PRESS-NEWS.org - Press Release Distribution
PRESS RELEASES DISTRIBUTION

Children's exposure to secondhand smoke in England has dropped 80 percent since 1998

2015-06-11
(Press-News.org) A new study published today by the scientific journal Addiction finds that in England, children's exposure to second-hand smoke has declined by approximately 80% since 1998.

Also, an emerging social norm in England has led to the adoption of smoke-free homes not only when parents are non-smokers but also when they smoke. The proportion of children living in a home reported to be smoke-free increased from 63% in 1998 to 87.3% in 2012.

The study gathered data from over 35,000 children who participated in the annual Health Survey for England (HSE) from 1998 to 2012. Children's exposure to second-hand smoke was measured through the presence of cotinine, a nicotine derivative, in saliva samples. The body converts nicotine that has been absorbed as a result of inhaling tobacco smoke into cotinine which stays in the body much longer than nicotine and so provides an accurate record of the quantity of smoke inhaled in recent days.

In the late 1980s, the concentration of cotinine in the saliva of non-smoking children averaged 0.96 ng/ml. By 1998, that figure had dropped to 0.52 ng/ml, and by 2012 it had dropped further to 0.11 ng/ml. By 2012, over two thirds of all children had undetectable levels of cotinine, an occurrence that was once a rarity.

In 2010 the UK government included in its national tobacco control plan the ambition to see two-thirds of households with smoking parents go smoke-free by 2020. Already well over half of homes containing children with smoking parents have gone smoke-free. If current trends continue, government targets for protecting children from second-hand smoke will be reached ahead of time.

INFORMATION:



ELSE PRESS RELEASES FROM THIS DATE:

Is eating for 2 a good idea? Maintaining a healthy weight during pregnancy helps mother and baby

2015-06-11
Pregnant women can improve their health and even reduce the risk of complications during childbirth by maintaining a healthy weight through diet and exercise. Research has shown that gaining too much weight during pregnancy increases the risk of gestational diabetes, high blood pressure, large babies, and delivery by caesarean section; and newborns with large birth weights are at risk of childhood obesity. An updated systematic review published in The Cochrane Library reveals that diet or exercise interventions, or a combination of both, can prevent excessive weight gain ...

Weekend screen time linked to poorer bone health in teen boys

2015-06-11
Weekend screen time is linked to poorer teen bone health--but only in boys, reveals research published in the online journal BMJ Open. The apparent lack of impact of leisure screen time on teen girls' bone health may be explained by their different body fat distribution, suggest the researchers. They base their findings on participants in the Tromsø Fit Futures Study in Norway, which involved 961 of the region's 15-17 year old school pupils in 2010-11 (first wave) and 688 (66%) of this original group two years later in 2012-13 (second wave). At both time periods, ...

Aerobic exercise seems to curb asthma severity and improves quality of life

2015-06-11
Aerobic exercise seems to curb the severity of asthma symptoms and improves quality of life, finds a small study published online in the journal Thorax. It should be routinely added to the drug treatment of moderate to severe asthma, suggest the researchers, who point out that people with asthma often avoid exercise for fear of triggering symptoms. Exercise has been recommended in the past for asthma patients, because it improves physical fitness, overall quality of life, and reduces the need for inhalers. But it has not been clear whether the pros outweigh the cons. The ...

Additives in low tar ('light') and e-cigarettes may reinforce nicotine dependence

2015-06-11
Pyrazine additives in low tar ('light') and e-cigarettes may be reinforcing the addictive qualities of nicotine, and should be strictly regulated, concludes research published online in the journal Tobacco Control. The evidence suggests that pyrazines have sensory and pharmacological effects which act independently of, and in tandem with, nicotine, and were developed by the tobacco industry to make low tar ('light') cigarettes taste richer and smoother, and boost sales. Nicotine dependence is a complex process, but is primarily caused by the ability of nicotine to prompt ...

University of Windsor sexual assault study reaches NEJM

2015-06-11
Sexual assault resistance training works, according to a new University of Windsor-led study published today in the New England Journal of Medicine. While only those who commit acts of sexual violence can stop sexual assault, women may be able to reduce the likelihood that they will be the victim of a completed rape. To use a medical analogy, there is not much we can do about pathogens such as bacteria or viruses already in our environment, but we can take steps to boost our immune system so we can better resist these pathogens when we come into contact with them. This ...

Study discovers new method of classifying low-grade brain tumors

2015-06-11
CLEVELAND - A Case Comprehensive Cancer Center (CCCC) brain surgeon and neurosurgery professor is among the primary authors of a new approach to classifying tumors that could lead to significant improvements in their diagnosis and treatment. The research and recommendations appear online June 10 in The New England Journal of Medicine. Andrew Sloan, MD, Director of the Brain Tumor and Neuro-Oncology Center at University Hospitals Case Medical Center, said the new classification system has the potential to provide far more accurate assessments of brain tumors known as low ...

Strategies needed for community health worker programs to solve health care challenges

2015-06-11
PHILADELPHIA -- Community health workers (CHW) are expected to be a growing and vital part of healthcare delivery in the United States as the Affordable Care Act is fully implemented. A slate of steps detailing how CHW programs can maximize their effectiveness and impact on patients and healthcare spending is provided in a new perspective piece in the New England Journal of Medicine by experts at the University of Pennsylvania's Perelman School of Medicine and New York University. The piece offers guidance for the growing number of organizations who are looking to community ...

Which artificial pancreas system is the best for children with type 1 diabetes?

2015-06-11
Montréal, June 10, 2015 - A Montréal research team, co-supervised by Dr. Rémi Rabasa-Lhoret from the IRCM and Dr. Laurent Legault from the Montreal Children's Hospital, undertook the first paediatric outpatient study to compare three alternative treatments for type 1 diabetes. The results, published this week in the scientific journal The Lancet Diabetes & Endocrinology, shows the dual-hormone artificial pancreas provides the most benefits by reducing the time spent in nocturnal hypoglycaemia. The study conducted with children and adolescents with type ...

Specialized proteins may be detected in blood of people with Alzheimer's disease

2015-06-10
MINNEAPOLIS - Specialized brain proteins that are involved in the removal of damaged nerve cell materials may be detected in the blood of people who were diagnosed with mild cognitive impairment or dementia due to Alzheimer's disease. In a select group of people who later developed dementia, the levels of the lysosomal proteins were abnormal while the people still had no problems with memory or thinking skills, according to a study published in the June 10, 2015, online issue of Neurology®, the medical journal of the American Academy of Neurology. "These proteins ...

Keeping mind, body active may not protect against underlying signs of Alzheimer's

2015-06-10
MINNEAPOLIS - While participating in physical activities such as bike riding, dancing, walking and gardening and mentally stimulating activities such as crosswords and reading may reduce the risk of Alzheimer's disease, they may not do so by affecting the underlying markers for the disease, according to a study published in the June 10, 2015, online issue of Neurology®, the medical journal of the American Academy of Neurology. "While a lifelong history of physical and mental activity may support better memory and thinking performance, this relationship may possibly ...

LAST 30 PRESS RELEASES:

Consistent policy, not “patchwork” regulations, recommended for the coexistence of crops

LEDs shed light on efficient tomato cultivation

2025 Ig Physics Nobel Prize for perfect pasta sauce

Bright squeezed light in the kilohertz frequency band

Water flowed on ancient asteroid

AI model offers accurate and explainable insights to support autism assessment

Process for dealing with sexual misconduct by doctors requires major reform

Severe pregnancy sickness raises risk of mental health conditions by over 50%

Early humans may have walked from Türkiye to mainland Europe, new groundbreaking research suggests

New study shows biochar’s electrical properties can influence rice field methane emissions

Guangdong faces largest chikungunya outbreak on record

Tirzepatide improves blood sugar control in children aged 10-17 years with type 2 diabetes inadequately controlled on existing therapies (SURPASS-PEDS trial)

An old drug, in a low dose, shown to be safe and effective in preventing progression of type 1 diabetes in children and young people (MELD-ATG trial)

Study reports potential effects of verapamil in slowing progression of type 1 diabetes

Fresh hope for type 1 diabetes as daily pill that slows onset confirms promise at 2-year follow-up

New estimates predict over 4 million missing people who would be alive in 2025 if not for inadequate type 1 diabetes care

So what should we call this – a grue jay?

Chicago Quantum Exchange-led coalition advances to final round in NSF Engine competition

Study identifies candidates for therapeutic targets in pediatric germ cell tumors

Media alert: The global burden of CVD

Study illuminates contributing factors to blood vessel leakage

What nations around the world can learn from Ukraine

Mixing tree species does not always make forests more drought-resilient

Public confidence in U.S. health agencies slides, fueled by declines among Democrats

“Quantum squeezing” a nanoscale particle for the first time

El Niño spurs extreme daily rain events despite drier monsoons in India

Two studies explore the genomic diversity of deadly mosquito vectors

Zebra finches categorize their vocal calls by meaning

Analysis challenges conventional wisdom about partisan support for US science funding

New model can accurately predict a forest’s future

[Press-News.org] Children's exposure to secondhand smoke in England has dropped 80 percent since 1998