the MHLC and value surveys. Consistent with the first hypothesis, those subjects who perceived their health status to be under the control of powerful others and valued health and/or physical appearance highly weighed in more frequently at the weight center than did the other subjects. Contrary to the second hypothesis, subjects did not become more "internal" as a result of sucessful weight loss. Subjects who valued physical appearance highly were found to have higher "external" control beliefs. Theoretical significance and practical applications of the findings are discussed.

-Superfund sites are geographic locations selected by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency for long-term cleanup due to extreme toxic chemical spills. We study some characteristics of locations with Superfund sites. We have addressed three main research questions in this paper: (1) Are there geographical areas where the number (or density) of Superfund sites are significantly higher than in the rest of the USA? (2) Are there geographic areas where the overall cancer incidence rates are significantly higher than in the rest of the USA, and is there an association with the number (or density) of Superfund sites? (3) Are counties with Superfund sites more likely to have higher rates of minority populations than the rest of the USA? We studied the geographic distribution of overall cancer incidence rates (2007)(2008)(2009)(2010)(2011), in addition to the geographic variation of Superfund sites for 2013. We used the disease surveillance software package SaTScan, which includes a scan statistic, to identify spatial clusters in cancer rates and in Superfund count and density. We also used the surveillance software FleXScan to support and complement the results obtained with SaTScan. Our results show that geographic areas with Superfund sites tend to have elevated cancer risk and elevated rates of minority populations.