(Press-News.org) Tobacco use remains the leading preventable cause of death and disease in the United States. Declines in smoking among youths were observed from the late 1990s. "However, limited information exists on trends in smokeless tobacco use among U.S. youths," writes Israel T. Agaku, D.M.D., M.P.H., of the Harvard School of Public Health, Boston, and colleagues.
As reported in a Research Letter in the May 15 issue of JAMA, the authors analyzed recent trends in prevalence of smokeless tobacco use among youths using the 2000-2011 National Youth Tobacco Survey, a biennial national cross-sectional survey of U.S. middle school and high school students. Samples during 2000 through 2011 ranged from 35,828 students in 324 schools in 2000 to 18,866 students in 178 schools in 2011. Current smokeless tobacco use was defined as use of snuff, chewing, or dipping tobacco for 1 or more days within the past 30 days.
The researchers found that no significant change in overall smokeless tobacco prevalence occurred between 2000 (5.3 percent) and 2011 (5.2 percent). Downward trends were observed in the age groups of 9 to 11 and 12 to 14 years. Prevalence increased in the age group of 15 to 17 years.
"The prevalence of smokeless tobacco use among U.S. youths did not change between 2000 and 2011 and remained generally low. However, subgroup differences were observed. The use of modified traditional smokeless tobacco products, such as moist snuff, coupled with lower taxes on smokeless tobacco products (vs. cigarettes) may have contributed to the stable prevalence of smokeless tobacco (vs. the declining trend for cigarettes)," they write. "… these findings emphasize the need for evidence-based interventions to reduce smokeless tobacco use among youths."
###
(JAMA. 2013;309[19]:1992-1994. Available pre-embargo to the media at http://media.jamanetwork.com)
No significant change seen in overall smokeless tobacco use among US youths
2013-05-15
ELSE PRESS RELEASES FROM THIS DATE:
Wireless signals could transform brain trauma diagnostics
2013-05-15
Berkeley — New technology developed at the University of California, Berkeley, is using wireless signals to provide real-time, non-invasive diagnoses of brain swelling or bleeding.
The device analyzes data from low energy, electromagnetic waves, similar to the kind used to transmit radio and mobile signals. The technology, described in the May 14 issue of the journal PLOS ONE, could potentially become a cost-effective tool for medical diagnostics and to triage injuries in areas where access to medical care, especially medical imaging, is limited.
The researchers tested ...
Getting a grip on sleep
2013-05-15
All mammals sleep, as do birds and some insects. However, how this basic function is regulated by the brain remains unclear. According to a new study by researchers from the RIKEN Brain Science Institute, a brain region called the lateral habenula plays a central role in the regulation of REM sleep. In an article published today in the Journal of Neuroscience, the team shows that the lateral habenula maintains and regulates REM sleep in rats through regulation of the serotonin system. This study is the first to show a role of the lateral habenula in linking serotonin metabolism ...
Slim women have a greater risk of developing endometriosis than obese women
2013-05-15
Women with a lean body shape have a greater risk of developing endometriosis than women who are morbidly obese, according to the largest prospective study to investigate the link.
The study, which is published online today (Wednesday) in Europe's leading reproductive medicine journal Human Reproduction [1], found that the risk of endometriosis was 39% lower in morbidly obese women – those with a body mass index (BMI) greater than 40 kg/m2 – compared with women with a current BMI in the low normal range (18.5-22.4 kg/m2).
When the researchers looked back at the women's ...
Women's immune systems remain younger for longer
2013-05-15
Women's immune systems age more slowly than men's, suggests research in BioMed Central's open access journal Immunity & Ageing. The slower decline in a woman's immune system may contribute to women living longer than men.
Researchers looked at the blood of healthy volunteers in Japan, ranging in age between 20 and 90 years old; in both sexes the total number of white blood cells per person decreased with age. The number of neutrophils decreased for both sexes and lymphocytes decreased in men and increased in women. Younger men generally have higher levels of lymphocytes ...
Study finds 'owning' a darker skin can positively impact racial bias
2013-05-15
Scientists from Royal Holloway University have found that when white Caucasians are under the illusion that they have a dark skin, their racial bias changes in a positive way.
In the study that was funded by the European Research Council and published today in Cognition, the team used the tried and tested Rubber Hand Illusion, where participants are asked to look at a fake hand being touched, while at the same time, the experimenter touches the participants' own hand which is hidden out of view.
The combination of seeing the touch on the rubber hand and feeing touch ...
Benefit of cycle helmet laws to reduce head injuries still uncertain
2013-05-15
The authors say that, while helmets reduce head injuries and their use should be encouraged, in the context of existing safety campaigns, the impact of legislation seems to be minimal.
Cyclists are vulnerable road users and head injuries among cyclists account for 75% of cycling related deaths. But debate exists about whether or not helmet legislation is an effective strategy to reduce serious head injuries among cyclists of all ages.
So a team of researchers based in Canada examined changes in the rate of cycling related head injuries associated with helmet legislation ...
BMJ calls for new and stronger partnerships to improve healthcare
2013-05-15
The journal says it is committed to "stepping up its commitment to patient partnership" and wants to "develop a strategy for patient partnership that will be reflected across the entire journal."
In an editorial, BMJ editors along with Professor Victor Montori and Dave Paul at the Mayo Clinic in the US, argue that the preservation of institutional bureaucracies, as well as professional and commercial vested interests, "have consistently trumped the interests of patients." They say clinicians and patients need to work in partnership "if we are to improve healthcare and ...
Hysterectomy does not increase risk of cardiovascular disease
2013-05-15
Having a hysterectomy with or without ovary removal in mid-life does not increase a woman's risk of cardiovascular disease compared to women who reach natural menopause, contrary to many previously reported studies, according to research published online today in the Journal of the American College of Cardiology.
"Middle-aged women who are considering hysterectomy should be encouraged because our results suggest that increased levels of cardiovascular risk factors are not any more likely after hysterectomy relative to after natural menopause," said Karen A. Matthews, ...
Treatment with 2 osteoporosis drugs better at increasing bone density than single-drug therapy
2013-05-15
A combination of two FDA-approved osteoporosis drugs with different mechanisms of action was found to increase bone density better than treatment with either drug alone in a small clinical trial. As reported in paper receiving Online First publication in The Lancet, Massachusetts General Hospital (MGH) investigators found that treatment combining denosumab (Prolia) and teriparatide (Forteo) was superior to single-agent treatment in a 12-month trial in women with postmenopausal osteoporosis. The authors note that additional study is required before their findings should ...
Local community group activities may help reduce neonatal mortality in Vietnam
2013-05-15
Community groups in rural Vietnam comprised of local health workers, politicians and laywomen (Maternal and Newborn Health Groups) set up to tackle challenges to maternal and neonatal health may reduce the neonatal death rate after three years and increase antenatal care attendance, according to a study by researchers from Sweden and Vietnam published in this week's PLOS Medicine.
These findings are important as they show that is it feasible to implement community-based activity into the public sector system at low cost.
The researchers (also the authors of this paper) ...