Community-based trial to prevent drug use among youths in Yunnan,China

OBJECTIVES: This study evaluated a community-based program in China to prevent initiation of drug use in young men. METHODS: Similar intervention and control areas were selected. Village leaders, teachers, and women and youth leaders were recruited to participate in the program. Community activities were organized and intervention activities in schools were implemented. Incidence of new drug users was estimated. RESULTS: There was a 2.7-fold greater reduction in drug use initiation in the intervention area (1.59% vs 0.60%). Reduction was highest among males aged 15 to 19, single men, illiterate men, and the Jingpo minority. HIV/AIDS knowledge and attitudes and recognition of drug problems were all significantly better in the intervention area. CONCLUSIONS: Community-based intervention programs to prevent drug use can be successful in rural areas of China.     

Smoking among adolescents in China: 1998 survey findings

BACKGROUND: In China, tobacco smoking accounts for approximately 800 000 deaths annually and evidence suggests that tobacco use is rising. To improve tobacco control initiatives directed at youth, we conducted a population-based survey of children ages 11-20 years, both in and out of school. While there have been previous school-based studies on smoking prevalence and smoking-related knowledge, attitudes, and behaviours among adolescents in China, including the Global Youth Tobacco Survey, this survey also describes smoking behaviour among non-student youth. This population is important as approximately 40% of Chinese youths aged 15-19 years have already discontinued their studies. METHODS: A survey of smoking behaviour and smoking-related knowledge and attitudes was administered to 24 000 youths (students and non-students of middle school age) in 24 disease surveillance points in China, selected to include equal numbers of urban and rural children. RESULTS: The prevalence rates of experimenting were 47.8% for boys and 12.8% for girls. The prevalence of regular smoking among non-students was higher (8.3%) compared with students (5.2%). The strongest predictor of regular smoking was peer influence with 44% reporting that they obtained their first cigarette from peers. The majority of youths were aware that smoking was a cause of several diseases and addictive; however, non-students were less aware than students. CONCLUSIONS: The evidence highlights the need for tobacco control interventions aimed at youths in China including non-student youths. For males, prevention programmes should extend into young adulthood.     

Transactional sex among youths in post-conflict Liberia

This paper presents findings on sexual risk behaviours of Liberian youths based on five focus-group discussions conducted with 6th and 7th graders (n = 36) attending an elementary/middle school in Monrovia, Liberia. The purpose of the focus-group discussions was to gain an understanding of the sexual behaviours of in-school Liberian adolescents. The focus-group discussions were part of a larger study to adapt an evidence-based HIV-prevention intervention-Making Proud Choices!-for in-school youths. Post-conflict conditions were discussed as a contributor to the emergence of high-risk sexual behaviours, including transactional sex, sexual violence, and lack of condom-use. Transactional sex was often described by the focus-group participants as occurring between young females and older, more financially-secure males to obtain cash, food, clothing, western commodities, and school-fees and was often encouraged by parents and promoted by peers. The findings also indicate that female adolescents make choices to engage in transactional sex to gain access to a continuum of material and consumer needs. These findings suggest that individual risk-taking behaviours are nested within complex sexual economies and that HIV-prevention interventions should be considered that leverage females' agency and control.     

上海市居民吸烟、戒烟及被动吸烟现状

目的 了解上海市15岁及以上居民的吸烟、戒烟和被动吸烟的流行水平,为有针对性的制定控烟措施提供基础资料.方法 利用2007年上海市慢性病及其危险因素监测调查数据,对17174名(男性8072人,女性9102人)15岁及以上居民的吸烟、戒烟和被动吸烟状况进行描述性分析,指标包括吸烟率、现在吸烟率、常吸烟率、重型吸烟率、戒烟率、成功戒烟率、被动吸烟率.结果 男性居民的吸烟率、现在吸烟率、常吸烟率、重型吸烟率分别为61.8%,54.8%,48.5%,28.3%,女性分别为1.2%,1.0%,0.7%和0.2%.人群的戒烟率、成功戒烟率分别为11.3%和8.6%.非吸烟者的被动吸烟率为43.1%,暴露场所主要是工作场所和家中.结论 上海市居民吸烟率、被动吸烟率处于较高水平,戒烟率较低,烟草控制面临巨大挑战.     

中国未婚流动青少年性行为及其影响因素研究

目的:了解中国未婚流动青少年性行为的发生情况及影响因素,为开展生殖健康教育干预提供政策依据。方法:使用2009年北京大学人口研究所"中国青少年生殖健康可及性调查"调查数据。以调查时点开始至6个月为时间界限,抽取3032名15～24岁未婚流动青少年进行分析。结果:36.7%的未婚流动青少年有过性经历,性经历的比例高于非流动青少年(P<0.05);21.5%的流动青少年在过去12个月内有多个性伴侣。多因素分析显示流动青少年中,年龄较大、收入水平较高、饮酒、西部地区、城镇、偶尔或经常浏览黄色网站/书籍等情况更易发生性行为。结论:中国未婚流动青少年性行为发生比例较高,而发生性行为与否受多种因素影响。     

Smoking,oral contraceptives,and serum lipid and lipoprotein levels in youths

To examine the effect of smoking on cardiovascular risk factors in youth, we examined 3,145 children ages 8–17 years (88% of the eligible geographic population; 65% white and 35% black) for serum lipids and lipoproteins, anthropometry, and other risk factors, administered a smoking questionnaire (including questions on oral contraceptives for older girls), and validated the smoking history with plasma thiocyanate levels. For the 78% of examined children with complete data, the coefficient of partial correlation between smoking and fasting serum α-lipoprotein (controlling for age) was significantly negative only in white girls (P < 0.01). Fourteen white girls and seventeen black girls reported use of oral contraceptives which was associated with an excess of 34 and 13 mg/dl β-lipoprotein cholesterol (P < 0.0001, P < 0.05) and of 40 and 23 mg/dl triglycerides (P < 0.0001, P < 0.0005), and with a deficit of 19 and 3 mg/dl α-lipoprotein cholesterol (P < 0.0001, P < 0.01) for whites and blacks, respectively. Serum lipid or lipoprotein response to these stimuli may be influenced by race.     

Progression to established smoking among US youths

OBJECTIVES: Our study presents national estimates of the proportion of youths in each of 7 stages of smoking and investigates the associations between risk/protective factors and progression to established smoking. METHODS: We analyzed data from the 1999 and 2000 National Youth Tobacco Surveys. RESULTS: In 1999 and 2000, 48.6% of US adolescents had at least experimented with tobacco, and 7.8% were established smokers. Important correlates of progression to established smoking included parental advice not to smoke, antismoking lessons in school, susceptibility to tobacco industry advertising and promotion, peer smoking, and exposure to smoking at home. CONCLUSIONS: Interventions to stop adolescent progression to established smoking should target susceptible never smokers and early experimenters as well as those in later stages of smoking.     

上海市初中生烟草暴露状况

了解上海市初中生吸烟率及烟草流行相关情况,为减少青少年烟草暴露提供依据.方法 采用多阶段分层抽样方法,在上海市8个区县24所学校的3 155名初中生中开展问卷调查,调查内容包括青少年的烟草使用、戒烟、二手烟暴露、烟草制品获取渠道、烟草消费水平及对烟草的态度和认识等.对调查数据加权调整,运用点估计和95%可信区间分析各统计指标.结果 上海市青少年现在吸烟率和尝试吸烟率分别为1.1%和7.7%.在大多数情况下,男生现在吸烟率高于女生,但在12岁及以下的年龄段,女生现在吸烟率(1.4%)高于男生(1.0%).男生现在吸烟率随年龄的增长而增加,女生现在吸烟率随年龄的增长而降低;男女生的尝试吸烟率均随着年龄的增长而升高,不同年龄阶段男生的尝试吸烟率均高于女生;从15岁开始,男女生的尝试吸烟率均呈现出快速升高的趋势.青少年在家中的二手烟暴露率为41.5%,在室内公共场所和室外公共场所曾经暴露于二手烟的比例分别为51.4%和58.9%.结论 上海市青少年受到的被动吸烟危害依然较为严重,需重点针对15岁以下青少年开展系统性干预,降低青少年在家中和公共场所的二手烟暴露风险.     

Smoking among health professionals

Summary: A cross-sectional prospective study was conducted between the period December 1991 and November 1992, to identify the extent of smoking among practising doctors and other health professionals in general hospitals and health clinics in Al-Ain, United Arab Emirates. The study population consisted of 300 health professionals (doctors, specialists both clinical and non-clinical, pharmacists and dentists). They were handed self-administered questionnaires adapted from the World Health Organization standard questionnaire on smoking among health professionals. Among the responding 268 (89%) health professionals 197 (73.5%) were men, and 71 (26.5%) women. Among the men health professionals 86 (43.7%) were current smokers, 24 (12.2%) were ex-smokers and 87 (44.2%) were non-smokers, while among the women health professionals 4 (5.6%) were smokers, 1 (1.4%) was an ex-smoker and 66 (93%) were non-smokers. Doctors were uniformly aware of the detrimental effects of smoking, particularly its association with lung cancer, coronary artery disease, chronic bronchitis, and laryngeal cancer, and this was the major reason for their abstaining or wanting to quit the habit. The relationship of smoking with bladder cancer, soft tissue lesion (mouth and lip) and neonatal death was not well appreciated. Counselling patients about the hazards of smoking was practised significantly less often by doctors who smoked. The majority (83.6%) expressed the need for specific training for counselling patients to stop smoking. The options favoured by the health professionals for preventing smoking included a ban on tobacco advertising, specific health warnings on cigarette packets and restriction on smoking in public places, particularly in hospitals and clinics.     

Smoking prevalence among monks in Thailand

Previous studies among Buddhist monks in Thailand have reported smoking rates to be as high as 55%. Because 95% of Thais are Buddhist, monks are highly influential in establishing normative behavioral patterns. As the first population-based study on smoking among Buddhist monks in Thailand, this study aims to determine the smoking prevalence in six regions of the country, and to examine smoking knowledge, risk perceptions, behaviors, and associated demographics among full-fledged and novice monks (n = 6,213). Results demonstrated that the overall prevalence for current smoking monks is 24.4% (95% confidence interval [24.453, 24.464]), with regional differences ranging from 14.6% (North) to 40.5% (East). Findings suggest that integrating prevention and cessation programming into religious courses may be one avenue for reaching many incoming monks. Further, involving monks in tobacco control education and setting a nonsmoking standard among them is vital to the success of reducing smoking rates among the general population in Thailand.     

Computer access and Internet use among urban youths

This report presents data on computer access, Internet use, and factors associated with health information seeking on the Internet among a sample of youths aged 15 to 30 years in New York City. Findings from street intercept surveys indicate substantial computer access at home (62%) and frequent (everyday or a few times a week) Internet use (66%). Fifty-five percent of the sample reported seeking health information on the Internet, which was associated with positive beliefs about getting a health checkup and frequent Internet use.     

Characteristics of daily and occasional smoking among youths

OBJECTIVES: The purpose of this study was to develop a more detailed understanding of the characteristics of occasional smokers, and how the characteristics of occasional smokers differ from those of daily smokers. This information can then be used in youth smoking programmes to better address these differences in a manner that would target appropriate youth with appropriate cessation methods. METHODS: A questionnaire was administered to 976 university students, aged between 18 and 25 years, in Ankara, Turkey. The topics covered included age, sex and tobacco use characteristics. Daily and occasional smokers were defined according to traditional definitions of smoking. RESULTS: Among the 976 students surveyed, 482 (49.4%) reported being active smokers. Among these smokers, 199 (41.3%) were classified as occasional smokers and 283 (58.7%) were daily smokers using the traditional definitions of smoking. Many of the active smokers had relatives or friends who also smoked, specifically, 46.5% had a father who smokes, 13.3% had a mother who smokes, 26.8% had an older brother or sister who smokes, and 69.7% had two or more close friends who smoke. Although more than 51.3% of smokers planned on quitting smoking, only 26.1% had previously tried to quit smoking but 64.7% believed they could successfully quit. Daily smokers reported that they made fewer attempts to quit smoking than occasional smokers. More often than occasional smokers, daily smokers reported that they smoke because they like the image, they are addicted, smoking relieves stress and/or their friends smoke. Occasional smokers reported that they smoke less at home or at the university than in other places, and smoke more often with friends than when alone or with family members. This pattern is encouraged by the family structure in Turkish society, where smoking by adolescents at home in the presence of family members is frowned upon. CONCLUSIONS: This study demonstrates substantial differences between occasional and daily smokers. If effective future smoking prevention and cessation programmes that target youth are going to be developed, data like those gathered in this study are critical. Basic information regarding cigarette consumption patterns, while important, is insufficient to understand behaviour and key factors that trigger smoking among the youth population.     

深圳市常住居民吸烟、戒烟与被动吸烟现状分析

目的 了解深圳市15岁以上常住居民吸烟、戒烟与被动吸烟的分布和流行情况,为控制烟草使用、创建无烟环境提供依据.方法 采用多阶段整群随机抽样的方法,对深圳市8 782名15岁以上常住居民进行问卷调查.结果 调查人群吸烟率为16.47％,现在吸烟率为16.34％,常吸烟率为14.30％,重型吸烟率为7.74％,被动吸烟率为...     

Marijuana use among minority youths living in public housing developments

Youths residing in public housing developments appear to be at markedly heightened risk for drug use because of their constant exposure to violence, poverty, and drug-related activity. The purpose of this study was to develop and test a model of marijuana etiology with adolescents (N=624) residing in public housing. African-American and Hispanic seventh graders completed questionnaires about their marijuana use, social influences to smoke maijuana, and sociodemographic and psychosocial characteristics. Results indicated that social influences, such as friends' marijuana use and perceived ease of availability of marijuana, significantly predicted both occasional and future use of marijuana. Individual characteristics such as antimarijuana attitudes and drug refsul skills also predicted marijuana use. The findings imply that effective prevention approaches that target urban youths residing in public housing developments should provide them with an awareness of social influences to use marijuana, correct misperceptions about the prevalence of marijuana smoking, and train adolescents in relevant psychosocial skills.     

Determinants of tobacco use among youths in Isfahan,Iran

Summary Objective: To determine potential factors that may result in motivating the youths to adopt smoking behaviour Method: This cross-sectional study was conducted on 210 smoking and 217 non-smoking youths, aged 12–20 years. Results: The average age of starting cigarette and water pipe smoking was 14.5 ± 2.4 and 11.2 ± 1.5 years, respectively. The first experience with water pipe occurred mostly in the traditional teahouses for girls (54.8 %), and in family parties (48.2 %) for boys. In both genders, the first place of cigarette smoking was at friends’ parties (56.8 % for boys, and 52.1 % for girls) and then followed by traditional teahouses (43.2 % for boys, and 47.9 % for girls). The most common reasons youths have picked up cigarette smoking were mainly to attract attention from friends, family inattention and poverty. Meanwhile, nearly all water pipe smokers reported using it for fun. The strongest predictors of smoking among boys were respectively father’s occupation, having a smoking mother, and the number of smoking peers, whereas among girls, these factors were respectively having a smoking mother, frequenting traditional teahouses, and the number of smoking peers. Lower education of fathers and divorce among parents increased the probability of smoking in both genders, especially girls. School/work failure, as well as troubled relationship with parents and siblings were the other significant predictors of smoking in both genders, notably in girls. Conclusion: Public health control measures should be adopted not only to curtail cigarette use, but also to address water-pipe use. Preventive measures should be regarded as a high priority for socio-economically disadvantaged families. Submitted: 6 July 2006; Revised: 5 September, 18 November 2006, 7 March 2007; Accepted: 7 March 2007