Bmc Public Health
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Multicenter Study Clinical Trial
Multicentric cohort study on the long-term efficacy and safety of electronic cigarettes: study design and methodology.
While electronic cigarettes are forbidden in several countries, their sales are exploding in many others. Although e-cigarettes have been proposed as long-term substitutes for traditional smoking or as a tool for smoking cessation, very scarce data are available on their efficacy and safety.We describe the protocol of a 5-year multicentric prospective study aimed to evaluate short- and long-term adherence to e-cigarette smoking and the efficacy of e-cigarettes in reducing and/or quitting traditional cigarette smoking. The study will also compare the health effects of electronic vs traditional vs mixed cigarette smoking. ⋯ Data on long-term efficacy and safety of e-cigarettes will be of utmost importance to form the basis for guidelines and regulatory decisions on e-cigarettes.
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Stroke recovery is generally optimised through the provision of multidisciplinary rehabilitation. However not much is known about how equitably such services are utilised. This study examines the determinants of physiotherapy and speech therapy utilisation in rehabilitation within a cohort of young stroke survivors in Australia. ⋯ These findings demonstrate that socio-demographic factors exert little influence on the use of rehabilitation services in working age stroke patients and that the use of such services is primarily determined by 'need'. Such findings suggest that services are being provided equitably.
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Compared to other European countries, the Netherlands score among the highest of binge drinking rates of 16 to 18 year old adolescents. Dutch adolescents aged 16 are legally allowed to buy and consume low strength alcoholic beverages. This study focused on determinants of binge drinking in such a permissive environment from the perspectives of adolescents and parents. ⋯ Parents and adolescents should both be targeted in interventions to reduce alcohol use among adolescents. In particular, communication between parents and children should be improved, in order to avoid misconceptions about acceptable alcohol use. Further, adolescents should be supported to handle difficult social situations with peers where they feel obliged to drink. Additionally, revisions of policies towards a less permissive standpoint are advised to support parents and to impede availability of alcoholic beverages for adolescents/children younger than 18 years.
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Emerging evidence suggests the adverse association between sedentary behaviour (SB) with physical and mental health, but few studies have investigated the relationship between volume of physical activity and psychological distress. The present study examined the independent and interactive associations of daily SB and weekly level of moderate to vigorous physical activity (MVPA) with psychological distress in a multi-ethnic Asian population. ⋯ The present population-based cross-sectional study indicated that in the multi-ethnic Asian society of Singapore, a high level of SB was independently associated with psychological distress and meeting the recommended guidelines for physical activity along with ≤ 5 h/day of SB was associated with the lowest odds of psychological distress.
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Few studies have examined how various lifestyle factors in midlife predict longevity, and none of these studies have examined the impact of physical fitness. The present study aimed to examine longevity in relation to smoking, overweight and physical fitness. ⋯ Lifestyle variables appear to be strong and independent predictors of longevity in initially healthy middle-aged men. The probability of longevity may be a useful concept when informing the general public about the benefits of a healthy lifestyle.