scholarly journals Cigarette smoking among psychiatric out-patients

1991 ◽  
Vol 15 (7) ◽  
pp. 413-414 ◽  
Author(s):  
Steve Brown
Keyword(s):  
Public Health ◽  
Socioeconomic Status ◽  
General Population ◽  
Alcohol Abuse ◽  
Cigarette Smoking ◽  
Psychiatric Patients ◽  
The Past ◽  
Health Measures ◽  
Confounding Variables ◽  
The Uk

The dangers of cigarette smoking are well recognised, and a number of public health measures designed to reduce the level of smoking have been introduced over the past 20 years. These measures have been fairly successful, and there has been a steady decline in the prevalence of cigarette smoking in the UK over the period 1972–1988 (Office of Population Censuses and Surveys, 1990). A number of studies have shown a higher prevalence of cigarette smoking among psychiatric patients (Hughes et al, 1986); however, the majority of these have been of highly selected populations, or have failed to control for factors such as age, sex, socioeconomic status and alcohol abuse, all of which are known to affect the prevalence of smoking. This study compared the prevalence of cigarette smoking among a heterogeneous group of psychiatric out-patients with that of the general population with control for these confounding variables.

GENERATIONAL CHANGES IN HEIGHT AND BODY MASS DIFFERENCES BETWEEN BRITISH ASIANS AND THE GENERAL POPULATION IN GLASGOW

1997 ◽  
Vol 29 (1) ◽  
pp. 101-109 ◽  
Author(s):  
MANFUSA SHAMS ◽  
RORY WILLIAMS
Keyword(s):  
Public Health ◽  
General Population ◽  
Positive Selection ◽  
South Asian ◽  
Generational Differences ◽  
Health Measures ◽  
Generational Changes ◽  
British Asians ◽  
The Uk ◽  
Selection Of

A weighted total of 630 pupils aged 14–15 in Glasgow schools, about evenly divided between pupils of South Asian and non-Asian (overwhelmingly British) background, were measured for height and weight and compared with previous results for a similar Glasgow sample aged 30–40. Among 14–15-year-olds, British Asians were not so short compared with non-Asians as among 30–40-year-olds, especially females. Among 30–40-year-old Glasgow Asians only 7% were born in the UK, while among 14–15-year-old Glasgow Asians 86% were so born, indicating that they are the children of migrants. Generational differences in these comparisons cannot be due to positive selection of the migrant generation for height, and are attributed to improved environment, including nutrition and public health measures. This suggests the possibility of corresponding improvements in coronary and diabetic risk.

scholarly journals Emotional and Mental Wellbeing Following COVID-19 Public Health Measures on People Living With Dementia and Carers

2021 ◽  
pp. 089198872199681
Author(s):  
Kerry Hanna ◽  
Clarissa Giebel ◽  
Hilary Tetlow ◽  
Kym Ward ◽  
Justine Shenton ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Public Health ◽  
Mental Health ◽  
Social Support ◽  
Support Services ◽  
Mental Wellbeing ◽  
Daily Lives ◽  
Health Measures ◽  
Social Support Services ◽  
The Uk ◽  
The Impact

Background: To date, there appears to be no evidence on the longer-term impacts caused by COVID-19 and its related public health restrictions on some of the most vulnerable in our societies. The aim of this research was to explore the change in impact of COVID-19 public health measures on the mental wellbeing of people living with dementia (PLWD) and unpaid carers. Method: Semi-structured, follow-up telephone interviews were conducted with PLWD and unpaid carers between June and July 2020. Participants were asked about their experiences of accessing social support services during the pandemic, and the impact of restrictions on their daily lives. Results: 20 interviews were conducted and thematically analyzed, which produced 3 primary themes concerning emotional responses and impact to mental health and wellbeing during the course of the pandemic: 1) Impact on mental health during lockdown, 2) Changes to mental health following easing of public health, and 3) The long-term effect of public health measures. Conclusions: The findings from this research shed light on the longer-term psychological impacts of the UK Government’s public health measures on PLWD and their carers. The loss of social support services was key in impacting this cohort mentally and emotionally, displaying a need for better psychological support, for both carers and PLWD.

scholarly journals The potential dangers of not understanding COVID-19 public health restrictions in dementia: “It’s a groundhog day – every single day she does not understand why she can’t go out for a walk”

2021 ◽  
Vol 21 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Clarissa Giebel ◽  
Kerry Hanna ◽  
Manoj Rajagopal ◽  
Aravind Komuravelli ◽  
Jacqueline Cannon ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Public Health ◽  
Cognitive Deficits ◽  
Third Sector ◽  
Cognitive Capacity ◽  
The Public ◽  
Health Measures ◽  
Third Sector Organisations ◽  
The Uk ◽  
Second Wave

Abstract Background Sudden public health restrictions can be difficult to comprehend for people with cognitive deficits. However, these are even more important for them to adhere to due to their increased levels of vulnerability, particularly to COVID-19. With a lack of previous evidence, we explored the understanding and changes in adherence to COVID-19 public health restrictions over time in people living with dementia (PLWD). Methods Unpaid carers and PLWD were interviewed over the phone in April 2020, shortly after the nationwide UK lockdown, with a proportion followed up from 24th June to 10th July. Participants were recruited via social care and third sector organisations across the UK, and via social media. Findings A total of 70 interviews (50 baseline, 20 follow-up) were completed with unpaid carers and PLWD. Five themes emerged: Confusion and limited comprehension; Frustration and burden; Putting oneself in danger; Adherence to restrictions in wider society; (Un) changed perceptions. Most carers reported limited to no understanding of the public health measures in PLWD, causing distress and frustration for both the carer and the PLWD. Due to the lack of understanding, some PLWD put themselves in dangerous situations without adhering to the restrictions. PLWD with cognitive capacity who participated understood the measures and adhered to these. Discussion In light of the new second wave of the pandemic, public health measures need to be simpler for PLWD to avoid unwilful non-adherence. Society also needs to be more adaptive to the needs of people with cognitive disabilities more widely, as blanket rules cause distress to the lives of those affected by dementia.

Cuba and the Covid-19 pandemic

2021 ◽  
Vol 122 (1) ◽  
pp. 118-131
Author(s):  
Bob Oram
Keyword(s):  
Public Health ◽  
United States ◽  
Health System ◽  
Health Professionals ◽  
The United States ◽  
The Past ◽  
The Uk ◽  
Universal Health

For the UK struggling to deal with the Covid-19 pandemic, the experience of Cuba’s Ministry of Public Health over the past six decades provides the clearest case for a single, universal health system constituting an underlying national grid dedicated to prevention and care; an abundance of health professionals, accessible everywhere; a world-renowned science and biotech capability; and an educated public schooled in public health. All this was achieved despite being under a vicious blockade by the United States for all of that time.

scholarly journals The balance between food and dietary supplements in the general population

2018 ◽  
Vol 78 (1) ◽  
pp. 97-109 ◽  
Author(s):  
Marleen A. H. Lentjes
Keyword(s):  
Public Health ◽  
Nutrient Intake ◽  
Supplement Use ◽  
The Past ◽  
Nutrition Guidelines ◽  
Public Health Messages ◽  
Dietary Supplement Use ◽  
The Uk ◽  
Deficiency Diseases

In the past, vitamins and minerals were used to cure deficiency diseases. Supplements nowadays are used with the aim of reducing the risk of chronic diseases of which the origins are complex. Dietary supplement use has increased in the UK over recent decades, contributing to the nutrient intake in the population, but not necessarily the proportion of the population that is sub-optimally nourished; therefore, not reducing the proportion below the estimated average requirement and potentially increasing the number at risk of an intake above the safety limits. The supplement nutrient intake may be objectively monitored using circulation biomarkers. The influence of the researcher in how the supplements are grouped and how the nutrient intakes are quantified may however result in different conclusions regarding their nutrient contribution, the associations with biomarkers, in general, and dose–response associations specifically. The diet might be sufficient in micronutrients, but lacking in a balanced food intake. Since public-health nutrition guidelines are expressed in terms of foods, there is potentially a discrepancy between the nutrient-orientated supplement and the quality of the dietary pattern. To promote health, current public-health messages only advocate supplements in specific circumstances, but not in optimally nourished populations.

scholarly journals Smoke gets in your eyes: what is sociological about cigarettes?

2017 ◽  
Vol 65 (4) ◽  
pp. 882-897 ◽  
Author(s):  
Donncha Marron
Keyword(s):  
Public Health ◽  
Social Context ◽  
Cigarette Smoking ◽  
Social Structures ◽  
Individual Agency ◽  
Health Measures ◽  
Social Divisions ◽  
The Social ◽  
Nineteenth And Twentieth Centuries ◽  
Social Distribution

Contemporary public health approaches increasingly draw attention to the unequal social distribution of cigarette smoking. In contrast, critical accounts emphasize the importance of smokers’ situated agency, the relevance of embodiment and how public health measures against smoking potentially play upon and exacerbate social divisions and inequality. Nevertheless, if the social context of cigarettes is worthy of such attention, and sociology lays a distinct claim to understanding the social, we need to articulate a distinct, positive and systematic claim for smoking as an object of sociological enquiry. This article attempts to address this by situating smoking across three main dimensions of sociological thinking: history and social change; individual agency and experience; and social structures and power. It locates the emergence and development of cigarettes in everyday life within the project of modernity of the nineteenth and twentieth centuries. It goes on to assess the habituated, temporal and experiential aspects of individual smoking practices in everyday lifeworlds. Finally, it argues that smoking, while distributed in important ways by social class, also works relationally to render and inscribe it.

scholarly journals Mental health in the general population over 1 year of the Covid-19 pandemic: findings from Ireland

2021 ◽  
Vol 31 (Supplement_3) ◽  
Author(s):  
MI Troya
Keyword(s):  
Public Health ◽  
Mental Health ◽  
General Population ◽  
Heavy Drinking ◽  
Depression And Anxiety ◽  
Suicidal Thoughts ◽  
Health Measures ◽  
Increased Risk ◽  
Self Harm ◽  
Nationally Representative

Abstract Background The effects of the Covid-19 pandemic and associated public health measures on mental health is a cause of increasing concern. We have measured indices of mental health among adults in the general population in the Republic of Ireland (ROI) during the period of May 2020-April 2021. Methods Nationally representative cross-sectional telephone survey with data collected in ROI during four study waves involving 3,920 participants: Wave 1: May 26-June 17, 2020 (N = 969), Wave 2: July 1-23, 2020 (N = 1014), Wave 3: September 5-28, 2020 (N = 1008), Wave 4: April 16-28, 2021 (N = 929). Participants were recruited from adults resident in RoI, aged 18 years+ using random-digit-dialling of land lines and mobile phones and interviewed by a professional market research organisation (Ipsos MRBI). Data from Waves 1-4 will be presented including trends over the 12-month period. Finding from Waves 1 and 2 are presented here. Mental health was assessed using the Patient Health Questionnaire Anxiety Depression Scale (PHQ-ADS), including standard questions on self-harm and/or suicidal thoughts. Results Of the 1,983 participants from Waves 1-2, 27.7% (n = 549; 95%CI:0.26%-30%) reported symptoms of depression and anxiety, 74 (3.8%;95%CI:3%-5%) disclosed self-harm and/or suicidal thoughts. Female participants (RR:1.60, 95%CI:1.37-1.87), employed individuals experiencing work change (RR:1.50,95%CI:1.24-1.82), participants cocooning due to a health condition (RR:1.34,95%CI:1.08-1.66), those self-isolating (RR:1.25,95%CI:1.03-1.51) and those reporting moderate-heavy drinking (RR:1.27,95%CI:1.09-1.47) were at increased risk of depression and anxiety symptoms. Participants aged 18-29 and those in the two lowest income categories were most likely to report self-harm and/or suicidal thoughts. Conclusions The prevalence of țanxiety and depression in the general population has increased relative to pre-pandemic estimates in response to the Covid-19 pandemic and associated public health measures. Key messages In nationally representative telephone surveys of Irish adults conducted following the onset of the Covid-19 pandemic, the prevalence of anxiety and depression is estimated at approximately 30%. Higher than average levels of anxiety or depression were reported in females, those who had experienced a change in their work, individuals cocooning and those with moderate to heavy drinking.

Environmental Carcinogenic Factors in Relation to Public Health

1968 ◽  
Vol 54 (1) ◽  
pp. 99-111
Author(s):  
Francesco Scanga ◽  
Ennio Prozzo
Keyword(s):  
Public Health ◽  
Air Pollution ◽  
General Population ◽  
Cigarette Smoking ◽  
Tobacco Smoke ◽  
Pollution Control ◽  
Air Pollution Control ◽  
The Public ◽  
Ionizing Radiations ◽  
Italian Legislation

The public health problems relevant for the general population which are raised by environmental contaminations with carcinogenic factors are reviewed. The discussion includes ionizing radiations, drugs, air pollution and tobacco smoke. The recent Italian legislation on air pollution control and the Italian situation concerning prevention of cigarette smoking are commented in detail.

scholarly journals General hospital services in the UK for adults presenting after self-harm: little evidence of progress in the past 25 years

2020 ◽  
Vol 217 (6) ◽  
pp. 661-662
Author(s):  
Allan House ◽  
David Owens
Keyword(s):  
Public Health ◽  
Effective Action ◽  
Health Concern ◽  
Hospital Services ◽  
Public Health Concern ◽  
Services Research ◽  
The Past ◽  
Self Harm ◽  
The Uk ◽  
Research And Policy

SummarySelf-harm remains a serious public health concern, not least because of its strong link with suicide. Twenty-five years ago we lamented the deficits in UK services, research and policy. Since then, there has not been nearly enough effective action in any of these three domains. It is time for action.

Sign in / Sign up

Export Citation Format

Share Document