Smoking Consequences Questionnaire—Spanish.

A total of 212 Spanish smokers completed a Spanish version of a smoking questionnaire based on the Smoking Consequences Questionnaire—Adult (A. L. Copeland, T. H. Brandon, & E. P. Quinn, 1995) and a nicotine dependence (ND) measure. Confirmatory factor analysis results supported an a priori defined 8-factor structure. The results also indicated good internal consistency for the instrument and the scales derived from each factor. Positive outcome smoking expectancies scales were significantly and substantially associated with ND scores. Also, after controlling for the influence of ND, the authors found higher smoking expectancies in women than in men in (a) weight control, (b) craving reduction and addictiveness, and (c) negative-affect reduction. The results support the instrument's construct validity. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Smoking prevention and cessation in adolescents

Tobacco smoking is the most important preventable health risk factor in Australia. It has lost popularity and acceptability in Australia as a result of public health campaigns and their reinforcement through government legislation. The rate of smoking in Australia has gradually declined due to increased cessation in adults. Adolescents, however, are smoking as much as ever. The aim of this paper is to provide family practitioners with practical, simple clinical strategies to reduce teenage smoking.     

Native American adolescents'' views of fetal alcohol syndrome prevention in schools

The effects of alprazolam (1.5 mg/die) on the levels of the monoaminergic neurotransmitter metabolites, on the activity of the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal axis and on clinical outcome in subjects with primary late-onset dysthymia were investigated. Drug treatment significantly decreased plasma and urinary cortisol levels, serotonin platelet-bound and urinary 3-methoxy-4-hydroxyphenylglycol concentrations, while it increased plasma homovanillic acid (HVA) concentrations. Significant relationships were observed between neurochemicals and global scores or some items of the Hamilton Depression Rating Scale, before and after treatment. Patients responded positively (73%) to the therapy; clinical outcome was significantly correlated with plasma and urinary HVA levels. Collected data seem to support the hypothesis that central monoaminergic systems are in part involved in therapeutic response to alprazolam.     

Peer-led program for the treatment and prevention of obesity in the schools.

Studied 89 overweight children in Grades 2–5 from 2 schools to assess the maintenance of weight loss achieved through school-based programs for obese children. 48 Ss in a Catholic elementary school participated in a 12-wk weight-reduction program conducted primarily by older children trained as peer counselors, while 41 additional Ss from another Catholic school served as control Ss. No program was conducted in the control school, and controls' contact was limited to 3 weigh-ins. Results show that experimental Ss lost 0.15 kg and reduced their percentage overweight by 5.3%, whereas controls gained 1.3 kg and increased their percentage overweight by 0.3%. Experimental Ss also showed positive changes in self-concept, as compared with controls, and displayed improvements in food selection. Changes in weight, self-concept, and food selection were only partially maintained at 18-wk follow-up, however, pointing to the need for an ongoing program of weight loss maintenance. (9 ref) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Smoking research: Basic research, intervention, prevention, and new trends.

Discusses the diversity and richness of smoking research by examining smoking from four perspectives: basic laboratory research, intervention, prevention and deterrence, and new directions in smoking research. It is acknowledged that smoking is a behavior that is influenced by a variety of factors that cut across methodologies, disciplines, and content areas within health psychology. Methodologies that were derived from such varied sources as psychopharmacology, behavioral pharmacology, behavior therapy, clinical psychology, public health promotion, and social and developmental psychology have been used to study smoking. Populations ranged from animal models, to the individual smoker trying to quit, to communities involved in health promotion. Future research should seek to provide new and improved examples of interdisciplinary approaches from basis and applied sciences. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Smoking prevention among urban minority youth: Assessing effects on outcome and mediating variables.

Tested the effectiveness of a social resistance/competence enhancement approach to smoking prevention among 3,153 predominantly Hispanic 7th graders from New York City schools. After blocking on school type (public and parochial) and ethnic composition (percent Hispanic), schools were randomly assigned either to receive the 15-session prevention program or to serve as no-contact controls. Significant program effects emerged for cigarette smoking, normative expectations concerning peer and adult smoking, smoking prevalence knowledge, social acceptability knowledge, and knowledge of smoking consequences. A significant relation was found between the normative expectation and knowledge variables affected by the intervention and posttest smoking, suggesting that changes on these variables mediated the impact of the intervention on cigarette smoking. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Smoking in the young

Staff working in hospitals, the community and nursing homes in the Fife area now meet in a forum to share their knowledge of wound care. The group is multidisciplinary and members bring experience from a variety of backgrounds.     

Using the internet to assist smoking prevention and cessation in schools: A randomized, controlled trial.

Objective: To evaluate the impact of a classroom-based, Web-assisted tobacco intervention addressing smoking prevention and cessation with adolescents. Design: A two-group randomized control trial with 1,402 male and female students in grades 9 through 11 from 14 secondary schools in Toronto, Canada. Participants were randomly assigned to a tailored Web-assisted tobacco intervention or an interactive control condition task conducted during a single classroom session with e-mail follow-up. The cornerstone of the intervention was a five-stage interactive Web site called the Smoking Zine (http://www.smokingzine.org) integrated into a program that included a paper-based journal, a small group form of motivational interviewing, and tailored e-mails. Main Outcome Measure: Resistance to smoking, behavioral intentions to smoke, and cigarette use were assessed at baseline, postintervention, and three- and six-month follow-up. Multilevel logistic growth modeling was used to assess the effect of the intervention on change over time. Results: The integrated Smoking Zine program helped smokers significantly reduce the likelihood of having high intentions to smoke and increased their likelihood of high resistance to continued cigarette use at 6 months. The intervention also significantly reduced the likelihood of heavy cigarette use adoption by nonsmokers during the study period. Conclusion: The Smoking Zine intervention provided cessation motivation for smokers most resistant to quitting at baseline and prevented nonsmoking adolescents from becoming heavy smokers at 6 months. By providing an accessible and attractive method of engaging young people in smoking prevention and cessation, this interactive and integrated program provides a novel vehicle for school- and population-level health promotion. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Smoking.

The task force on cigarette smoking research in health psychology addressed three questions: What are the major current research directions of health psychologists on this topic? What are the major future research directions that health psychologists should address on this topic? What barriers to smoking research exist for health psychologists? Discussion of current research focused on five areas: prevention, cessation, relapse, basic science research, and public policy. Smoking prevention research centers on school-based interventions in longitudinal trials targeting adolescent substance abuse--including cigarette smoking--and focusing on the processes influenced by the intervention that, in turn, prevent smoking. Research also is being conducted outside the school setting to test community-wide public information campaigns and to reach adolescents in other social groups. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Mental health in schools

The Comer School Development Program (SDP) has received considerable national attention over the last decade. The authors describe the origins, central tenets, and principles of the SDP. Although the Comer model is a systemic one, one of its primary foci is the developmental and mental health needs of children attending urban schools. The authors illustrate how teaching and consulting school faculty and parents about basic principles of development and psychopathology change the interaction between the child and adults who are important to the child. The authors contend that this step is an essential prerequisite for effective evaluation and treatment of children with possible psychiatric disturbances.     

Evaluation of a dutch educational "Driving While Intoxicated (DWI)" prevention program for driving schools

A DWI prevention program for driving schools consisting of a videotape, slides, a textbook, and a manual was developed and evaluated. Effects of the program on knowledge, attitude, behavior intention, and self-reported DWI behavior were measured by means of a pretest, posttest, one-year follow-up evaluation design. Two-hundred and eight driving school students followed the program and participated in all three measurements. A control group of 228 pupils followed a traditional curriculum without the DWI program and also participated in all three measurements. Principal findings were that knowledge improved, attitudes and behavior intentions were already positive at pretest, DWI was equally reported by both groups, and there was a positive effect on riding with an intoxicated driver.     

Determination of acoustic climate inside high schools in comparison with elementary schools

One hundred seventy four inpatients of a psychosomatic hospital were examined with the revised version of the Toronto Alexithymia Scale TAS-R, as well as further measures of emotionality, somatization, psychopathology and personality. A significant association was found between TAS alexithymia and the number of somatoform symptoms. This association, however, disappeared when it was corrected for the possible impact of depression. The factor 1 of the TAS (ability to describe feelings to others) correlated significantly with the use of negative emotional words. Thus TAS alexithymics do not use less, but more emotional words, especially words describing negative feelings. The validity of factor 2 (externally oriented thinking) seems to be low. TAS alexithymia may measure specific aspects of depression or general distress.     

Psychologists in medical schools.

Describes developments at a medical school on which H. A. Witkin et al (1972) based their article on approaches to the problem of autonomous organization and function of psychologists in medical schools. The Rush-Presbyterian-St. Luke's Medical Center established the Department of Psychology and Sciences of Society. The Department is independent and autonomous; it embraces all psychologists and social scientists. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Smoking in the Singapore Armed Forces

The Singapore Armed Forces has, since 1986, established a comprehensive smoking control programme which combines health education, counselling and administrative measures aimed at discouraging non-smokers from smoking, and encouraging smokers to quit the habit. The prevalence of regular smoking decreased from 28.6% in 1987 to 20.7% in 1993. The latest, 1993 survey as in past surveys covered 3,545 respondents, made up of regulars (32.0%), NSF (62.2%) and NUSAF (5.6%). The 1993 survey revealed that the majority of smokers (88.9%) in the SAF who consist primarily of 18 to 20-year-olds, had started smoking before enlistment. Most acquired the habit on their own (49.8%) or through influences outside the SAF (40.3%). Very few smokers became smokers through the influence of fellow soldiers (4.9%). The majority (87.7%) of smokers readily agreed that smoking is harmful, but this is not translated into practice. Health education efforts need to focus more on bringing about positive attitudinal and behavioural changes, rather than merely give information and advice. The young age of smoking onset (mean age of 14.3 years) In the SAF population surveyed points to the need to focus preventive efforts further upstream than hitherto emphasised.     

Literature in our medical schools

Despite many relevant benefits, the study of literature has been rejected by medical schools this century. However, the role of literature and the arts is coming to the fore again in many branches of medicine, including education, leading to a broader approach to medical practice than the purely scientific approach. This is likely to enrich the profession and individuals therein. As well giving as a wider general education, areas of medical training and practice that a literary education will benefit directly include critical reading and appraisal, communication skills, history taking, 'surrogate experience', understanding the role of the physician, ethics, and self-expression. Many of these are central to our understanding of good medical practice.     

Alcohol education in primary schools

Educating teenagers about the risks of alcohol may be too late--many 12- and 13-year-olds have already started experimenting with it, and face increasing peer pressure to take risks. This article describes how a community alcohol team developed a programme for primary school alcohol education. The team believes that if healthy attitudes are established sufficiently early, the risks will be reduced, and harm-free drinking patterns will develop more quickly.