Correlates of smoking, quit attempts and attitudes towards total smoking bans at university: findings from eleven faculties in Egypt

Objectives: Smoking among university students represents a formidable and global public health challenge.We assessed the associations between socio-demographic, health and wellbeing variables as independent variables,with daily smoking, attempts to quit smoking, and agreement with smoking ban as dependent variables. Methods:A sample of 3258 undergraduate students from eleven faculties at Assiut University, Assiut, Egypt, completed ageneral health questionnaire. Results: Overall daily or occasional smoking in last three months prior to the surveywas about 9% (8% occasional and 1% daily smokers), and smoking was generally more prevalent among males(male=17%, female=0.6%, P < 0.001). After adjustment for confounders, not having normal BMI and having amother who completed at least bachelor’s degree education was positively associated with daily smoking, andconversely, no history of illicit drug use was a protective factor. About 76% of smokers had attempted to quitsmoking within the last 12 months prior to the survey. Although a large proportion of students agreed/ stronglyagreed with the banning of smoking at university altogether (87%), such agreement was less likely amongsmokers. Conclusion: There is need for implementation of non-smoking policies on university premises, as wellas regular up-to-date information on, and the periodic/yearly monitoring of tobacco use by university studentsemploying standardised data collection instruments and reference periods. In addition, it would be valuable todevelop campus-based educational/ awareness campaigns designed to counteract tobacco advertisement directedtowards young people in Middle East countries. Otherwise, the danger could be that the current relatively lowsmoking prevalence among university students may escalate in the future.     

Diabetes mellitus and risk of hepatocellular carcinoma: findings from the Singapore Chinese Health Study

Background:

The increasing prevalence of diabetes may contribute to the rising incidence of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) in the US and other developed countries where HCC incidence is relatively low. Data from prospective studies on diabetes and risk of HCC in at-risk populations due to high prevalence of viral hepatitis in southeast Asia are sparse.

Methods:

The Singapore Chinese Health Study is a prospective cohort of 63 257 middle-aged and older Chinese men and women enrolled in 1993–1998. Besides an in-person interview administered to all participants at baseline, testing of serologic markers of hepatitis B or C infections were performed on a subset of cohort subjects. After a mean follow-up of 14 years, 499 cohort participants developed HCC.

Results:

A history of diabetes at baseline was associated with a hazard ratio of 2.14 (95% confidence interval, 1.69–2.71). This statistically significant association was comparable in magnitude between men and women, and remained equally strong across strata of subjects defined by the number of years between their first clinical diagnosis of diabetes and time of enrolment in this cohort. Within a nested case-control set of cohort subjects tested for serological markers of hepatitis B or C infections, the diabetes–HCC association was found to be present mainly among those devoid of any markers.

Conclusion:

A history of diabetes at baseline is highly associated with non-viral HCC. Future studies are warranted to elucidate the biological mechanism underpinning the role of diabetes in nonviral-related hepatocarcinogenesis.     

Coffee consumption and reduced risk of hepatocellular carcinoma: findings from the Singapore Chinese Health Study

Background  

Coffee consumption has been associated with reduced markers of hepatic cell damage, reduced risk of chronic liver disease, and cirrhosis across a variety of populations. Data on the association between coffee consumption and risk of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC), especially in high-risk populations, are sparse.     

Attributable and absolute risk of lung cancer death by smoking status: findings from the Japan Collaborative Cohort Study

Estimating the proportion of lung cancer deaths that can be avoided is important in assessing the potential impact of antismoking efforts on the reduction of lung cancer deaths. We calculated the population attributable risk (PAR) and absolute risk of lung cancer death according to smoking status based on the Japan Collaborative Cohort (JACC) Study. The analytic cohort included 45,010 males and 55,724 females aged 40-79 years. Cox proportional hazards model was used to determine age-adjusted relative risks and PAR according to smoking status. We also computed lung cancer mortality according to age and smoking status. In males, 52.2% and 14.8% of lung cancer deaths were attributable to current and former cigarette smoking, respectively. In females, the corresponding figures were 11.8% and 2.8%. Among current male smokers, the relative risk was strongly correlated with the intensity and duration of cigarette smoking. In contrast, the PAR was associated with an intermediate level of smoking except for the years of smoking: the largest PARs were observed in those with 20-29 cigarettes per day, 40-59 pack-years and 20-22 years old at starting smoking. Absolute risks were estimated to increase with age and duration of smoking and not to decrease even after cessation. These findings suggest that avoidable lung cancer deaths are primarily among light to moderate smokers who are considered amenable to population-based antismoking strategies. For all current smokers, immediate cessation is encouraged because it offers the only realistic way to avoid a substantial increase in lung cancer mortality brought about by further continuation of smoking.     

Short Communication: Lung cancer risks of smoking in Britain and the Antipodes

The lower lung cancer death rates in Australia and New Zealandcompared with Britain cannot be accounted for by total tobaccoconsumption. Their higher consumption of ‘smoking’tobacco relative to manufactured cigarettes could play an importantrole.     

吸烟和环境烟草烟雾暴露与膀胱癌关系的病例对照研究

目的研究分析吸烟及环境烟草烟雾暴露与膀胱癌的关系。方法自1996年1月~1999年6月,上海市区开展了一项大规模的基于全人群的膀胱癌病例对照研究,共访问到608例膀胱癌病例和607例健康人群对照。使用非条件logistic回归分析,调整可能的混杂因素,估计吸烟及环境烟草烟雾暴露对膀胱癌发生的比数比和95%可信区间。结果男性吸烟者患膀胱癌的危险性是不吸烟者的1.67倍(95%CI1.23~2.27),且随着每天吸烟量、累积吸烟量、吸烟年限和吸烟深度的增加而增加,吸烟开始年龄越小危险性越大;戒烟后膀胱癌危险性有所降低。吸烟也显著增加女性膀胱癌的危险性,调整OR为4.19(95%CI1.65~10.65)。吸烟者的调整人群归因危险度男性、女性分别为32.04%和15.61%。未发现环境烟草暴露增加非吸烟者膀胱癌的危险性。结论进一步证实吸烟是膀胱癌发生的重要危险因素。环境烟草烟雾暴露是否增加膀胱癌危险性尚难定论。     

Morbidity and mortality in relation to smoking among women and men of Chinese ethnicity: the Singapore Chinese Health Study

ObjectivesWe examined the association among cigarette smoking, smoking cessation and a broad range of cancer incidence and all cause and cause-specific mortality in a population-based cohort of adults of Chinese ethnicity in Singapore.MethodsSubjects were 61,320 participants of the Singapore Chinese Health Study (44.5% men, aged 45–74 years, recruitment from 1993–1998) who were free of cancer at the baseline examination. Main outcomes-of-interest included cancer incidence, all cause and cause-specific mortality as of December 31, 2005.ResultsCigarette smoking was positively associated with overall cancer incidence, including cancers at the following specific sites: head and neck region, upper gastrointestinal tract, hepatobiliary and pancreas cancer, lung, and bladder/renal pelvis cancer. Compared to never smokers, the relative risk (RR) (95% confidence interval [CI]) of cancer incidence (all cancer sites) among current smokers smoking >22 cigarettes/day was 1.9 (1.7–2.1), p-trend < 0.0001. Similarly, cigarette smoking was associated with all cause and cause-specific mortality, including deaths due to cancer, ischemic heart disease, other heart diseases, and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease. Compared to never smokers, RR (95%CI) of all cause mortality among current smokers smoking >22 cigarettes/day was 1.8 (1.6–2.0), p-trend < 0.0001. Also, relative to current smokers, ex-smokers experienced reduced cancer incidence and total mortality. The population attributable risk of smoking in men for cancer incidence as well as all-cause mortality was 23%, whereas in women it ranged from 4–5%.ConclusionsCigarette smoking is an important risk factor for cancer incidence and major causes of mortality in Chinese men and women of Singapore.     

Health system responses to the Women's Health Initiative findings on estrogen and progestin: organizational response

Recent randomized trials have indicated that the risks of hormone therapy for menopausal women may outweigh the benefits. The purpose of this study was to describe how health plans responded to the findings of the Women's Health Initiative (WHI) estrogen plus progestin trial. We surveyed five health plans affiliated with the HMO Research Network and the Cancer Research Network to document the response of each plan to the WHI in terms of patient and provider education and guidelines. Every health plan issued responses within 3 months of WHI's termination in a variety of formats. Recommendations were relatively consistent across the organizations. Given the documented changes in hormone therapy use in these five health plans in the post-WHI era, we conclude that attempts on the part of each organization to educate patients and providers about the implications of the WHI may have contributed to the observed changes in hormone therapy use.     

Non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drug use and ovarian cancer risk: findings from the NIH-AARP Diet and Health Study and systematic review

Background

Chronic inflammation has been proposed as a risk factor for ovarian cancer. Some data suggest that anti-inflammatory medications may be protective against ovarian cancer; however, results have been inconsistent.

Methods

We evaluated the risk of epithelial ovarian cancer with regular use of NSAIDs prospectively in the NIH-AARP Diet and Health Study, using Cox proportional hazard models. We also examined the risk of common subtypes of epithelial ovarian cancer (serous, mucinous, endometrioid, clear cell, and other epithelial) with regular use of NSAIDs. In addition, we performed meta-analyses summarizing the risk of ovarian cancer with “regular use” of NSAIDs in previously published studies.

Results

We did not observe a significant association between regular use of NSAIDs with ovarian cancer risk in the AARP cohort (aspirin: RR 1.06, 95?% CI 0.87–1.29; non-aspirin NSAIDs: RR 0.93, 95?% CI 0.74–1.15); however, summary estimates from prospective cohort studies demonstrated that use of non-aspirin NSAIDs may reduce the risk of ovarian cancer (RR 0.88, 95?% CI 0.77–1.01). Although not significant, we found that mucinous tumors were inversely associated with non-aspirin NSAID use (RR 0.69, 95?% CI 0.23–2.10) in the AARP cohort, which was supported by the meta-analysis (RR 0.69, CI 0.50–0.94.)

Conclusion

Although results from the NIH-AARP cohort study were not statistically significant, our meta-analysis suggests that non-aspirin NSAIDs may be protective against ovarian cancer. Additional analyses, focusing on dose, duration, and frequency of NSAID use and accounting for ovarian cancer heterogeneity are necessary to further elucidate the association between NSAID use and ovarian cancer risk.     

Diabetes mellitus and subsite-specific colorectal cancer risks in the Iowa Women's Health Study.

OBJECTIVE: Controversy remains regarding the association between type 2 diabetes mellitus (DM) and colorectal cancer (CRC) risk. To clarify and extend the existing data, we prospectively evaluated the association between self-reported type 2 DM (onset at >30 years of age) and incident CRC, overall and by anatomic subsite, among postmenopausal women in the Iowa Women's Health Study (n = 35,230).METHODS: After 14 years of follow-up, a total of 870 incident CRC cases were identified through annual linkage to the Iowa Cancer Registry. DM was analyzed as reported at baseline and as a time-dependent variable using information obtained during follow-up. CRC risks were estimated using Cox proportional hazards regression models.RESULTS: After adjusting for age, body mass index and other potential confounding variables, the relative risk (RR) for women with DM versus women without DM was modestly increased at 1.4 [95% confidence interval (95% CI), 1.1-1.8]. By anatomic subsite, the RR for proximal colon cancer was statistically significantly increased (RR, 1.9; 95% CI, 1.3-2.6), whereas the RRs for distal colon (RR, 1.1; 95% CI, 0.6-1.8) and rectal cancer (RR, 0.8; 95% CI, 0.4-1.6) were not statistically different from unity. Analyses that included DM ascertained at baseline and follow-up yielded similar results.CONCLUSION: In this large, prospective study of postmenopausal women, the association between DM and incident CRC was found to be subsite specific. If confirmed by others, this finding implies that CRC prevention strategies among type 2 DM patients should include examination of the proximal colon.     

Epoxide hydrolase polymorphisms, cigarette smoking and risk of colorectal adenoma in the Nurses' Health Study and the Health Professionals Follow-up Study

Microsomal epoxide hydrolase (mEH) is involved in the bioactivation and detoxification of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons derived from tobacco smoke and charred meat intake. Two coding region mEH variants located in exon 3 (Tyr113His) and exon 4 (His139Arg) have been described and may affect the enzyme's specific activity. We investigated these polymorphisms and tested interactions with smoking and charred meat intake in relation to risk of colorectal adenoma in two case-control studies nested in the Nurses' Health Study (NHS) and Health Professionals Follow-up Study (HPFS) cohorts. mEH exon 3 and exon 4 polymorphisms were not associated with overall risk of adenoma among 556 incident cases and 557 controls from the NHS or 376 prevalent cases and 725 controls from the HPFS. A statistically significant interaction was found between the exon 4 polymorphism and smoking for men (P = 0.03) and a borderline significant interaction was found between the exon 3 polymorphism and smoking for women (P = 0.06). Women having the exon 3 'rapid' Tyr/Tyr genotype were at increased risk when exposed to either > or =25 pack-years smoking [relative risk (RR) = 2.43, 95% confidence interval (CI) 1.47-4.01] or <25 pack-years of smoking (RR = 1.73, 95% CI 1.10-2.73) relative to non-smokers. Men with the exon 4 'slow' His/His genotype were at increased risk when exposed to > or =25 pack-years smoking (RR = 2.21, 95% CI 1.43, 3.41) or <25 pack-years smoking (RR = 1.71, 95% CI 1.13-2.59) relative to non-smokers. Charred meat intake was not associated with adenoma risk and there was no significant interaction with either mEH polymorphism. Our results indicate that individuals exposed to > or =25 pack-years smoking were at increased risk for colorectal adenoma and that risk is related to dose of tobacco carcinogens and mEH activity level, but the results were not consistent between men and women.     

Cigarette smoking and cancer incidence risk in adult men: National Health Insurance Corporation Study

We analyzed risk while adjusting for age, body mass index, frequency of moderate physical activity, alcohol consumption, preference for vegetables versus meats, and frequency of meat consumption in a multivariate analysis and based our findings on not mortality data but incidence data. 733,134 Korean men who were 30 years old or older, insured by the National Health Insurance Corporation, and had a medical evaluation in 1996 were included in the study and followed up through 2000. During the 4-year follow-up period of 3,590,872 person-years, we identified 7204 new cases. We used the Cox proportional hazards model to estimate adjusted relative risks (aRRs), 95% confidence intervals (CIs). The association of current cigarette smoking was significantly stronger as compared with never smokers; aRR was 1.49 (95% CI=1.39-1.59) for all cancers, 4.46 (2.32-8.57) for esophageal, 3.83 (2.97-4.94) for lung, 3.01 (1.58-5.72) for laryngeal, 2.24 (1.48-3.39) for urinary bladder, 1.62 (1.42-1.84) for gastric, 1.75 (1.12-2.74) for oral and pharyngeal, 1.58 (0.97-2.27) for pancreatic, and 1.50 (1.29-1.74) for liver cancer. Our findings, based on incidence data, confirmed that differences in smoking habit were responsible for most of the differences observed in smoking-related cancers.     

Active and passive smoking in relation to lung cancer incidence in the Women's Health Initiative Observational Study prospective cohort

BackgroundLung cancer is the leading cause of worldwide cancer deaths. While smoking is its leading risk factor, few prospective cohort studies have reported on the association of lung cancer with both active and passive smoking. This study aimed to determine the relationship between lung cancer incidence with both active and passive smoking (childhood, adult at home, and at work).Patients and methodsThe Women's Health Initiative Observational Study (WHI-OS) was a prospective cohort study conducted at 40 US centers that enrolled postmenopausal women from 1993 to 1999. Among 93 676 multiethnic participants aged 50–79, 76 304 women with complete smoking and covariate data comprised the analytic cohort. Lung cancer incidence was calculated by Cox proportional hazards models, stratified by smoking status.ResultsOver 10.5 mean follow-up years, 901 lung cancer cases were identified. Compared with never smokers (NS), lung cancer incidence was much higher in current [hazard ratio (HR) 13.44, 95% confidence interval (CI) 10.80–16.75] and former smokers (FS; HR 4.20, 95% CI 3.48–5.08) in a dose-dependent manner. Current and FS had significantly increased risk for all lung cancer subtypes, particularly small-cell and squamous cell carcinoma. Among NS, any passive smoking exposure did not significantly increase lung cancer risk (HR 0.88, 95% CI 0.52–1.49). However, risk tended to be increased in NS with adult home passive smoking exposure ≥30 years, compared with NS with no adult home exposure (HR 1.61, 95% CI 1.00–2.58).ConclusionsIn this prospective cohort of postmenopausal women, active smoking significantly increased risk of all lung cancer subtypes; current smokers had significantly increased risk compared with FS. Among NS, prolonged passive adult home exposure tended to increase lung cancer risk. These data support continued need for smoking prevention and cessation interventions, passive smoking research, and further study of lung cancer risk factors in addition to smoking.ClinicalTrials.govNCT00000611.     

Access point analysis in smoking and nonsmoking adolescents: findings from the European Smoking Prevention Framework Approach study.

This study analyzed possibilities to access European adolescents for tobacco control activities in out-of-school settings as part of comprehensive tobacco control programs. Data on leisure time behaviors of secondary school students were gathered during three waves from six European Union countries as part of the European Smoking Prevention Framework Approach study. The results revealed that streets, shops, sport clubs, swimming pools and snack bars were the most popular leisure time settings for adolescents across the six countries. In addition, leisure time activities were similar across the six countries. European-wide prevention programmes can reach adolescents in similar out-of-school settings. Furthermore, smokers and nonsmokers differed in the places that they visited. Whereas smokers preferred social places such as bars, house/rave parties, discos, snack bars, streets and shops, nonsmokers preferred sport clubs and libraries. Smokers tended to visit more unsupervised and less structured places where smoking tends to be permitted, whereas nonsmokers tended to visit places with more structured activities and places under adult supervision. Over time, both smoking and nonsmoking adolescents tended to spend more of their leisure time in settings with low adult supervision. As structured activities under the supervision of adults can have a protective effect against the involvement in risky behaviours, participation in these types of activities must be promoted. Additional strategies for settings with less supervision need to be developed as they attract more smoking adolescents and older nonsmoking adolescents.     

Cigarette smoking and leukemia: results from the Lutheran Brotherhood Cohort Study

In a 20-year follow-up (1966–86) of 17,633 White males who described tobacco use in a mailed questionnaire sent in 1966, there were 74 deaths from leukemia (including 30 myeloid, 30 lymphatic, and 14 other and unspecified leukemia). Among men who ever smoked cigarettes, increased risks were observed for lymphatic (relative risk [RR]=2.7), and other and unspecified leukemia (RR=1.5); risks rose with increasing number of cigarettes smoked, although the dose-response relationship was statistically significant only for total leukemia. Mortality from myeloid leukemia was not elevated, except among those smoking over a pack of cigarettes per day. Results from this cohort support a relationship between cigarette smoking and leukemia. Further studies are needed to elucidate subtype associations with cigarette smoking.Drs Linet, McLaughlin, Hsing, Wacholder, and Blot are with the Epidemiology and Biostatistics Program, National Cancer Institute. Dr Co-Chien is at Westat, Inc., Rockville, Maryland, USA, Dr Schuman is at the University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, Minnesota, USA. Dr Bjelke is with the Center for Epidemiologic Research, University of Bergen, Norway. Address correspondence to Dr Linet, Epidemiology and Biostatistics Program, National Cancer Institute, Executive Plaza North Room 415B, Bethesda, MD 20892, USA.     

Associations of adult measures of childhood growth with breast cancer: findings from the British Women's Heart and Health Study

Since the two components of adult height - leg length and trunk length - are poorly correlated with each other and appear to be influenced by different early life factors, examining their separate influence on breast cancer may provide additional insights into the mechanisms responsible for the positive association between adult height and breast cancer. In a cross-sectional study of 4286 women aged 60-79 years, in whom there were 170 cases of breast cancer, we found total height, leg length and trunk length were all modestly positively and linearly associated with breast cancer. The magnitudes of the associations of leg and trunk length were similar: fully adjusted odds ratio (95% confidence interval) of breast cancer for a one standard deviation (s.d.) increase in leg length 1.17 (0.98, 1.39) and for a 1 s.d. increase in trunk length 1.19 (0.99, 1.41). Self-reported birth weight (available on 33% of the sample) was positively and linearly associated with breast cancer: fully adjusted odds ratio of breast cancer for a 1 s.d. increase in birth weight 1.30 (0.93, 1.80). These associations were all independent of each other and other potential confounding factors and are likely to reflect different mechanisms by which factors operating prenatally and prepubertally influence breast cancer risk.