Passive smoking in children up to 5 years of age

Passive smoking is a major health risk in young children. We investigated the percentage of children with mothers and/or fathers who reported regular smoking. Data are the national and regional health surveys of the German Cardiovascular Prevention Study (GCP) conducted from 1984 to 1992 in West Germany. 2538 mothers aged 25-40 years were included. The prevalence of passive smoking in children due to smoking mothers was 33.6% 55.4% of the children up to 5 years lived in households with at least one smoking parent member. In 23.4% of these households both parents were smokers. If only one member of the parents smoked this was in two out of three cases the father. 28.2% of mothers with a child younger than one year were current smokers. This prevalence rate increased with the age of the youngest child up to 35.6% for mothers, whose youngest child was 5 years old. Multiple logistic regression analysis was performed to investigate the association between smoking behaviour and the following variables: mother's age, social class, family status, community size and year of the survey. It was found that lower social class members, unmarried or divorced mothers and inhabitants of large cities reported significantly more often regular current smoking. These results underscore the importance of special intervention programs to reduce smoking in parents with young children.     

Orthopaedic nursing research priorities: a replication and extension

The aim of the study is to analyse the smoking behaviour of pregnant women and mothers with young children and to identify sociodemographic factors for the nicotine consumption of these persons. Data basis are the national and regional health examination surveys of the German Cardiovascular Prevention Study (GCP). Included were 8385 females in the age group 25-40 years. 326 (3.9%) of these females were pregnant at the time of the survey, and 2538 (30.3%) were mothers with one or more children, aged up to 5 years. Smoking behaviour, family status, number and age of the children and other sociodemographic variables were determined with a self-administered standardised questionnaire. Altogether, 39.4% of the 8385 females reported that they were current smokers. The prevalence of smoking for females without young children was slightly higher (42.3%). 20.6% of all pregnant females were current smokers. For mothers in the lowest social class, the smoking prevalence was two times higher compared to mothers in the highest social class. Unmarried and divorced mothers yielded a very high smoking prevalence. These results suggest that there is a need for prevention and health promotion programs for pregnant females and young mothers. Special emphasis should be targetted at unmarried young mothers and mothers from socially disadvantaged population groups.     

Smoking: high hazards in high school

BACKGROUND: Young people in school are at an impressionable age, peer pressures are intense, and the probability that they will pick up a high-risk behavior, such as smoking, is high. The key to reduction of smoking among adults is to target our prevention efforts at young adults and teens. OBJECTIVE: To study the prevalence and trend of smoking among young adults and teens and to formulate guidelines on smoking reduction to guide those who counsel young people. STUDY DESIGN: The study design is cross sectional. METHODS: This study is based on the data from the Oklahoma Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System and the National Youth Risk Behavioral Surveillance System - the two systems that monitor the prevalence of behaviors that most influence health. RESULTS: The prevalence of smoking among young adults (age 18-24) in Oklahoma is high at more than 21%. The disturbing feature is that it is higher among young females than among young males. The prevalence of smoking among young adults is the highest among high school dropouts and is more than 38%. It is lower among high school graduates (about 28%) and lowest among college graduates (about 18%). The percentage of smoking among students who classify themselves as current smokers rises from 23% to 30% as the students progress from grade 9 to 12 and the percentage of frequent smokers increases from 8% to 16%. CONCLUSIONS: Guidelines suggested for counselors are: 1. Along with smoking, look for comorbid behaviors such as alcohol use, drug abuse, and high-risk sexual behavior. 2. Ask whether the student has easy access to free cigarette samples. 3. Check whether the teen is trying to lose weight; suggest appropriate methods for losing weight if smoking is being used for losing weight. 4. Target health education efforts early in a student's school career starting in elementary school, but concentrate especially at the 8th or 9th grade level to have maximum preventive impact.     

Cigarette smoking and periodontal destruction in young adults

The relationship between cigarette smoking and periodontal destruction was assessed in young adults. Eighty-two regular dental attenders (21 current cigarette smokers, 61 non-smokers) aged between 20 and 33 years were examined. The smokers consumed on average 15.4 (+/- 7.3) cigarettes per day and had smoked for an average of 11.8 (+/- 7) years. Cigarette smokers had almost the same levels of plaque as non-smokers but had more proximal surfaces with subgingival calculus (P < 0.01) and which bled on probing (P < 0.05). Smokers had significantly more pockets > or = 4 mm (14.6 +/- 19.9) than non-smokers (5.8 +/- 7.9), P < 0.01. Only 2 (10%) of the smokers and 1 (2%) of the non-smokers had deep pocketing (> or = 6 mm). Smokers had significantly more sites (21.8 +/- 24.9) with periodontal attachment loss of > or = 2 mm than non-smokers (9.3 +/- 12.2), P < 0.01. Severe loss of periodontal attachment (> or = 6 mm) was present in 4 (19%) of smokers compared with 2 (3%) of non smokers. In total 4 (19%) of the smokers had "established periodontitis" compared with 1 (2%) of the non-smokers. The odds ratio for the presence of "established periodontitis" and smoking was 14.1 (confidence interval 1.5 to 132.9). It is concluded that cigarette smoking was a major environmental factor associated with accelerated periodontal destruction in this selected group of young adult regular dental attenders.     

Perioperative respiratory events in smokers and nonsmokers undergoing general anaesthesia

BACKGROUND: The prevalence of respiratory diseases in smokers and nonsmokers and the incidence of perioperative respiratory events (PREs) were investigated for patients undergoing general anaesthesia. The aim was to quantify well-known problems and to identify possible new associations between smoking and PREs. METHODS: From July 1992 to December 1994, risk factors, demographic data, and PREs were documented by an automatically readable anaesthetic record (ARAR). PREs were used as defined by the German Society of Anaesthesiology and Intensive Care. RESULTS: Of 26961 subsequent anaesthesias in adults, 7122 (26.4%) were performed in smokers with a prevalence of chronic bronchitis of 23.3% (4.8% in nonsmokers). 1573 PREs occurred in 1397 (5.2%) of all anaesthetics. 459 events concerned intubation problems and problems in technical airway management. 1114 specific respiratory events (SPREs) like re-intubation, laryngospasm, bronchospasm, aspiration, hypoventilation/hypoxaemia and others had a total incidence of 5.5% in smokers and 3.1% in nonsmokers. The relative risk (RR) of SPREs was 1.8 in all smokers, 2.3 in young (16-39 years) smokers, and 6.3 in obese young smokers. The RR of perioperative bronchospasm was 25.7 in young smokers with chronic bronchitis. CONCLUSION: The impact of smoking on perioperative respiratory problems should make anaesthetists take this widespread preoperative condition seriously, particularly in young adults. The presented method of incident reporting (based on a national classification) could contribute to future research in anaesthetic epidemiology.     

Intrinsic and extrinsic motivation for smoking cessation.

An intrinsic–extrinsic model of motivation for smoking cessation was evaluated with 2 samples (ns?=?1,217 and 151) of smokers who requested self-help materials for smoking cessation. Exploratory and confirmatory principal components analysis on a 36-item Reasons for Quitting (RFQ) scale supported the intrinsic–extrinsic motivation distinction. A 4-factor model, with 2 intrinsic dimensions (concerns about health and desire for self-control) and 2 extrinsic dimensions (immediate reinforcement and social influence), was defined by 20 of the 36 RFQ items. The 20-item measure demonstrated moderate to high levels of internal consistency and convergent and discriminant validity. Logistic regression analyses indicated that smokers with higher levels of intrinsic relative to extrinsic motivation were more likely to achieve abstinence from smoking. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Who gives up smoking? Results from the health surveys in Finnmark in 1977/78 and 1987/88

In order to develop effective smoking cessation programmes, it is important to understand why people stop smoking. This study is based on data from two population-based health surveys carried out in the northernmost county of Norway in 1977-78 and 1987-88. 6,254 men and 6,404 women smokers participated in the survey. For both surveys questionnaires were used to collect information on smoking habits, sociodemographic variables, various diseases, symptoms, health related behaviours, and social network. Ten years later 19.3% of the men and 16.0% of the women had stopped smoking. The primary factors for giving up were: a short history of smoking, older age, having non-smoking family and friends, and acquiring a smoking related disease during the period. Health promoting behaviours, such as low consumption of coffee, alcohol, butter and margarine, also increased the chances of giving up smoking. Developing smoking related symptoms, such as a morning cough, or coughing up mucus in the mornings, predicted continuous smoking. Future health promotion programmes should be targeted at young smokers and persons with smoking related diseases; and efforts should probably be directed towards lifestyle with the aim of modifying general attitudes to health.     

Smoking and risk of dementia and Alzheimer's disease in a population-based cohort study: the Rotterdam Study

BACKGROUND: Previous studies suggested a protective effect of smoking on Alzheimer's disease, but most were case-control studies based on prevalent cases. The findings of prospective studies on the association between smoking and the risk of dementia are inconclusive. METHODS: We did a population-based follow-up study of elderly people who were initially free of dementia. 6870 people aged 55 years and older agreed to take part. Smoking history was taken at baseline and participants were classified as never smokers, former smokers, and current smokers. During follow-up, we recorded all incident cases of dementia. We used never smokers as the reference category to calculate relative risks of dementia and Alzheimer's disease by Cox proportional hazards regression, after adjustment for age, sex, education, and alcohol intake. We also examined modification of risk by age, sex, and the apolipoprotein E (APOE) genotype. FINDINGS: During mean follow-up of 2.1 (range 1.5-3.4) years, 146 incident cases of dementia were detected, of which 105 were Alzheimer's disease. Compared with never smokers, smokers had an increased risk of dementia (relative risk 2.2 [95% CI 1.3-3.6]) and Alzheimer's disease (2.3 [1.3-4.1]). Smoking was a strong risk factor for Alzheimer's disease in individuals without the APOEepsilon4 allele (4.6 [1.5-14.2]), but had no effect in participants with this allele (0.6 [0.1-4.8]). INTERPRETATION: Smoking was associated with a doubling of the risk of dementia and Alzheimer's disease. Our finding that carriers of the APOEepsilon4 had no increased risk of dementia suggests an interaction between smoking and the APOEepsilon4 genotype in the aetiology of Alzheimer's disease.     

Serotonin-4 receptor antagonists reverse cocaine-induced cardiac arrhythmia

CONTEXT: Adolescent smoking prevalence is tracked annually and has increased since 1991. In contrast, little is known about trends in smoking among college students, a group that has previously been more resistant to tobacco use than other young adults. OBJECTIVE: To examine changes in cigarette smoking among college students between 1993 and 1997 and among different types of students and colleges. DESIGN: Self-administered survey (Harvard School of Public Health College Alcohol Study). SETTING: One hundred sixteen nationally representative 4-year colleges. SUBJECTS: A total of 15103 randomly selected students in 1993 (70% response rate) and 14251 students in 1997 (60% response rate). MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: Self-reports of cigarette smoking in the past 30 days and in the past year, age at smoking first cigarette, and number of attempts to quit. RESULTS: Over 4 years, the prevalence of current (30-day) cigarette smoking rose by 27.8%, from 22.3% to 28.5% (P<.001). The increase was observed in 99 of 116 colleges and was statistically significant (P<.05) in 27 (23%) of them. Current smoking increased across all student subgroups (defined by sex, race/ethnicity, and year in school) and in all types of colleges. Smoking is rising faster in public schools (from 22.0% to 29.3%) than in private schools (from 22.9% to 26.8%). Eleven percent of college smokers had their first cigarette and 28% began to smoke regularly at or after age 19 years, by which time most were already in college. Half of current smokers tried to quit in the previous year; 18% had made 5 or more attempts to quit. CONCLUSIONS: Cigarette use is increasing on campuses nationwide in all subgroups and types of colleges. Substantial numbers of college students are both starting to smoke regularly and trying to stop. National efforts to reduce smoking should be extended to college students.     

Passive cigarette smoking and reduced HDL cholesterol levels in children with high-risk lipid profiles

BACKGROUND: HDL cholesterol levels are known to be lower in smokers than in nonsmokers. Previous studies have demonstrated an association of decreased HDL cholesterol with passive smoking in children but have not adjusted for potential confounding factors. METHODS AND RESULTS: In a cross-sectional, pilot-scale study, we examined the relationship of HDL cholesterol levels to passive smoking in children and adolescents referred to a tertiary hyperlipidemia clinic. Eligibility criteria included (1) first visit to a lipid clinic, (2) LDL cholesterol >95th percentile for age or HDL cholesterol <5th percentile, (3) age between 2 and 18 years, and (4) absence of secondary causes of hyperlipidemia. Sociodemographic information, diet record, medical history, and fasting lipid profiles were obtained. Of 109 eligible patients, 103 (94%) were studied. Twenty-seven percent came from households with cigarette smokers. HDL cholesterol levels were 38.7+/-1.2 mg/dL (mean+/-SEM) in passive smokers versus 43.6+/-1.2 mg/dL in children without smoke exposure (P=.005). Smoking exposure was not significantly associated with other lipid values. The effect of smoking on HDL cholesterol was minimally affected by potential confounders. In multivariate regression adjusting for body mass index, age, sex, exercise, and dietary fat intake, passive smoking remained a significant risk factor for decreased HDL cholesterol (P=.012). CONCLUSIONS: Mean HDL cholesterol levels are lower in dyslipidemic children from households with smokers than in those without household smoke exposure. Passive smoking may worsen the risk profile for later atherosclerosis among high-risk young persons.     

Risk of severe periodontal disease in a Swedish adult population. A cross-sectional study

In this study, potential risk factors for severe periodontal disease were identified in a cross-sectional sample from the county of Jonkoping, Sweden. 547 adults 20-70 years of age were categorised clinically and radiographically by level of periodontal disease experience. These levels were used to divide the sample into groups--individuals without any reduction in periodontal bone level (60%) and those with severe periodontal bone loss (13%)--which were then used in univariate and multivariate logistic regression analyses as dependent variable. Demographic, socio-economic, general health, smoking habits, clinical, and dental care variables were used in the different regression analyses. In the univariate model, age (20-70 years) was found to be correlated with more severe periodontal disease experience (odds ratio: 1.13; 95% CI: 1.10-1.17). The association with periodontal disease was more pronounced for the older age groups (50, 60, and 70 years). A negative financial situation was also related to severe periodontal bone loss when regressed univariately (odds ratio 2.20 [95%: 1.04-4.68]). Moderate-heavy smoking (> or =10 cigarettes/day) appeared to be associated with severe periodontal destruction with an odds ratio of 9.78 (95% CI: 3.62-36.42). Of the clinical variables in the univariate model, higher mean levels of supragingival dental plaque and the presence of subgingival calculus were related to more severe periodontal disease with odds ratios of 1.02 (95%: 1.01-1.03) and 2.96 (95%: 1.50-5.88), respectively. When the same variables were regressed multivariately, age (continuous) (odds ratio 1.17 [95% CI: 1.12-1.22]), moderate-heavy smoking (odds ratio 11.84 [95% CI: 4.19-33.50]), and higher mean levels of plaque (odds ratio 1.02 [95% CI: 1.00-1.03]) remained significant. Light smoking (1-9 cigarettes/day) was not significantly associated with severe periodontal disease in the 2 regression models. The present study demonstrated that smoking, greater age, and higher mean levels of plaque are potential risk factors for severe periodontal disease in this specific population.     

Family history of smoking and young adult smoking behavior.

Compared the smoking behavior and smoking-related beliefs of 816 young adult smokers who did and did not have a family history of cigarette smoking (FHS). Those with an FHS smoked more cigarettes in a typical day, smoked for more years, perceived themselves as more addicted to cigarettes, had more positive beliefs about the psychological consequences of smoking, and reported stronger pleasurable relaxation motives and stimulation motives for smoking compared with their peers who had no FHS. Thus, smokers with an FHS were more committed smokers and viewed smoking as having more positive psychological benefit than did their peers without an FHS. Such individual differences may be mediated through both social–environmental and genetically influenced mechanisms. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Case management

BACKGROUND: Effecting smoking cessation among adolescents provides an opportunity to reduce smoking levels among teens and among the adults those teens are soon to become. Better understanding of high school students' cessation behavior is needed to inform the development of effective strategies to support teen quitting. METHODS: Data from 1,210 established smokers among 6,427 12th graders from rural and suburban communities in Washington State were used to determine the frequency of a declared intention to quit, one or more quit attempts in the past year, ongoing quitting, and the attainment of long-term cessation. Logistic regression models investigated the association of these outcomes with the extent of peer smoking, age of becoming a regular smoker, sex, and grade point average (GPA). RESULTS: A serious intention to quit was declared by 67% of established smokers, and at least one attempt to quit was made in the past 12 months by 60%. However, only 21% of those who had attempted to quit in the past year were still abstaining at the time of the survey, and overall, merely 3% had achieved cessation beyond 12 months. The likelihood of success of quit attempts was strongly dependent on the extent of smoking among peers. Subjects who had become regular smokers at the youngest ages were more likely to undertake a quit attempt than those who started older. Females were less successful than males in attaining ongoing abstinence. Cessation behavior showed no clear association with students' GPA. CONCLUSIONS: A high fraction of high school smokers want to quit, but are unsuccessful in doing so. Thus, there is a need for programs to provide cessation skills to young smokers already motivated to quit.     

The prevalence of smoking and implications for quality of life among the community-based elderly

Although the adverse health consequences associated with smoking among middle-aged adults are well known, the significance of smoking among the elderly is less clear. We used data from three national surveys with representative samples of the noninstitutionalized Canadian population 15 years of age and older to investigate the prevalence and consequences of smoking among the elderly. The results showed a lower prevalence of smoking among older age groups, a higher prevalence and higher consumption rates among elderly men than among elderly women, a greater likelihood among elderly nonsmokers for men to be former smokers and for women never to have smoked, and lower consumption rates among elderly men and women than among younger individuals. Results from multivariate logistic regression models suggested an increased risk among elderly male and female smokers for poorer health ratings, respiratory problems, and selected medication use. These models also showed an increased risk for impairment in mobility and high life stress among elderly male smokers and for low happiness and dissatisfaction with social relationships among elderly female smokers, compared with persons who had never smoked. These preliminary findings suggest that smoking among elderly persons may be associated with several negative quality-of-life outcomes, but the direction of this relationship is not clear. Nonetheless, these results provide support for the initiation of smoking cessation programs for elderly individuals.     

Notes on the intermediary form of incontinentia pigmenti

In a survey of a representative sample of 900 persons in Switzerland (excluding the Italian speaking parts comprising some 4-5 percent of the population), the smoking habits of the adult population were studied. Smokers were defined as persons smoking at least one cigarette or an equivalent weight of pipe tobacco or cigars per day. 51.8% of men and 29.0% of women over age 15 are smokers. Among male smokers of cigarettes only (42% of all men), over three quarters (77.6%) smoke ten cigarettes or more per day, i.e., a quantity found harmful to health; over one half (55.8%) smoke twenty or more cigarettes per day. Half of all female smokers smoke ten or more cigarettes, more than one in every four female smokers (28.8%) smoke twenty or more cigarettes per day. It is calculated that almost two thirds of all cigarettes sold in Switzerland are smoked by smokers of twenty or more cigarettes per day, and that almost three quarters are smoked by smokers of ten or more cigarettes. Among men, smoking habits are independent of social status, whereas among women, those with higher family incomes show more frequent smoking, but also more widespread cessation of smoking than with lower incomes. Thirty percent of adults having been smokers have given up the habit, so that among men and women above age 15, theree are now some 20% and 14% respectively, of ex-smokers. This corresponds to at least 700,000 former smokers in all of Switzerland. The trend to give up starts already in the group aged 15-24 (over 20% of men and women having ever smoked have given up) and becomes more marked with increasing age. A large part of male and female smokers would like to free themselves of the habit. 30% of male and 34% of female smokers indicate that they had tried seriously to stop smoking during the twelve months preceding the interview. Trying to give up was not significantly associated with intensity of smoking or social status. According to this survey, a majority of the population (57.6%) is in favor of reserving certain parts of restaurants to non-smokers, following the example of non-smokers-compartments in railway trains. In a situation where a non-smoker asks a co-worker in a closed room not to smoke, 78.3% take sides with the non-smoker, either by conceding to him a right to smoke-free air, or by demanding from the smoker to show consideration for the non-smoker. Only 10.9% demand from the non-smoker understanding for the smoker, or concede to the smoker a right to smoke at work. Women show more understanding for cause of the non-smoker than men. This difference is more marked among smokers and former smokers than among non-smokers. Inasmuch as the results of this study are comparable to those of earlier surveys conducted in Switzerland, ther is good agreement. The only exception is a significant increase of the proportion of former smokers in the past years.     

Baseline immunity of the population and impact of insecticide-treated curtains on malaria infection

The aim of this study was to investigate the relationship between dietary fish consumption and self-reported respiratory symptoms among young adults. A random sample of 4,300 subjects, aged 20-44 yrs, living in Bergen, Norway, received a postal questionnaire on respiratory symptoms, of whom 80% responded. Mean fish consumption was assessed in a food-frequency questionnaire by asking how often the subject consumed units of fish (150 g) during the last year. Average fish consumption was 1.8 units x week(-1). Fish intake of <1 unit x week(-1) was reported by 24%, 41% reported consumption of 1 unit x week(-1) and 35% intake of >1 unit x week(-1). A high fish intake was significantly associated with increasing age after adjusting for smoking. Adjusted for smoking habits, the prevalence of "cough at night" and "chest tightness" showed a decreasing trend with increasing fish consumption (p<0.05), while such a trend for "wheeze" was demonstrated only in smokers (p=0.008 for interaction). In logistic regression models (adjusting for age, sex, body mass, smoking habits and occupational exposure) fish consumption (three categories) was not significantly associated with "wheeze", "chest tightness", "breathless at night" or "asthma attack", although the odds ratios (OR) were consistently less than 1 (except for "asthma attack"). Fish consumption was of borderline significance as a protective factor of "cough at night", OR = 0.86 (95% confidence interval: 0.76-0.97) but in stratified analyses only in smokers. Subjects reporting very high levels of fish consumption (>14 units x week(-1)) did not have lower prevalences of respiratory symptoms. In conclusion, among young Norwegian adults, with a relatively low prevalence of asthma and an overall high fish intake, fish consumption was not a significant predictor of four out of five respiratory symptoms.     

Relationship between grade and stage of renal pelvic and/or ureteral tumor and associated bladder tumor

The use of proxy respondents in surveys designed to provide population estimates of smoking prevalence offers an inexpensive way to obtain these data. The accuracy of this information is examined in analyzing data from tobacco use surveys of adults conducted in 22 North American communities as part of the National Cancer Institute's Community Intervention Trial for Smoking Cessation. Proxy-reported smoking status was obtained in a cross-sectional telephone survey conducted from August 1993 to January 1994 (n = 99,682). Self-reported smoking status was obtained from an in-depth interview of a sample of the respondents aged 25-64 years enumerated from the telephone survey (n = 31,417). Discrepancy rates were calculated by comparing the proxy-reported and self-reported smoking statuses of a given individual (n = 10,226). In both surveys, respondents were categorized as current smokers (those who currently smoke and have smoked at least 100 cigarettes in their lifetime), recent quitters (< or = 8 years since cessation), long-term quitters (> 8 years since cessation), and never smokers. The overall discrepancy rate between the self-report and the proxy report was 5.4%. Self-respondents who were black, Hispanic, Asian, recent quitters, or aged 25-34 years were more likely to have inconsistent proxy reports. The authors estimate that the screener interview underestimated the true smoking prevalence by 0.1% when they corrected for smoking status discrepancies. These results confirm that proxy-reported smoking status is an accurate and effective means to monitor populationwide smoking prevalence of adults.     

Unemployment and change of tobacco habits: a study of young people from 16 to 21 years of age

In a cohort study of 1080 pupils who were followed for 5 years from when they left compulsory school (from age 16 to age 21 years), smoking habits were found to correlate with unemployment among both boys and girls. Pupils who were smokers in school had a higher risk of becoming unemployed than non-smokers. Irrespective of early smoking, smoking habits developed more unfavourably among unemployed young people than among those with no unemployment during the period studied. The odds ratio of being a smoker at the age of 21 years when unemployed more than 20 weeks during the observation period, compared with those without or with short unemployment, was 2.44 for men and 3.45 for women. When adjusted for the influence of socio-economic background, education, economy and smoking habits at the start of the period, the odds ratio was 1.7 (95% CI 1.01-2.86) for men and 2.0 (1.13-3.53) for women. The adjusted odds ratio for increasing or starting smoking during the period was 1.5 (95% CI 0.89-2.56) for men and 2.0 (1.18-3.35) for women. No significant correlation was found between snuffing and unemployment. Thus, it seems that unemployment is a risk factor for development of tobacco smoking in young people, especially among women.     

Surgical repair of male epispadias by the Cantwell-Ransley procedure: technical aspects and functional results in a series of 40 patients]

Exposure to a number of environmental, behavioral and sociodemographic variables has been associated with increased prevalence and severity of adult periodontitis. However, it is not possible easily to identify the individuals most susceptible to this chronic disease. A case control study was conducted among a population of adults to determine what factors were associated with increased prevalence of moderate to advanced periodontitis. Clinical and radiographic data were obtained from dental charts and structured interviews were conducted by telephone to collect sociodemographic and behavioral data. Statistical modeling was completed for the total study population (35-87-year-olds) and for two age-stratified subpopulations. Significant crude disease associations were observed between periodontitis and numerous explanatory variables. However, after adjustment for age and gender, few variables remained significant. Age stratification indicated that young adults (35-54 years) were affected differently from older adults (> or =55 years) by exposures to certain variables. Young moderate smokers had a 3.15 times increased risk of periodontitis and young heavy smokers had a 7.33 times increased risk compared to never-smokers. Older single adults had a 3.07 times increased risk compared to those with partners.     

Smokers on Bloemfontein schools: profile and standpoint

Primary prevention is now the first priority of research on smoking. A study was made of 1 505 children of 12 high schools situated in a conservative Afrikaans-speaking community in an attempt to determine the characteristics of the smoking and non-smoking groups. Of the total group 16% were smokers. The male/female ratio was 3:1. The mean age at which smoking commenced was 15,5 years. A positive relationship was found between the smoking habits of the smokers and those of their parents and best friends. The majority of pupils think that smoking is addictive. In addition, they believe that it is unhealthy and leads to poor sporting achievements. The great majority of smokers and non-smokers agree that non-smokers do better at school. Fathers of both smokers and non-smokers do not favour the habit. Ninety per cent of the boys and 83% of the girls started smoking between 12 and 18 years of age. The critical age for a preventive programme is thus 11 years.