Hazardous and harmful alcohol use in the Northern Territory, Australia: the impact of alcohol policy on critical care admissions using an extended sampling period

Addiction ◽  
2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Paul Secombe ◽  
Lewis Campbell ◽  
Alex Brown ◽  
Michael Bailey ◽  
David Pilcher



2004 ◽  
Vol 184 (5) ◽  
pp. 439-445 ◽  
Author(s):  
Annie McCloud ◽  
Ben Barnaby ◽  
Nicola Omu ◽  
Colin Drummond ◽  
Andy Aboud

BackgroundAlcohol misuse is a risk factor in suicide and parasuicide.AimsTo measure the prevalence of alcohol use disorders in a cohort of psychiatric admissions using the Alcohol Use Disorders Identification Test (AUDIT), and the relationship between the AUDIT score and suicidality.MethodConsecutive psychiatric admissions were interviewed with a lifestyle survey that included the AUDIT, and admission case notes were reviewed.ResultsOut of 200 subjects, 48.5% scored 8 or more (indicating hazardous or harmful alcohol use) and 22.5% scored 16 or more (indicating significant alcohol dependence) on the AUDIT. There were no significant gender differences. Alcohol misuse was strongly associated with suicidality.ConclusionsThe AUDIT questionnaire should be incorporated into psychiatric assessments when risk of self-harm is being evaluated. Further research is warranted to examine the impact of interventions for alcohol use disorders in psychiatric settings on self-harm and suicidal ideation.



Nutrients ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 13 (8) ◽  
pp. 2652
Author(s):  
Jürgen Rehm ◽  
Pol Rovira ◽  
Laura Llamosas-Falcón ◽  
Kevin D. Shield

Alcohol use has been causally linked to more than 200 disease and injury conditions, as defined by three-digit ICD-10 codes. The understanding of how alcohol use is related to these conditions is essential to public health and policy research. Accordingly, this study presents a narrative review of different dose–response relationships for alcohol use. Relative-risk (RR) functions were obtained from various comparative risk assessments. Two main dimensions of alcohol consumption are used to assess disease and injury risk: (1) volume of consumption, and (2) patterns of drinking, operationalized via frequency of heavy drinking occasions. Lifetime abstention was used as the reference group. Most dose–response relationships between alcohol and outcomes are monotonic, but for diabetes type 2 and ischemic diseases, there are indications of a curvilinear relationship, where light to moderate drinking is associated with lower risk compared with not drinking (i.e., RR < 1). In general, women experience a greater increase in RR per gram of alcohol consumed than men. The RR per gram of alcohol consumed was lower for people of older ages. RRs indicated that alcohol use may interact synergistically with other risk factors, in particular with socioeconomic status and other behavioural risk factors, such as smoking, obesity, or physical inactivity. The literature on the impact of genetic constitution on dose–response curves is underdeveloped, but certain genetic variants are linked to an increased RR per gram of alcohol consumed for some diseases. When developing alcohol policy measures, including low-risk drinking guidelines, dose–response relationships must be taken into consideration.



2021 ◽  
Vol 21 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Seulgi Kim ◽  
Seung-Ah Choe ◽  
Sung-Il Cho

Abstract Background Harmful alcohol use in young mothers as a primary caregiver has a profound impact on their own health and interaction with the child. We studied the epidemiology of harmful alcohol use among Korean mothers and their partners of under-five children. Methods We used a longitudinal data of 2,150 Korean mothers of the Panel Study on Korean Children (PSKC). We assessed temporal trend and risk factors for harmful alcohol use in mothers using generalized estimating equation (GEE) model. To estimate the impact of maternal harmful alcohol use on the child, the association between neurodevelopment of the child measured by the Korean-Ages & Stages Questionnaire (K-ASQ) and maternal harmful alcohol use was analyzed using GEE and generalized linear mixed model. We included mother’s age, education, preterm, year of the survey and time-varying covariates (including maternal working status, monthly household income, plan for additional childbirth, psychological stress related with childcare, current smoking, and partner’s harmful alcohol use) in the model. Results Mean age of mothers at the baseline was 31.3 years. Annual prevalence of harmful alcohol use increased from 0.7% in the 1st year to 2.6% in the 4th year (P for linear trend < 0.001). Prevalence of harmful alcohol use increased by 48% per year among the mothers (adjusted odds ratio (OR) = 1.48, 95% confidence interval (CI): 1.22, 1.78). Lower education than college or university graduation was associated with higher odds of harmful alcohol use (2.52, 95% CI: 1.43, 4.45). Current smoking (7.44, 95% CI: 3.00, 18.45), harmful use of alcohol of partner (2.66, 95% CI: 1.57, 4.49) were associated with higher risk of harmful alcohol use in mothers. The association between low K-ASQ score and maternal harmful alcohol use was toward positive which did not reach statistical significance. Conclusions In a cohort of Korean mothers participating in the PKSC, risk of harmful alcohol use increases over time and is associated with harmful alcohol use of their partners. We suggest an approach targeting both parents can be more effective in controlling the harmful alcohol use of mothers.



2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Catherine A. Staton ◽  
Mary Catherine Minnig ◽  
Ashley J. Phillips ◽  
Arthi S. Kozhumam ◽  
Msafiri Pesambili ◽  
...  

BackgroundAlcohol use is associated with 3 million annual deaths globally. Harmful alcohol use, which is particularly prevalent in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs), often increases the probability of traumatic injury. Treatments for harmful alcohol use in LMICs, such as Tanzania, lack trained personnel and adequate infrastructure. The aim of this study was to assess the feasibility of using SMS boosters to augment a hospital based brief intervention (BNI) in this low resourced setting.Methods:We conducted a three stage, four arm feasibility trial of a culturally adapted BNI for injury patients with harmful and hazardous drinking admitted to Kilimanjaro Christian Medical Centre (KCMC) in Moshi, Tanzania. Post hospital discharge, two of the four arms included patients receiving either a standard or personalized short message service (SMS) booster to enhance and or perpetuate the effect of the in-hospital BNI. Text messages were sent weekly throughout a 3-month follow-up period. SMS feasibility was assessed according to the TIDier checklist evaluating what, when, how much, tailoring processes, modifications and how well (intervention fidelity). Data was collected with SMS logs and short answer surveys to participants. Results:While 42 study participants were intended to each receive 12 SMS over a three-month period, 38 received messages correctly, 6 did not receive messages but were supposed to, and 1 received a message who was not supposed to. Of the 258 attempted texts, 73% were successfully sent through the messaging system. Of the messages that failed delivery, the majority were not able to be sent due to participants travelling out of cellular service range or turning off their phones. Participants in both booster arms reported that messages were appropriate, and that they would appreciate the continuation of such reminders. At 6-month follow-up, 100% (n=11) of participants believed that the boosters had a positive impact on their behavior, with 90% reporting a large impact.ConclusionThis study demonstrated feasibility and acceptability of the integration of SMS mobile health technology to supplement this type of nurse-led BNI. SMS booster is a practical tool that can potentially prolong the impact of a brief hospital based intervention to enact behavioral change in injury patients with AUD.



2018 ◽  
Vol 19 (2) ◽  
pp. 39-52 ◽  
Author(s):  
Yerjin Park ◽  
◽  
Areum Oh ◽  
Yumi Oh ◽  
Yuseon Yang


Author(s):  
Emina Mehanović ◽  
Federica Vigna-Taglianti ◽  
Fabrizio Faggiano ◽  
Maria Rosaria Galanti ◽  
Barbara Zunino ◽  
...  

Abstract Purpose Adolescents’ perceptions of parental norms may influence their substance use. The relationship between parental norms toward cigarette and alcohol use, and the use of illicit substances among their adolescent children is not sufficiently investigated. The purpose of this study was to analyze this relationship, including gender differences, using longitudinal data from a large population-based study. Methods The present study analyzed longitudinal data from 3171 12- to 14-year-old students in 7 European countries allocated to the control arm of the European Drug Addiction Prevention trial. The impact of parental permissiveness toward cigarettes and alcohol use reported by the students at baseline on illicit drug use at 6-month follow-up was analyzed through multilevel logistic regression models, stratified by gender. Whether adolescents’ own use of cigarette and alcohol mediated the association between parental norms and illicit drug use was tested through mediation models. Results Parental permissive norms toward cigarette smoking and alcohol use at baseline predicted adolescents’ illicit drug use at follow-up. The association was stronger among boys than among girls and was mediated by adolescents’ own cigarette and alcohol use. Conclusion Perceived parental permissiveness toward the use of legal drugs predicted adolescents’ use of illicit drugs, especially among boys. Parents should be made aware of the importance of norm setting, and supported in conveying clear messages of disapproval of all substances.



Atmosphere ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 12 (2) ◽  
pp. 257
Author(s):  
Jin Sang Jung ◽  
Ji Hwan Kang

To investigate the impact of burning postharvest crop residues in home stoves, PM2.5 samples (particulate matter with a diameter of <2.5 μm) were collected every 3 h at a rural site in Daejeon, Korea during the postharvest season in 2014. A high concentration of levoglucosan was observed with a peak value of 3.8 µg/m3 during the sampling period. The average mannosan/levoglucosan ratio (0.18) at the rural site during a severe BB episode (levoglucosan > 1 μg/m3) was similar to burnings of pepper stems (0.19) and bean stems (0.18) whereas the average OC/levoglucosan ratio (9.9) was similar to burning of pepper stems (10.0), implying that the severe BB episode was mainly attributed to burning of pepper stems. A very strong correlation was observed between levoglucosan and organic carbon (OC) (R2 = 0.81) during the entire sampling period, suggesting that the emission of organic aerosols at the rural site was strongly associated with the burning of crop residues in home stoves. The average mannosan/levoglucosan ratio (0.17 ± 0.06) in the rural area was similar to that in a nearby urban area in Daejeon (0.16 ± 0.04). It was concluded that crop residue burning in a home stove for space heating is one of the important sources of carbonaceous aerosols not only in a rural area but also in the urban area of Daejeon, Korea during the postharvest season.



Author(s):  
Polina Trachuk ◽  
Vagish Hemmige ◽  
Ruth Eisenberg ◽  
Kelsie Cowman ◽  
Victor Chen ◽  
...  

Abstract Objective Infection is a leading cause of admission to intensive care units (ICU), with critically ill patients often receiving empiric broad-spectrum antibiotics. Nevertheless, a dedicated infectious diseases (ID) consultation and stewardship team is not routinely established. An ID-Critical Care Medicine (ID-CCM) pilot program was designed at a 400-bed tertiary care hospital in which an ID attending was assigned to participate in daily rounds with the ICU team, as well as provide ID consultation on select patients. We sought to evaluate the impact of this dedicated ID program on antibiotic utilization and clinical outcomes in patients admitted to the ICU. Method In this single site retrospective study, we analyzed antibiotic utilization and clinical outcomes in patients admitted to an ICU during post-intervention period from January 1, 2017 to December 31, 2017 and compared it to antibiotic utilization in the same ICUs during the pre-intervention period from January 1, 2015 to December 31, 2015. Results Our data showed a statistically significant reduction in usage of most frequently prescribed antibiotics including vancomycin, piperacillin-tazobactam and cefepime during the intervention period. When compared to pre-intervention period there was no difference in-hospital mortality, hospital length of stay and re-admission. Conclusion With this multidisciplinary intervention, we saw a decrease in the use of the most frequently prescribed broad-spectrum antibiotics without a negative impact on clinical outcomes. Our study shows that the implementation of an ID-CCM service is a feasible way to promote antibiotic stewardship in the ICU and can be used as a strategy to reduce unnecessary patient exposure to broad-spectrum agents.



Sign in / Sign up

Export Citation Format

Share Document