Changes across 3 years in self-reported awareness of product warning messages in a Hispanic community. (25/9481)

This study investigated the self-reported awareness of product warning messages among independent random samples of Hispanics in San Francisco surveyed from 1989 through 1992. Messages tested were primarily related to cigarette smoking and the consumption of alcoholic beverages. In general, respondents reported low levels of awareness of product warning messages with the exception of those messages dealing with the consumption of alcohol or cigarettes during pregnancy. Nevertheless, there were increases in awareness across years for the alcohol-related warning messages and for one of the cigarette messages, indicating that continued exposure increases awareness of the message. A notable proportion of the respondents reported being aware of a bogus message implying the presence of socially desirable responses in self-reports of message awareness. Gender, education, age and acculturation level of the respondents also showed effects on reported awareness of specific messages. Continued exposure to product warning messages seems useful in producing health-enhancing behaviors among Hispanics.  (+info)

School and community influences on adolescent alcohol and drug use. (26/9481)

Social environment risk factors present in schools and communities have not been thoroughly investigated. This study cross-sectionally examined the social environments of schools and communities, and their influence on adolescent alcohol and drug use. Survey responses of eighth grade students (N = 2309), a random half of their parents (n = 943), community leaders (n = 118), school principals (n = 30), school counselors (n = 30) and chemical health providers (n = 14) were pooled to create indices of social environmental norms, role models, social support and opportunities for non-use of alcohol. Each index was examined for its association with prevalences from 30 schools of alcohol use onset, last-month alcohol use, heavy alcohol use and last-year marijuana use in univariate and stepwise regression analyses. Increases in the levels of norms, role models and opportunities for non-use predicted decreases in alcohol use prevalences. The explanatory power of the examined constructs in multivariate analyses was acceptably high (R2: 38-53%). These findings further support the notion that community-wide efforts need to be launched to affect changes in the normative, role model and opportunity structures of adolescents' social environments in order to curb adolescent alcohol and drug use.  (+info)

Understanding binge drinking among young people: an application of the Theory of Planned Behaviour. (27/9481)

Binge drinking (i.e. consuming half the recommended weekly consumption of alcohol in a single session) is a common activity among young people. Using the Theory of Planned Behaviour as its theoretical framework, this paper reports a study exploring the motivational and attitudinal factors underlying binge drinking in a sample of undergraduate students. Questionnaires were completed by 136 undergraduates which focused on their drinking behaviour and their beliefs about binge drinking. Binge drinking was found to be more prevalent among male respondents, and a number of significant differences in the beliefs of male and female respondents were found which supported this difference in drinking behaviour. A regression analysis identified two key predictors of the frequency of binge drinking; these being positive control beliefs and perceived behavioural control. Frequent binge drinkers were more likely to recognize the influence of a range of factors which may serve to encourage binge drinking (e.g. celebrating an event) and less likely to believe that the decision to engage in binge drinking is under their control. The results are discussed in relation to measures which may help to reduce the incidence of binge drinking through changes in the social environment.  (+info)

Evaluation of the Norwegian campaign against the illegal spirits trade. (28/9481)

In 1993, a 21m NOK (3m US$) national campaign against trade with illegal spirits (homebrewed or smuggled) was launched in Norway. This article reports results of its evaluation study. Surveys covering the age range 16-80 were carried out just before the campaign started and 1 year later. Half of those responding at baseline as well as a new sample were surveyed after 1 year. While at baseline 48% reported to have drunk and 16% to have bought illegal spirits during the last 12 months, the corresponding figures after 1 year were 42 and 14%. Significant associations between being exposed to the campaign and reduced use and buying of illegal spirits were found. Further, use and buying of illegal spirits at baseline, and stopping to use and buy illegal spirits from baseline to follow-up were analyzed in bivariate and multivariate logistic regression analyses. In the multivariate prediction of stopping to use illegal spirits, only behavioral norms and significant others' opinions (both measured at baseline) obtained significance.  (+info)

Explaining educational differences in mortality: the role of behavioral and material factors. (29/9481)

OBJECTIVES: This study examined the role of behavioral and material factors in explaining educational differences in all-cause mortality, taking into account the overlap between both types of factors. METHODS: Prospective data were used on 15,451 participants in a Dutch longitudinal study. Relative hazards of all-cause mortality by educational level were calculated before and after adjustment for behavioral factors (alcohol intake, smoking, body mass index, physical activity, dietary habits) and material factors (financial problems, neighborhood conditions, housing conditions, crowding, employment status, a proxy of income). RESULTS: Mortality was higher in lower educational groups. Four behavioral factors (alcohol, smoking, body mass index, physical activity) and 3 material factors (financial problems, employment status, income proxy) explained part of the educational differences in mortality. With the overlap between both types of factors accounted for, material factors were more important than behavioral factors in explaining mortality differences by educational level. CONCLUSIONS: The association between educational level and mortality can be largely explained by material factors. Thus, improving the material situation of people might substantially reduce educational differences in mortality.  (+info)

Plasma carotenoids, glutathione S-transferase M1 and T1 genetic polymorphisms, and risk of hepatocellular carcinoma: independent and interactive effects. (30/9481)

This study was conducted to assess the role of carotenoid and glutathione S-transferase (GST) M1 and T1 genetic polymorphisms in the development of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). A total of 84 incident cases of HCC and 375 matched controls selected from a cohort of 7,342 men (4,841 chronic hepatitis B carriers and 2,501 noncarriers) who were recruited between 1988 and 1992 in Taiwan were studied. Neither GST M1/T1 polymorphisms nor plasma levels of various carotenoids were independently associated with HCC, but they modulated smoking- and/or drinking-related HCC risk. Cumulative exposure to tobacco smoke significantly increased HCC risk in a dose-dependent manner among subjects with low plasma beta-carotene levels (p for trend = 0.047) but not among those with high levels. A statistically significant effect of habitual alcohol drinking on HCC risk was observed only for those with low plasma levels of beta-carotene, alpha-carotene, or lycopene and for GST M1 null subjects. There was evidence suggesting an interaction between the GST M1/T1 genotype and certain carotenoids in HCC associated with smoking and drinking. The strongest effect of smoking and drinking was noted among GST M1 null subjects with low plasma levels of beta-carotene (smoking: adjusted odds ratio (OR) = 3.54, 95% confidence interval (CI) 1.06-11.83; drinking: OR = 8.28, 95% CI 2.40-28.61).  (+info)

Reinstatement of alcohol-seeking behavior by drug-associated discriminative stimuli after prolonged extinction in the rat. (31/9481)

Clinical observations suggest that stimuli associated with the availability or consumption of ethanol can evoke subjective feelings of craving and trigger episodes of relapse in abstinent alcoholics. To study the motivational significance of alcohol-related environmental cues experimentally, the effects of discriminative stimuli previously predictive of alcohol availability on the reinstatement of ethanol-seeking behavior were examined. Wistar rats were trained to lever-press for 10% (w/v) ethanol or water in the presence of distinct auditory cues. The rats were then subjected to an extinction phase where lever presses had no scheduled consequences. After extinction, the animals were exposed to the respective auditory cues without the availability of ethanol or water. Neither the ethanol (SA+) nor water-associated (SA-) auditory cue increased responding over extinction levels. In contrast, subsequent presentation of an olfactory cue associated with ethanol (SO+), but not a water-associated (SO-) cue significantly reinstated lever pressing behavior in the absence of the primary reinforcer. Moreover, responding elicited by the concurrent presentation of the SO+ and SA+ was selectively attenuated by the opiate antagonist naltrexone (0.25 mg/kg; s.c.). The results suggest that ethanol-associated cues can reinstate extinguished ethanol-seeking behavior in rats, but that the efficacy of these stimuli may be modality-specific. In addition, the present procedures may be useful for studying neurobiological mechanisms of alcohol-seeking behavior and relapse.  (+info)

Alcohol consumption as a major risk factor for the rise in liver cancer mortality rates in Japanese men. (32/9481)

BACKGROUND: Age-adjusted liver cancer mortality rates have been increasing for both men and women in Japan since 1970; however, increases in mortality rates in men are much greater than those in women. Hepatitis C virus infections and heavy alcohol consumption are considered to be the major risk factors of liver cancer deaths in Japanese. The purpose of this study is (1) to examine the pattern of liver cancer mortality by gender and birth year to compare those with the pattern of other alcohol-related mortality and (2) to estimate the attributable risk per cent of heavy alcohol consumption for liver cancer deaths in Japanese men. METHODS: Age-specific liver cancer mortality rates by gender were compared with those of cirrhosis mortality rates. Then male-to-female mortality rate ratios were calculated by birth cohort and compared with cirrhosis mortality rate ratios and oesophageal cancer mortality rate ratios. The attributable risk per cent of alcohol consumption for liver cancer death was calculated, using female liver cancer mortality rates as standard rates. RESULTS: Examination of both gender and birth cohort mortality rates revealed that male-to-female liver cancer mortality rate ratios by birth cohort correspond well with those rate ratios for liver cirrhosis and oesophageal cancer mortality. The attributable risk per cent of alcohol consumption for liver cancer deaths in Japanese men was 70%. CONCLUSION: Alcohol consumption is more important than hepatitis C virus infections as a major cause of liver cancer deaths in Japanese men.  (+info)