Drug Misuse in Scotland: Policy, Prevalence, and Public Health

1998 ◽  
Vol 28 (1) ◽  
pp. 91-105 ◽  
Author(s):  
Neil McKeganey
Keyword(s):  
Public Health ◽  
Drug Use ◽  
Drug Users ◽  
Well Being ◽  
Drug Prevention ◽  
Drug Misuse ◽  
Health Concern ◽  
Illegal Drug Use ◽  
Low Prevalence ◽  
The Impact

The paper outlines the nature and extent of illegal drug use in Scotland. The paper provides a detailed discussion of the impact of HIV among injecting drug users in Scotland. It is shown that although HIV remains a major public health concern within parts of Scotland, most notably in Edinburgh and Dundee, HIV infection remains low elsewhere within Scotland. Although concern in relation to HIV has receded in light of the continuing low prevalence, there has been growing concern over the marked increase in drug-related deaths among drug users within parts of Scotland. Within the policy sphere greater attention is now being given to topic of drug prevention and the impact of drug use on community well being.

Framing the issues

2018 ◽  
Author(s):  
Thomas F. Babor ◽  
Jonathan Caulkins ◽  
Benedikt Fischer ◽  
David Foxcroft ◽  
Keith Humphreys ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Public Health ◽  
Drug Use ◽  
Drug Users ◽  
Scientific Evidence ◽  
Harm Minimization ◽  
Government Officials ◽  
Policy Responses ◽  
Demand Reduction ◽  
Control Programmes ◽  
The Impact

The use of psychoactive substances is commonplace in many parts of the world, despite the efforts of policymakers, government officials, public health advocates, and concerned citizens to prevent, eliminate, or control it. If previous experience can serve as a guide, in the future many countries will face periodic drug-use epidemics, followed by aggressive policy responses to suppress them. Continued endemic drug use generates a patchwork of policy responses that never quite keep up with the problem. The scientific evidence on the impact of policy constitutes the core interest of this book and consists of three broad approaches: programmes to prevent drug use, treatment and harm-minimization services that help heavy drug users change their behaviour, and supply control programmes to restrict access to illicit substances. This book suggests that public health concepts provide an important vehicle to coordinate supply control and demand reduction.

scholarly journals Discriminative Characteristics of Marginalised Novel Psychoactive Users: a Transnational Study

2019 ◽  
Vol 18 (4) ◽  
pp. 1128-1147
Author(s):  
Katalin Felvinczi ◽  
Annemieke Benschop ◽  
Róbert Urbán ◽  
Marie Claire Van Hout ◽  
Katarzyna Dąbrowska ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Public Health ◽  
Substance Use ◽  
Drug Use ◽  
Online Community ◽  
Drug Users ◽  
Decisive Role ◽  
European Countries ◽  
Health Concern ◽  
New Psychoactive Substances ◽  
Controlled Drugs

Abstract New psychoactive substances (NPS) continue to be considered as a major public health concern in many European countries. The study was implemented within the framework of a transnational project of six European countries (Germany, Hungary, Ireland, Netherlands, Poland, Portugal). Our aim here is to report on the distinct and differentiating characteristics of marginalised NPS users. Three subgroups of a total of 3023 adult NPS users (socially marginalised, night life, online community) were examined regarding their socio-demographic characteristics, substance use, and external motives towards NPS use. Poland and Hungary reported higher rates of NPS use in comparison to traditional controlled drugs. The external/contextual motives did not play a central role in the background of NPS use, the least important motives were alleged legality and non-detectability of these substances. Marginalised (defined as those accessing low threshold harm reduction services) users’ substance use patterns are different from the other two groups in terms of showing more intense and riskier drug use. The most important variables which contributed to be categorised as a marginalised NPS user were lower level education, being older, having an unfavourable labour market position and using drugs intravenously. Contextual motives did not play a decisive role in being categorised as a marginalised user when drug use pattern was controlled. These identified discriminative features of marginalised drug users should inform policy makers to develop and implement tailor-made interventions targeting this user group to successfully tackle the elevated public health concerns associated with NPS use.

scholarly journals The Value of Urban Nature in Terms of Providing Ecosystem Services Related to Health and Well-Being: An Empirical Comparative Pilot Study of Cities in Germany and the Czech Republic

Land ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 10 (4) ◽  
pp. 341
Author(s):  
Ralf-Uwe Syrbe ◽  
Ina Neumann ◽  
Karsten Grunewald ◽  
Patrycia Brzoska ◽  
Jiři Louda ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Public Health ◽  
Ecosystem Services ◽  
Green Space ◽  
Well Being ◽  
Urban Green Space ◽  
Urban Nature ◽  
Urban Green ◽  
Green Areas ◽  
The Impact ◽  
Health And Well Being

The quality of life in our cities critically depends on the intelligent planning and shaping of urban living space, in particular urban nature. By providing a wide range of ecosystem services (ES), urban nature essentially contributes to the well-being of city dwellers and plays a major role in avoiding common diseases through its positive impact on physical and mental health. Health is one of the most important factors underlying human welfare and is, thus, vital to sustainable development. The ES of urban green space provide other social-cultural functions alongside public health, for example by fostering environmental justice and citizenship participation. Thus, they should always be considered when searching for solutions to urban problems. The aim of this research was to determine the impact of green areas in three selected cities on the health and well-being of people by self-reporting of green areas’ visitors. To this end, we posed the research question: which types and characteristics of urban green space are most appreciated by city dwellers? Based on our findings, we have drawn up recommendations for practices to promote better living conditions. We have also pinpointed obstacles to and opportunities for leisure time activities as well as ways of supporting the public health of citizens.

scholarly journals Whose Health in Whose City? A Systems Thinking Approach to Support and Evaluate Plans, Policies, and Strategies for Lasting Urban Health

2021 ◽  
Vol 13 (21) ◽  
pp. 12225
Author(s):  
Silvio Cristiano ◽  
Samuele Zilio
Keyword(s):  
Public Health ◽  
Urban Planning ◽  
Systems Thinking ◽  
Urban Health ◽  
Urban Governance ◽  
Well Being ◽  
World Health ◽  
Urban Systems ◽  
Health Issues ◽  
The Impact

An increasing interest has been present in scientific literature and policy making for the links between urban environments and health, as also learnt from the COVID-19 pandemic. Collaboration between urban planning and public health is therefore critical for enhancing the capabilities of a city to promote the well-being of its people. However, what leverage potential for urban health can be found in existing plans, policies, and strategies that address urban health? Starting from the relationship between urban systems and health issues, the purpose of this contribution is to broaden the systemic knowledge of urban systems and health so as to try to figure out the impact potential of local urban governance on public health. Considering the systemic nature of health issues, as defined by the World Health Organisation, this is done through a systems thinking epistemological approach. Urban health proposals are studied and assessed in four European cities (Copenhagen, London, Berlin, and Vienna). Current criticalities are found, starting from the guiding goal of such proposals, yet a systemic approach is suggested aimed at supporting and evaluating lasting and healthy urban planning and management strategies.

Does Drug Use Lower Wages?

ILR Review ◽  
1992 ◽  
Vol 45 (3) ◽  
pp. 419-434 ◽  
Author(s):  
Andrew M. Gill ◽  
Robert J. Michaels
Keyword(s):  
Drug Use ◽  
Drug Users ◽  
Illegal Drug ◽  
Longitudinal Survey ◽  
Selection Effects ◽  
Illegal Drug Use ◽  
Employment Effects ◽  
Soft Drugs ◽  
Hard Drugs ◽  
Unobservable Factors

This study, using microdata from the 1980 and 1984 waves of the National Longitudinal Survey of Youth, examines the effects of drug use on wages and employment. Contrary to most previous researchers' findings that illegal drug use negatively affects earnings, this analysis suggests that, once an allowance is made for self-selection effects (that is, unobservable factors simultaneously affecting wages and the decision to use drugs), drug users actually received higher wages than non-drug users. A similar analysis of employment effects shows that the sample of all drug users (which included users of “hard” and “soft” drugs) had lower employment levels than non-drug users, but the smaller sample consisting only of users of hard drugs, surprisingly, did not.

The UK drugs strategy 2017: contexts and analysis

2017 ◽  
Vol 17 (4) ◽  
pp. 205-217
Author(s):  
Blaine Stothard
Keyword(s):  
Economic Policy ◽  
Drug Use ◽  
Design Methodology ◽  
Drug Misuse ◽  
Close Reading ◽  
Evidence Based ◽  
Specific Content ◽  
Content Type ◽  
The Uk ◽  
The Impact

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to examine the content of the strategy and assess its claims to be evidence based. Design/methodology/approach This study is a close-reading of the text with commentary on specific content and reference to wider contexts. Findings The strategy makes use of evidence in its sections on treatment. Much evidence, including that of the UK ACMD, is dismissed or ignored. The issue of funding in times of austerity is not considered in the strategy. The range and complexity of drug use and users are not fully considered. Research limitations/implications The strategy can be seen as an idealised ambition with little basis in reality without funding to support its aims. Social implications There is no consideration of the impact of macro-economic policy on the extent of drug misuse. Originality/value Other commentaries on the strategy are emerging. This paper is a more extensive consideration than has so far appeared.

scholarly journals Psychosocial Risks and Violence Against Teachers. Is It Possible to Promote Well-Being at Work?

2019 ◽  
Vol 16 (22) ◽  
pp. 4439 ◽  
Author(s):  
Berlanda ◽  
Fraizzoli ◽  
Cordova ◽  
Pedrazza
Keyword(s):  
Job Demands ◽  
Well Being ◽  
Self Report ◽  
Health Concern ◽  
Psychosocial Risks ◽  
Daily Monitoring ◽  
North East ◽  
The Impact ◽  
First Time ◽  
Psychological Demands

Teaching has been reported to be one of the most stressful occupations, with heavy psychological demands, including the need to develop positive relationships with students and their parents; relationships that, in turn, play a significant role in teachers’ well-being. It follows that the impact of any violence perpetrated by a student or parent against a teacher is particularly significant and represents a major occupational health concern. The present study examines for the first time the influence of the Job Demands-Control-Support Model on violence directed against teachers. Six hundred and eighty-six teachers working in elementary and high schools in north-east Italy completed an online, self-report questionnaire. Our findings reveal the role played by working conditions in determining teachers’ experience of violence: greater job demands are associated with most offense types, whereas the availability of diffused social support at school is associated with lower rates of harassment. Workload should be equally distributed and kept under control, and violence should gain its place in the shared daily monitoring of practices and experiences at school in order to provide a socially supportive work environment for all teachers.

scholarly journals Can subjective well-being and body concern in adolescence predict prescribed medication in adulthood? Findings from the Nord-Trøndelag Health Study and the Norwegian Prescription Database

2019 ◽  
Vol 48 (5) ◽  
pp. 559-566
Author(s):  
Adelheid-Charlotte Wærholm ◽  
Eivind Meland ◽  
Reidun L. S. Kjome
Keyword(s):  
Drug Use ◽  
Well Being ◽  
Health Study ◽  
Health Determinants ◽  
Prescription Database ◽  
Adult Health ◽  
Subjective Well Being ◽  
Important Health ◽  
Norwegian Prescription Database ◽  
The Impact

Aim: To examine whether subjective well-being (SW) and body concern among adolescents aged 15–19 years has an impact on adult health, measured by medications dispensed on average 18 years later. Methods: Data collected in the Nord-Trøndelag Health Study (HUNT) was paired with data from the Norwegian Prescription database (NorPD). We investigated the effects of adolescent SW and body concern on total number of medications, on use of anti-infectives (ATC-group J), medication for the musculo-skeletal system (ATC-group M), anxiolytics, hypnotics and sedatives (ATC-groups N05B and N05C), and finally antipsychotics, antidepressants and psychostimulants, agents used for attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder and nootropics (ATC-groups N05A, N06A and N06B). We used multi-variable models where we entered body dissatisfaction and SW simultaneously in the models in order to adjust for the associations between the predictors, and also adjusted for possible confounders in the models. Results: Both body concern (dieting and dieting desire) and impaired SW predicted drug use 17–18 years after the participants were surveyed in adolescence. The impact was disease specific as body concern was the most influential predictor for drugs used for somatic diseases and complaints, whereas impaired SW was more strongly associated with drug use for mental health diseases and complaints. Conclusions: SW and body concern are important health determinants in the transition between adolescence and adulthood.

Modifying Pro-Drug Risk Factors in Adolescents: Results From Project ALERT

2004 ◽  
Vol 31 (3) ◽  
pp. 318-334 ◽  
Author(s):  
Bonnie Ghosh-Dastidar ◽  
Douglas L. Longshore ◽  
Phyllis L. Ellickson ◽  
Daniel F. McCaffrey
Keyword(s):  
Risk Factors ◽  
High Risk ◽  
Drug Use ◽  
Eighth Graders ◽  
Risk Groups ◽  
Drug Prevention ◽  
School Environments ◽  
School Based ◽  
Drug Risk ◽  
The Impact

The objective of this study was to evaluate the impact of a revised state-of-the-art drug prevention program, Project ALERT, on risk factors for drug use in mostly rural midwestern schools and communities. Fifty-five middle schools from South Dakota were randomly assigned to treatment or control conditions. Treatment-group students received 11 lessons in Grade 7 and 3 more in Grade 8. Effects for 4,276 eighth graders were assessed 18 months after baseline. Results indicate that Project ALERT had statistically significant effects on all the targeted risk factors associated with cigarette and marijuana use and more modest gains with the pro-alcoholrisk factors. The program helped adolescents at low, moderate, and high risk for future use, with the effect sizes typically stronger for the low- and moderate-risk groups. Thus, school-based drug prevention programs can lower risk factors that correlate with drug use, help low- to high-risk adolescents, and be effective in diverse school environments.

Physician Wellness Is an Ethical and Public Health Issue

2018 ◽  
Vol 158 (6) ◽  
pp. 970-971 ◽  
Author(s):  
Rosandra Walker ◽  
Harold Pine
Keyword(s):  
Public Health ◽  
Well Being ◽  
Public Health Issue ◽  
Health And Wellness ◽  
Physician Burnout ◽  
Sustainable Change ◽  
Ethical Implications ◽  
Physician Wellness ◽  
Hospital Systems ◽  
The Impact

Attention to physician well-being has traditionally focused on substance abuse, usually with disciplinary implications. But, in recent years, greater notice has been granted toward physician burnout and overall wellness. Burnout and its sequelae not only affect physicians and physicians-in-training as individuals, but the impact then multiplies as it affects these physicians’ patients, colleagues, and hospital systems. In addition, the American Medical Association Code of Medical Ethics charges physicians with a responsibility to maintain their own health and wellness as well as promote that of their colleagues. Therefore, the question of physician wellness has both public health and ethical implications. The causes of burnout are multifactorial, and the solutions to sustainable change are multitiered.

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