The aims of this study were to determine the effects of smoking on the incidence and prognosis of erectile dysfunction (ED) and that of ED on smoking behavior, and to find out whether smoking either directly or through vascular diseases causes ED. The target population comprised of all men born in 1924, 1934 or 1944 and residing in the city of Tampere or 11 adjacent municipalities in Finland. Questionnaires were mailed to 3,143 men in 1994, to 2,864 in 1999 and to 2,510 men in 2004. The response rates were 70%, 75% and 75% respectively. ED was assessed using two questions on subjects’ erectile capacity. Logistic and Poisson regression models were used in the multivariable analyses. Current smoking was associated with ED (Adjusted prevalence odds ratio (POR) = 1.7, 95% CI 1.2-2.4), but not with ex smoking. The incidence of ED non-significantly increased (incidence density ratio (IDR)=1.4) and that of ED recovery reduced (IDR=0.7) with current smoking. A dose-response relationship was found between smoking and ED. Although the relative risks estimates were not statistically significant, probably due to small numbers. Only heavy smokers were significantly at higher risk of ED. Compared with non-smokers, confounder-adjusted IDR was 1.6 (95% CI 1.0-2.6) for men who smoked 21 cigarettes or more daily. Both quitting (IDR=1.7) and starting smoking (IDR=1.9) were rare and higher in men with ED. However, the IDRs estimates were not statistically significant. Current smokers at baseline (1994) who developed vascular disease during 1994-1999 were three times (Confounder-adjusted IDR=3.1, 95% CI 1.3-7.5) at higher risk of ED during 1999-2004 compared with never or ex smokers who did not develop vascular diseases. On the other hand, current smokers who did not develop vascular diseases were not at higher risk of ED (IDR=1.0). There were two bi-directional relations between smoking and ED. Smoking caused ED though vascular diseases and ED caused smoking. The recovery from ED was less in smokers than in non-smokers, and current smokers with ED were more likely to stop smoking compared with men free from ED. / <p>ISBN 91-7997-124-5</p>

Cancer is devastating. Medical advances have resulted in the ability to diagnose cancer at its earliest stages and increase survivorship. Unfortunately, Black Americans possess a disproportionate cancer burden, with the highest mortality and lowest survival rate of any racial/ethnic group. Lung cancer is the most deadly, yet most treatable cancer. The purpose of this study was to determine the impact that the healthcare education program had on healthcare students’ level of cultural development and awareness of disparities regarding Black Americans and tobacco cessation. In light of the data substantiating that health disparities stem from a combination of racial and ethnic inequities in the access of the healthcare system, healthcare professionals’ low levels of cultural development, and the missed opportunities for promoting Black American tobacco cessation, the following questions were developed to frame the research: Research Question #1: How will the level of healthcare students’ cultural development change as a result of a healthcare education program? This question corresponds to the following hypotheses being tested in this study: Methods to answer this question included evaluation of findings from 1) comparison of pre and post-program Inventory for Assessing the Process of Cultural Competence Among Healthcare Professionals – Revised (IAPCC-R) mean scores by degree of study and by gender; and 3) comparison of pre and post-program Tobacco Cessation Assessment (TCA) mean scores by degree of study and by gender. Research Question #2: What is the relationship between cultural competence and increased awareness of disparities regarding Black Americans and tobacco cessation? Methods utilized to answer this question included evaluation of findings from comparison of results of knowledge gains in TCA vs. IAPCC-R mean scores, including using the Pearson’s correlation coefficient to determine existence and strength of the relationship. Findings were 1) level of cultural development increased; 2) awareness of disparities regarding Black Americans and tobacco cessation increased; and 3) weak, but statistically significant relationship between higher level of cultural development and increased awareness of disparities regarding Black Americans and tobacco cessation. This study could serve as a model for future partnerships with researchers, faculty, and healthcare professionals, linking pre-profession preparation with continuing professional education. / Department of Educational Studies

Bakgrund: Kroniskt obstruktiv lungsjukdom (KOL) är en av vår tids vanligaste sjukdomar och förväntas bli den tredje största dödsorsaken i världen inom tio år. Sjukdomen orsakar ofta andnöd, hosta och ökad slembildning. De flesta som drabbas av sjukdomen är personer som är eller har varit rökare. Personer som lever med sjukdomen upplever ofta ett lidande av att inte ha samma ork som tidigare och upplever stigmatiserande fördömanden på grund av sjukdomens troliga orsak. Syfte: Syftet med översikten var att beskriva upplevelsen av att leva med kronisk obstruktiv lungsjukdom. Metod: Detta är en litteraturöversikt som är baserad på elva vetenskapliga artiklar. Artiklarna är analyserade och kvalitetsgranskade av båda författarna i flera steg enligt rekommendationer för analysarbete av Friberg (2012). Alla artiklar är tillgängliga i databaserna CINAHL och PubMed och är utgivna mellan 2008-2013. Resultat: Resultatet visade att det fysiska symtom som var mest påtagligt var andnöden. Andra symtom som togs upp som bes värande var den ökade slem bildningen,hostan och tröttheten. Psykiska symtom som var vanligt förekommande vid KOL var ångest, depression och frustration över förlorad ork och detta framförallt till följd av andnöden. Dömande attityder kring sjukdomens uppkomst med återkommande frågor om tidigare och/eller nuvarande rökvanor skapade känslor av skuld och skam. Många valde att fortsätta att röka trots sin diagnos, och trots dessa skuldkänslor. De såg rökningen som en rutin och en aktivitet i sin vardag som de inte ville vara utan. Diskussion: KOL innebär ett stort lidande för den drabbade. Lidande kunde bland annat upplevas vid förlust av sociala interaktioner. Enligt omvårdnadsteoretikern Katie Eriksson kan livslidande uppstå när energin inte räcker till för att delta i sociala interaktioner. Lidande upplevdes även vid beroende av andra för att få vardagliga sysslor utförda. De fysiska och psykiska symtom som uppkom till följd av sjukdomen upplevdes minska livskvaliteten. Dömande attityder som kunde uppstå gentemot personer med KOL kunde orsaka ett lidande. Orsaken kan vara att personen inte känner sig värdesatt som människa enligt Eriksson. De som valde att fortsätta röka ansåg att rökningen gav livskvalitet och ett minskat lidande. / Background: Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) is one of today's most common diseases, and is expected in less than ten years to become the third largest cause of death worldwide. The disease causes breathlessness, cough and increased sputum. Most people who contract the disease are individuals who are or have been smokers. People living with the disease often experience a hard time to not have the same strength as before and experiencing stigmatizing condemnation because the presumable cause of the disease. Aim: The aim with this study was to describe the experience of living with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease. Methods: This is a literature review based on eleven scientific articles. The articles are reviewed and quality analyzed by both the authors in several steps according to the recommendations of the analysis procedure by Friberg (2012). All the articles are available in the databases PubMed and CINAHL and are published 2008-2013. Results: The results proved that the physical symptoms that were most problematic for a person with the disease is to have problem with their breathing. Other symptoms recognized as troublesome was the increased mucous secretion, cough and fatigue, which are common in COPD. The psychological symptoms that were common were anxiety, depression and frustration about the loss of energy and this was mainly due to the breathing. Condemnatory attitudes about the disease's onset with questions about the past and/or current smoking behavior which created feelings of guilt and shame. Many people decided to continue smoking despite their diagnosis and feelings of guilt. They saw the smoking as a routine and an activity in their daily lives that they didn’t want to be without. Discussion: The discussion concluded that COPD involved a life of suffering for those who gets the disease. Suffering was experienced in loss of social interactions. According to the nursing theorist Katie Eriksson life suffering arise when energy is not sufficient to engage in social interactions. Suffering could also be experienced when a person became dependent on others to cope with everyday tasks, when the energy wasn’t enough. The physical and psychological symptoms that emerged because of the disease were experienced as a lower quality of life. Judgmental attitudes that could occur to people with COPD could cause a suffering. According to Eriksson the reason to this can be that the person does not feel valued as a person. Those who chose to continue smoking felt that smoking resulted in a quality of life and reduced suffering.

Thesis (M.Sc. (Physiology))--North-West University, Potchefstroom Campus, 2009.

Background: Breast and Gynecological cancers are a major public health problem. Smoking is associated with several chronic diseases including cancer. Other lifestyles of public health predispose many people to dyslipidemia, hypertension and obesity; risk factors for metabolic syndrome, and are associated with cancer. Objectives: The purpose of this study is to find if those who smoke, and have the metabolic syndrome, are more likely to have breast or gynecological cancers, and to find the distribution by education, having health insurance, race/ethnicity and socio-economic status. Methods: A case-control study of females aged 20 years and above who participated in the United States National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES) 2001-2010. Results: Females who have smoked more than hundred cigarettes in life and still smoke; a) have a 42 percent less chance of having a breast cancer diagnosis (OR 0.58; 95% CI 0.36 – 0.93, p-value 0.025), and b) are 2.67 times as likely to report a cervical cancer diagnosis as females who have smoked less than hundred cigarettes in life (OR 2.67; 95% CI 1.72 – 4.13, p-value Conclusion: Smoking and metabolic syndrome are very important indicators of reproductive health and needs further study. Smoking cessation interventions should be an integral part of cervical cancer prevention programs especially targeted at younger females and females who live below the federal poverty level.

Background: Low birth weight (LBW) is a public health issue in the United States and around the globe. Although Low birth weight is an important predictor of subsequent health outcomes, the role of maternal age as a LBW risk factor is poorly understood. Determining whether or not maternal age is a risk factor for low birth weight can help reduce the incidence of LBW and maximize the health of offspring. Objective: This study examined the association between young mothers and LBW risk in a representative sample of Non-Hispanic Whites, Non-Hispanic Blacks and Hispanic American women. Factors such as mother’s age, smoking status, level of education, income, and marital status were evaluated to assess their associations with LBW outcome. Methodology: The selected study factors were analyzed using SPSS version 20. Data were obtained from the 2007-2008 National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES). Young mothers were defined as females between the ages of 14 and19 years old that have a baby. A live born infant weighing less than 2,500 grams was considered to have LBW. Frequencies for the selected factors were created. Univariate and multivariate logistic regression analyses were also run to examine the association between young motherhood and LBW adjusting for maternal age, smoking, education, income and marital status. Results: There was no statistically significant association between young mothers and LBW in Non-Hispanic Whites (OR=.51; 95% CI=.12-2.13), Non-Hispanic Blacks (OR=.21; 95% CI=.03-1.59), and Hispanic Americans (OR=1.48; 95% CI=.74-2.97) women, after adjusting for maternal age, smoking, education, income and marital status. Conclusion: Although, the results of this study indicating the lack of association between young mothers and LBW is consistent with findings by some investigators (Reichman et al., 1997), there are several studies that have reported contrary results (Okosun et al., 2000). In light of these mixed findings, further research is necessary to examine the impact of young mothers on adverse birth outcomes, including, LBW.

Thesis (M.Sc. (Physiology))--North-West University, Potchefstroom Campus, 2009.

Smoking is deleterious to health and dyadic smoking facilitates increased tobacco consumption. In this investigation, a secondary analysis was preformed on a Canadian database of 473 and 128 adoptive families. The purpose of this study was to delineate the role of demographic, personality, family environment, and partner smoking in predicting smoking cessation in a sample of Vancouver couples. Two specific temporal environments were explored: (a) general co-habitation smoking patterns and (b) couples' smoking patterns during pregnancy. The data were extracted from the Vancouver Family Study, and the prevalence and predictors of smoking behavior were investigated through correlational and hierarchical logistical regression techniques. Partner smoking was a significant predictor of smoking behaviors for each gender. Specifically, women's weekly smoking consumption was completely mediated by partner smoking. The results of this study highlight the importance of dyadic smoking in continued tobacco consumption.

The relationships of serum cholesterol, blood pressure and cigarette smoking with certain chronic diseases were investigated in a prospective study among more than 9,000 middle-aged adults in urban Shanghai. At baseline, the mean serum cholesterol was 4.2 mmol/l, 14 per cent of the participants had definite hypertension, and 61 per cent of males and 7 per cent of females were regular smokers. During 8-13 years of follow-up, 620 deaths were recorded. 231 (37%) of the deaths were ascribed to cardiovascular disease, including 44 (7%) from CHD and 152 (25%) from stroke. Cancer caused 274 deaths (44%), of which 66 deaths (11%) were from lung cancer, 63 (10%) from stomach cancer and 54 deaths (9%) from liver cancer. Other causes accounted for 115 deaths (19%), 29 (5%) of which were from chronic liver disease, and 31 (5%) from chronic obstructive pulmonary disease. In this study, there was a strong positive and apparently independent relationship of serum cholesterol level to CHD death (z=3.47, 2P<0.001). Within the range of usual serum cholesterol studied (about 3.8-4.7 mmol/l), there was no evidence of any apparent "threshold". After appropriate adjustment for the "regression dilution" bias, a 4% difference in usual cholesterol was associated with a 21% (95% confidence interval 9-35%) difference in the risk of CHD death. There was no significant relationship of serum cholesterol with total stroke mortality, or with total cancer mortality. The 79 deaths due to liver cancer or other chronic liver diseases were inversely related to cholesterol concentration at baseline. This inverse association appears to be secondary to prolonged hepatitis B virus infection, which accounts for most of the deaths from liver disease in China and which chronically lowers blood cholesterol. There was a strong positive relationship between blood pressure and risk of death from stroke and CHD. Within the range of usual blood pressure studied (SBP: 117-161 mmHg; DBP:75-101 mmHg), there was no evidence of any apparent threshold. After appropriate adjustment for the "regression dilution" bias, a 10 mmHg difference in usual SBP was associated with a 67% (95% Cl 52-83%) difference in the risk of stroke deaths, and with a 44% (95% confidence interval 21- 73%) difference in the risk of CHD death; a 7 mmHg difference in usual DBP was associated with a 124% (95% Cl 96-155%) difference in the risk of stroke deaths, and with a 58% (95% Cl 22-105%) difference in the risk of CHD deaths. Cigarette smoking was significantly associated with deaths from any disease. There was a strong positive relationship between cigarette smoking and risk of all cancer deaths, and specifically cancer of the lung and cancer of the upper aerodigestive tract. The relative risk of lung cancer for a current smoker was 3.5 (95% Cl 1.8-7.0; 2P<0.001), and among the male population 63% of lung cancers were directly attributed to the smoking. The relative risk of upper aero-digestive cancer death for regular smokers was 3.4 (95% Cl 1.1-10.5; 2P<0.05). The risk of chronic obstructive lung disease was also significantly related to smoking, with a relative risk in a smoker of 2.2 (95% Cl 1.1-4.4; 2P<0.05). In the present population, smokers had a 60% excess risk of deaths from total stroke compared with nonsmokers (z=2.40, 2P<0.05).

Vis labiau plintantis priklausomybę sukeliančių medžiagų vartojimas – aktuali visuomenės, ypač jaunimo, sveikatos problema. Sprendžiant šią problemą svarbų vaidmenį atlieka ir mokyklos. Darbo tikslas: Įvertinti paauglių psichoaktyviųjų medžiagų vartojimo prevencines veiklas Radviliškio rajono bendrojo lavinimo mokyklose. Darbo uždaviniai: 1. Išanalizuoti mokyklų psichoaktyviųjų medžiagų vartojimo prevencinio darbo grupių veiklą. 2. Įvertinti mokyklų prevencines veiklas, formas bei turinį mokinių, tėvų bei mokytojų požiūriu. 3. Nustatyti mokykloje vykdomų prevencinių projektų aktualumą bei poreikį. Tyrimo metodika: anketinė anoniminė Radviliškio rajono mokylų IX klasių mokleivių (n=212), jų tėvų (n=212) ir mokytojų (n=248) apklausa. Statistinė duomenų analizė atlikta naudojant SPSS 8 ir MS Excel. Rezultatai: Vertinant didžiausias klaidas, susijusias su programų rašymu, kaip viena iš populiariausių klaidų yra vertinimo nevykdymas. Tik 12,5 proc. mokyklų sistemingai vykdo prevencinės veiklos vertinimą. Mokinių tėvų vertinimuose išryškėja ir vykdomų tyrimų sistemingumo bei bendruomenės įtraukimo į prevencinę veiklą problema. Beveik pusė tėvų teigia (42,4 proc.), jog tėvų susirinkimų metu nėra kalbama apie psichoaktyvių medžiagų vartojimo problemas (34,3 proc.). Prevencinės veiklos formų įvairovė gana didelė. Visgi dažniausiai taikomos bene lengviausiai realizuojamos prevencinės veiklos formos, kurios ne visada būna efektyvios. Tuo tarpu diskusijos, pokalbiai nėra dažnos... [toliau žr. visą tekstą] / The increasing prevalence of addictive substances is an actual problem of public health, partticularly among young people. Schools play an important role in dealing with this problem. Aim of the study: to assess teen psychoactive substance use prevention activities in secondary schools of Radviliškis district. Objectives: 1. To analyze activity of school work groups in psychoactive substance use prevention. 2. To assess prevention activities, forms and content in schools by students', parents' and teachers' point of view. 3. To substantiate the relevance and diversity of school projects. Methods: anonymous questionnaire survey of teachers working in schools of Radviliškis district (n=248), survey of ninth grade pupils (n = 212), and survey of their parents (n = 212). The statistical data analysis was performed using SPSS 8 software paskage and MS Excel. Results: Evaluation of the maximum errors in the writing program, as one of the most popular error evaluation is failure assessment. Only 12.5 percent of schools systematically carry out preventive activities assessment. Parents' assessments revealed the problem of investigations systematicity and community involvement in prevention activities. Almost half of parents claims that (42.4 percent) at parent meetings does not deal with alcohol and substance abuse problems (34.3 percent). Variety of preventive activity forms is large enough. However, usually applied probably the most easily realized forms of preventive activity... [to full text]