Correlates of household smoking bans among Chinese Americans.

No population-based data are available on the degree to which Chinese Americans have adopted smoke-free household policies and whether these policies are effective in reducing environmental tobacco smoke (ETS) exposure. The present study examines the prevalence of smoke-free home rules among Chinese Americans living in New York City, describes predictors of adopting full smoking bans in the home, and explores the association between household smoking restrictions and ETS exposure at home. In-person interviews using a comprehensive household-based survey were conducted with 2,537 adults aged 18-74 years. Interviews were conducted in Mandarin, Cantonese, and other Chinese dialects. A total of 66% of respondents reported that smoking was not allowed inside the home, 22% reported a partial ban on smoking in the home, and 12% reported no smoking ban. Among current smokers, 38% reported a full household smoking ban. Current smoking status was the strongest predictor of less restrictive household smoking policies. Knowledge of the dangers of ETS, support of smoke-free air legislation, years in the United States, gender, income, and marital status also were associated with household smoking bans. Those living with a total household smoking ban were significantly less likely to report 30-day exposure to ETS than were those living in homes with a partial ban or no ban (7% vs. 68% and 73%, respectively). In homes of smokers and nonsmokers alike, exposure to ETS remains high. Smoke-free home rules and interventions among smokers and nonsmokers to raise awareness of the dangers of ETS have the potential to significantly reduce exposure to household ETS among this immigrant population.     

Attitudes and experiences of restaurateurs regarding smoking bans in Adelaide, South Australia

OBJECTIVES: To determine compliance with a voluntary code of practice (VCP) for restricting smoking in restaurants and to canvass the attitudes of restaurateurs towards tougher smoking restrictions. DESIGN: Cross-sectional survey conducted in 1996 using a telephone questionnaire. SETTING: Metropolitan restaurants and cafes in Adelaide, South Australia. PARTICIPANTS: 276 (86.8%) of a sample of randomly selected owners and managers. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: Restaurant non-smoking policies, reported and anticipated change in business, and restaurateurs' attitudes towards smoking restrictions. RESULTS: 26.8% of restaurants had a total smoking ban; 40.6% restricted smoking some other way; and 32.6% permitted unrestricted smoking. Only 15.1% of restaurants with a ban or restrictions had used the VCP to guide the development of their policy, and only half of these were complying with it. Although 78.4% of those with bans and 84.4% of those with restrictions reported that their non-smoking policy had been associated with either no change or a gain in business, only 33.3% of those allowing unrestricted smoking expected that this would be the case, if they were to limit smoking. A total of 50.4% of restaurateurs, including 45.3% of those with no restrictions, agreed that the government should ban smoking in all restaurants. CONCLUSIONS: The VCP made an insignificant contribution to adoption of non-smoking policies, and compliance with the code was poor. Despite concerns about loss of business, there was considerable support for legislation which would ban smoking in all dining establishments.     

Implementing smoking bans in American hospitals: results of a national survey

OBJECTIVES—To determine how well hospitals complied with the Joint Commission on Accreditation of Healthcare Organizations (JCAHO) tobacco control standards, which required banning smoking in hospital buildings; to explore issues involved in developing and implementing smoking bans; and to ascertain the perceived success of the policies.
DESIGN—Postal survey conducted January through June 1994.
PARTICIPANTS—Stratified random sample of American hospitals surveyed by JCAHO (n = 1055).
MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES—Enacting smoking policies more restrictive than the JCAHO standard; the respondent's judgment of the relative success of the hospital's smoking policy.
RESULTS—More than 96% of hospitals complied with the smoking ban standard; 41.4% enacted policies that were more restrictive than required by JCAHO. Several characteristics were associated with exceeding JCAHO requirements: location in a "non-tobacco state"; having fewer than 100 beds; location in a metropolitan statistical area; having unionised employees; and having no psychiatric or substance abuse unit, favour having the same tobacco policy in psychiatry and substance abuse units as the rest of the hospital. More than 95% of respondents viewed their hospital's policy as successful. The JCAHO requirements and concern for employees' health were the major forces influencing hospitals to go smoke-free. Negative employee morale and lack of acceptance by visitors and patients were the most commonly cited barriers to overcome when implementing smoke-free policies.
CONCLUSIONS—Smoking bans were successfully implemented in American hospitals, with many restricting smoking beyond the JCAHO standard. Other industries wishing to follow hospitals' lead would be most likely to succeed in the context of a social norm favouring a smoking ban and regulation by an outside agency.


Keywords: smoke-free worksites; hospitals; United States     

Trends in prevalence and acceptance of workplace smoking bans among indoor workers in South Australia

OBJECTIVE: To compare the reported prevalence and acceptance of bans on smoking in the workplaces of a representative sample of adults in South Australia between 1989 and 1994. DESIGN: Independent cross-sectional representative population surveys. SETTING: South Australian population. PARTICIPANTS: Adults who indicated they were employed mainly indoors, for the years 1989 (875 respondents), 1991 (1472), 1992 (1288) and 1994 (1273). MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: Percentage reporting total bans on smoking at work; percentage reporting compliance with bans all or nearly all the time; percentage reporting preference for total bans at work. RESULTS: The percentage of indoor workers subject to a total ban on smoking at work increased from 32% in 1989 to 62% in 1994 and preference for a total ban increased during the same period from 26% to 52%. Reported compliance with restrictions and bans was very high. In 1994, 16% of workers still had no restrictions on smoking at work, but only 3% preferred this arrangement. CONCLUSION: The data suggest that smoking bans are now the norm for indoor workers and that further gains in promoting and supporting workplace bans will be made by directing efforts at smaller workplaces, where unrestricted smoking is most prevalent.


     

The impact of workplace smoking bans: results from a national survey

OBJECTIVE: To estimate the impact of workplace smoking restrictions on the prevalence and intensity of smoking among all indoor workers and various demographic and industry groups. DESIGN: Detailed cross sectional data on worker self reported characteristics, smoking histories, and workplace smoking policies were used in multivariate statistical models to examine whether workplace smoking policies reduce cigarette consumption. After analysing the distribution of policies, four main types of workplace programme were defined: (1) 100% smoke-free environments, (2) work area bans in which smoking is allowed in some common areas, (3) bans in some but not all work and common areas, and (4) minimal or no restrictions. SETTING: After environmental tobacco smoke was identified as a health hazard in the mid-1980s, workplace smoking restrictions became more prevalent. By 1993, nearly 82% of indoor workers faced some restriction on workplace smoking and 47% worked in 100% smoke-free environments. PARTICIPANTS: The database included a nationally representative sample from the tobacco use supplements to the September 1992, January 1993, and May 1993 Current Population Surveys of 97,882 indoor workers who were not self employed. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: Prevalence of smoking and number of cigarettes smoked daily by smokers. RESULTS: Having a 100% smoke-free workplace reduced smoking prevalence by 6 percentage points and average daily consumption among smokers by 14% relative to workers subject to minimal or no restrictions. The impact of work area bans was lessened by allowing smoking in some common areas. Smoke-free policies reduced smoking for all demographic groups and in nearly all industries. CONCLUSIONS: Requiring all workplaces to be smoke free would reduce smoking prevalence by 10%. Workplace bans have their greatest impact on groups with the highest rates of smoking.     

A prospective investigation of the impact of smoking bans on tobacco cessation and relapse

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES: To examine the long term impact of workplace smoking bans on employee smoking cessation and relapse. Over three years we studied a total of 1033 current or former smokers (intervention group) employed in smoke-free hospitals and 816 current or former smokers (comparison group) employed in non-smoke-free workplaces. The design of this natural experiment is a prospective cohort study. We randomly selected both hospitals and employees from 12 strata based on hospital size and state tobacco regulations, and sampled employees in the same communities. Main outcome measures were post-ban quit ratio and relapse rate. RESEARCH DESIGN: Between groups comparisons were conducted using the Cochran-Mantel-Haenszel statistic for general association, stratified Cox proportional hazards models, and the CMH analysis of variance statistic based on ranks. McNemar's test and the sign test were used to test for changes over time within each group. RESULTS: Differences in the post-ban quit ratio were observed between intervention and comparison groups (p < or = 0.02). For employees whose bans were implemented at least seven years before survey, the post-ban quit ratio was estimated at 0.256, compared with 0.142 for employees in non-smoke-free workplaces (p = 0.02). After controlling for a variety of factors, time to quit smoking was shorter for the hospital employees (p < 0.001), with an overall relative risk of quitting of 2.3. Contrary to expectations, relapse rates were similar between the groups. CONCLUSION: Employees in workplaces with smoking bans have higher rates of smoking cessation than employees where smoking is permitted, but relapse is similar between these two groups of employees. The results of this investigation have international applicability for policy makers, clinicians, employers, and employees. Countries should review smoking policies in workplaces in light of their own smoking patterns and efforts to deal with environmental tobacco smoke.     

Passive smoking in the home: plasma cotinine concentrations in non-smokers with smoking partners

BACKGROUND: Risks of lung cancer and of heart disease attributable to passive smoking have been evaluated mainly in non-smokers married to smokers, but there has been little quantitative assessment of the extent of exposure in marriage partners as indicated by markers of inhaled smoke dose. OBJECTIVE: To relate plasma cotinine concentrations in non-smoking English adults to the smoking behaviour of their partners and to demographic and other factors. DATA: Population survey. Data from two years (1994 and 1996) of the Health Survey for England. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: Plasma cotinine concentrations in non-smoking adults married to or cohabiting with a partner. RESULTS: There was a strong dose-response relation between cotinine concentrations in non-smoking adults and the smoking behaviour of their partners, rising from a geometric mean of 0.31 ng/ml in those with non-smoking partners to 1.99 ng/ml in those whose partners smoked 30 or more cigarettes per day. In addition, exposure was greater in men, in the autumn and winter, and in those living in more disadvantaged circumstances, and there was an increasing gradient of exposure from the south to the north of the country. On average, cotinine concentrations in non-smokers with a smoking partner were 0.6-0.7% of those in cigarette smokers. CONCLUSIONS: If cotinine is taken as a measure of risk relevant dose, the implied increase in risk of lung cancer in non-smokers with smoking partners is consistent with the risk observed in epidemiological studies. Smoking by partners in the home is a major source of non-smoking adults' exposure to passive smoking.     

脱氧雪腐镰刀菌烯醇在食品加工中的变化研究进展

脱氧雪腐镰刀菌烯醇(DON)是最常见的一种污染粮食、饲料和食品的霉菌毒素之一,严重影响人和牲畜的健康。分析粮食从农田到餐桌的生产加工过程DON毒素的转移、降解规律,评价不同污染程度的粮食及其制品加工后的健康风险,及通过合理加工降低食品中毒素污染程度,成为保证粮食及其制品食用安全的重要方法。该文主要论述了国内外有关DON毒素在食品加工过程中的变化规律,为食品加工提供合理去除DON毒素方法并为完善食品中DON毒素的安全风险评估提供参考。     

国际婴幼儿食品研究新动态

介绍了国际婴幼儿食品近期研究新动态。探讨了接近母乳的婴儿配方、预防婴幼儿肥胖、增强免疫力、减少过敏、提高认知力与视锐敏度等专利和技术。强调发展有机婴幼儿食品、保证婴幼儿食品安全的重要性。展望了我国婴幼儿产业的扩展和益生菌应用于婴幼儿食品的研究。     

Exposure to environmental tobacco smoke (ETS) and determinants of support for complete smoking bans in psychiatric settings

Objective: To measure environmental tobacco smoke (ETS) exposure in psychiatric settings and to assess determinants of support for complete smoking bans.     

Contextual consistency and adolescent smoking: testing the indirect effect of home indoor smoking restrictions on adolescent smoking through peer smoking.

The present study tested the indirect effect of home indoor smoking restrictions on adolescent smoking through peer smoking. Based on a bioecological perspective of development, we hypothesized that forbidding indoor smoking would reduce the likelihood of adolescent smoking by decreasing exposure to peer smoking, even when adolescents live with at least one household member who smokes. Participants were 163 adolescents (mean age = 16 years) from a suburban southeastern Pennsylvania community. Participants completed a self-report survey evaluating home indoor smoking restrictions, smoking behavior, peer smoking, alcohol use, and demographics. Structural equation modeling indicated that forbidding smoking indoors was associated with having fewer peers who smoke, which was associated with a lower level of smoking. The indirect effect was significant (beta = -.569, 95% CI -.90 to -.24), offering some preliminary ideas about why home indoor smoking restrictions reduce the risk of adolescent smoking. However, the nature and stability of these effects on adolescent smoking behavior remain to be investigated.     

硫镁肥应用近期动态

1 前言 镁(Mg)、硫(S)、钙(Ca)等元素在植物中的含量多在0.1％-0.5％之间,均属中量元素范畴。作物高产和复种指数的提高从土壤中掳走大量的镁,环保措施的加强,从降雨中返回土壤的硫素锐减,这些都是造成镁硫中量元素短缺的原因。土壤补镁增硫已成为我国乃至世界农业领域备受关注的问题。     

Correlates of home smoking restrictions among rural smokers.

The prevalence of smoking is greater and smoking restrictions are less common in rural areas in comparison to urban areas. Consequently, rural smokers and their families are at increased risk for adverse health consequences from smoking. The presence of home smoking restrictions (i.e., limiting or banning cigarette smoking in the home) can be a mediator for smoking cessation and can reduce health risks for those who live with smokers. The purpose of the present study was to identify correlates of home smoking restrictions among rural smokers. We surveyed 472 smokers from 40 rural Kansas primary care practices who were enrolled in a smoking cessation intervention study. We assessed the prevalence of home smoking restrictions and examined the relationship between such restrictions, demographic variables, comorbid diagnoses, and psychosocial measures of smoking abstinence self-efficacy and motivation to quit. Complete home smoking restrictions were found among 25.4% of rural smokers with an additional 28.3% reporting some restrictions. Restrictions were associated with younger age, higher controlled motivation to quit (i.e., motivation from external pressure), the presence of children under age 6 years living in the home, fewer friends who smoke, and a partner who does not smoke. Smokers with a comorbid diagnosis of high cholesterol, chronic lung disease, or heart disease were less likely to have restrictions. Most smokers in rural primary care practices do not have home smoking restrictions, particularly those without children or a nonsmoking partner and those with significant risk factors for smoking-related illnesses. These patients may be critical targets for broaching issues of home smoking restrictions.     

食用油脱酸新方法研究进展

油脂传统脱酸方法,如化学脱酸、物理脱酸和混合油脱酸已在工业中应用,但都存在一些缺点。新的脱酸方法,如生物脱酸、再酯化脱酸、溶剂萃取脱酸、超临界流体萃取脱酸、膜分离技术脱酸、分子蒸馏脱酸、液晶态脱酸等,代替传统脱酸方法,或将新的脱酸方法与传统方法相结合,能克服油脂传统精炼法缺点。该文对新脱酸方法研究进展进行综述。