scholarly journals Illegal Drug Use and Risk of Hearing Loss in the United States: A National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey

2021 ◽  
Vol 18 (22) ◽  
pp. 11945
Author(s):  
Po-Ting Lin ◽  
I-Hsun Li ◽  
Hui-Wen Yang ◽  
Kuan-Wei Chiang ◽  
Chih-Hung Wang ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Hearing Loss ◽  
Drug Use ◽  
High Frequency ◽  
Drug Users ◽  
Illegal Drug ◽  
Illegal Drugs ◽  
Nutrition Examination Survey ◽  
High Frequency Hearing Loss ◽  
Illegal Drug Use ◽  
Health And Nutrition

The use of illegal drugs may be a risk factor of hearing loss. However, very few studies with large sample size have investigated the relationship between illegal drug use and hearing loss. Therefore, to evaluate the association between illegal drug use and hearing loss, this cross-sectional population-based study collected data from the US National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey 2011. The study included 1772 participants aged 20 to 59 years who underwent the Drug Use Questionnaire and Audiometry Examination. Of the 1772 participants in this study, 865 were men (48.8%) and 497 were illegal drug users. The mean (SD) age of the patients was 40.0 (11.4) years. After considering age, sex, and comorbidities, the participants who used illegal drugs were found to have higher risks of high-frequency hearing loss (adjusted odds ratio (OR), 1.69; 95% confidence interval (CI), 1.35–2.10) and overall hearing loss (adjusted OR, 1.69; 95% CI, 1.36–2.12) as compared with the nonusers. In the second analysis, the participants who used ≥ 2 types of illegal drugs were associated with higher risks of high-frequency hearing loss (adjusted OR, 1.57; 95% CI, 1.06–2.32) and overall hearing loss (adjusted OR, 1.60; 95% CI, 1.08–2.37). In the third analysis, cocaine use was associated with increased risks of high-frequency hearing loss (adjusted OR, 1.34; 95% CI, 1.01–1.77) and overall hearing loss (adjusted OR, 1.38; 95% CI, 1.04–1.82). The adjusted OR for overall hearing loss in the methamphetamine users was 1.54 (95% CI, 1.05–2.27) as compared with that in the nonusers. This study shows that illegal drug users might have a higher risk of overall hearing loss than nonusers. In addition, the analysis results demonstrated that the more kinds of illegal drugs used, the higher the risk of hearing loss. Further experimental and longitudinal research studies are required to confirm the causal relationship between illegal drug use and hearing loss.

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.

scholarly journals P1684MULTI-NATIONAL SURVEY AMONG NEPHROLOGISTS AND TRANSPLANT SURGEONS ABOUT THE SUITABILITY AND ACCEPTANCE OF MARGINAL LIVE KIDNEY DONORS WITH HEAVY SMOKING OR INTERMITTENT DRUG ABUSE

2020 ◽  
Vol 35 (Supplement_3) ◽  
Author(s):  
Ziad Arabi ◽  
Abdullah Hamad ◽  
Kaysi Saleh ◽  
Mohammad Bukhari
Keyword(s):  
Drug Use ◽  
Illegal Drug ◽  
Illegal Drugs ◽  
Kidney Donor ◽  
Cross Sectional Survey ◽  
Kidney Donors ◽  
Heavy Smoking ◽  
Illegal Drug Use ◽  
Active Smoker ◽  
Alternative Donor

Abstract Background and Aims Potential kidney donors who actively smoke heavily or had intermittent illegal drug use (IIDU) are mostly excluded from donating a kidney. Tobacco use in kidney donor has been linked to worse outcomes for donors and while less evidence exists for IIDU as they mostly excluded from donation. We conducted a short survey about the suitability of these marginal living kidney donors. The purpose of this survey is to form a consensus on live kidney donor with using smoking or illegal drugs. Method This is a cross-sectional survey of nephrologists and transplant surgeons about suitability and acceptance of marginal live kidney donors. We asked physicians about accepting kidney donors who are actively smoking or using illegal drugs. The survey was mainly distributed through AST and ERA-EDTA. The role of these organization is limited to facilitate the distribution of the survey as an external study. We excluded in-training nephrologists or transplant surgeons. Results One hundred twenty-two physicians from 22 countries (80% nephrologists and 20% transplant surgeons (TS)) participated in the survey. Most physicians were experienced in pre-transplant evaluation (72% over 6 years’ experience and 68.5% of responders perform donors’ evaluation on weekly or monthly bases). Interestingly, most physicians would allow donation in active smoker with advice to quit later (56.2%) (62% of nephrologists versus only 29% of TS (p=0.002). TS would decline active smoker patients than nephrologists (42% versus 25%, p=0.09). Less physicians considered donors with IDU (after psychiatric counselling) than active smoking (30% versus 56.2%, p=0.00003). There was no difference in acceptance rate for donors with IIDU between TS and nephrologists (33.3% versus 29% respectively, p=NS) or in declining these donors (37.5% versus 45.3%, p=0.4). TS would accept more active smokers to donate if no alternative donor available than nephrologists (29.2% vs. 12.3%, p=0.04) but not IDU (29.2% vs. 25.8%, p=ns). Conclusion Active heavy smoking and intermittent illegal drug use are not viewed as solo contraindications for kidney donation by most physicians. Nephrologists and TS did not differ in attitude regarding donors with IIDU. Nephrologist seems more confident to accept donors who are actively smoking with advice to quit afterward while TS would accept them more if no alternative donor available or would decline them completely.

Interventions by Students in Friends' Alcohol, Tobacco, and Drug Use

1997 ◽  
Vol 27 (3) ◽  
pp. 213-222 ◽  
Author(s):  
Reginald G. Smart ◽  
Gina Stoduto
Keyword(s):  
Drug Use ◽  
Illicit Drug ◽  
Illicit Drug Use ◽  
Illegal Drug ◽  
Illegal Drugs ◽  
Drug Education ◽  
Illegal Drug Use ◽  
At Home

This article investigates self-reported interventions by students in the alcohol, tobacco, illicit drug use, and drinking-driving of their friends. The data came from a study of 1184 students in Ontario schools in grades 7, 9, 11, and 13. We found that about a third of students intervened in friends' illegal drug use and drinking-driving but about half intervened about smoking. Students who intervened were more likely to be older and spend fewer nights at home. They were less likely to use cannabis, but had more friends using cannabis and illegal drugs. Also, they had more exposure to drug education and were more disapproving of drug use. Drug education may give students the knowledge and confidence to intervene in friends' drug use.

scholarly journals Self-reported harm from others’ alcohol, cigarette and illegal drug use in Norway

2019 ◽  
Vol 36 (5) ◽  
pp. 413-429 ◽  
Author(s):  
Inger Synnøve Moan ◽  
Elin K Bye ◽  
Elisabet E Storvoll ◽  
Ingunn Olea Lund
Keyword(s):  
Substance Use ◽  
Alcohol Use ◽  
Drug Use ◽  
Drug Users ◽  
Illegal Drug ◽  
Demographic Variables ◽  
Cigarette Use ◽  
Population Surveys ◽  
Illegal Drug Use

Aims: While it is documented that substance use harms others than the user, less is known about which substances people experience most harm from, and who the victims and perpetrators are. The aims were: (i) to estimate the prevalence of and overlap in self-reported harm from others’ alcohol, cigarette, and illegal drug use; (ii) to examine potential differences in the prevalence of harm from close relations’ and strangers’ use; and (iii) to examine how the prevalence of harm varies according to demographics and the respondents’ substance use. Methods: Population surveys conducted among 16–64-year-old Norwegians in 2012 and 2016 ( N = 3407) assessed self-reported harm from others’ alcohol, cigarette and illegal drug use with identical measures, demographic variables and the respondents’ substance use. Results: Experience of harm from others’ alcohol use was most common, followed by others’ smoking. For all three substances, a higher proportion experienced harm from close relations’ use. Nearly half had experienced harm from others’ use of at least one substance. Women and younger participants were more likely to report harm from others’ alcohol and cigarette use. While alcohol and illegal drug users were more often harmed by others’ use of these substances, smokers reported being less often harmed by others’ smoking. Conclusions: Self-reported harm from others’ alcohol, cigarette and illegal drug use corresponds with the prevalence of use of these substances in Norway. For all three substances, close relations’ use accounted for more harm than strangers’ use. Own substance use was an important correlate of experienced harm.

scholarly journals Association between Anemia and Auditory Threshold Shifts in the US Population: National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey

2020 ◽  
Vol 17 (11) ◽  
pp. 3916 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jui-Hu Shih ◽  
I-Hsun Li ◽  
Ke-Ting Pan ◽  
Chih-Hung Wang ◽  
Hsin-Chien Chen ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Hearing Loss ◽  
National Health ◽  
High Frequency ◽  
Elderly Population ◽  
Low Frequency ◽  
The Elderly ◽  
Auditory Threshold ◽  
Nutrition Examination Survey ◽  
Health And Nutrition ◽  
The Us

Existing evidence indicates that both iron deficiency anemia and sickle cell anemia have been previously associated with hearing loss. However, human data investigating the association between anemia and auditory threshold shifts at different frequencies in the adolescent, adult and elderly population are extremely limited to date. Therefore, this cross-sectional study used the dataset from the US National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey from 2005 to 2012 to explore differences in low- or high-frequency hearing thresholds and hearing loss prevalence between participants with and without anemia. A total of 918 patients with anemia and 8213 without anemia were included. Results indicated that low- and high-frequency pure tone average were significantly higher in patients with anemia than that in those without anemia in the elderly, but not in adult or adolescent population. In addition, the prevalence of low-frequency hearing loss but not high-frequency hearing loss was also higher in patients with anemia than in those without anemia in the elderly population. After adjusting various confounders, multiple regression models still indicated that patients with anemia tended to have larger threshold shift. In conclusion, anemia was associated with auditory threshold shifts in the elderly population, especially those vulnerable to low-frequency hearing loss.

scholarly journals Building New Approaches to Risk Reduction With Social Networks and People Who Smoke Illegal Drugs From Participatory Community-Based Research

2018 ◽  
Vol 17 (1) ◽  
pp. 160940691877124 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ehsan Jozaghi ◽  
Jane A. Buxton ◽  
Erica Thomson ◽  
Samona Marsh ◽  
Delilah Gregg ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Social Networks ◽  
British Columbia ◽  
Social Network ◽  
Drug Use ◽  
Illegal Drug ◽  
Illegal Drugs ◽  
Community Based ◽  
Community Based Research ◽  
Illegal Drug Use ◽  
Network Research

Background: Global cases of overdose-related deaths attributed to synthetic opioids are reaching epidemic proportion in many jurisdictions. While the main focus of health agencies and the different levels of government has been to combat the cases linked to injection drug use, the deaths attributed to smoking illegal drugs have not gained the same attention. Moreover, little attention has been given to the role of people with past or current experiences of illegal drug use and how their social networks can mitigate the risk of a highly stigmatized behavior such as smoking illegal drugs. Methods: The study concerns the first social network research conducted via a community-based participatory action methodology in two distinct urban (Vancouver) and rural (Abbotsford) centers in British Columbia, Canada. The study will identify the influence of social networks on people who smoke illegal drugs (PWSID) and their adherence to interventions aimed at reducing harm. Through community consultations, members of the Vancouver Area Network of Drug Users and the British Columbia/Yukon Association of Drug War Survivors not only assisted with the design of this research project but also assisted with the data collection, management, protection and entry of demographic, and network information. Discussion: Many traditional qualitative and quantitative methods have not effectively engaged people who use drugs as researchers or collaborators due to stigma related to illegal drug use. The aim of this study is to recognize that everyone within the network of PWSID is a few steps away from harm. Therefore, we aim to reduce the harm associated with smoking of illegal drugs, especially for PWSID that are at the highest risk. At the same time, we hope that the social network research via a participatory community-based approach will mobilize PWSID in the process and offer a different method of knowledge construction from the traditional positivist approaches.

Estimation of Mortality Rates, Life Expectancy, and Life Potential of Illegal Drug Users

2018 ◽  
Vol 48 (2) ◽  
pp. 285-294
Author(s):  
Zofia J. Mielecka-Kubień
Keyword(s):  
Drug Use ◽  
Life Expectancy ◽  
Drug Users ◽  
Mortality Rates ◽  
Illegal Drug ◽  
Social Costs ◽  
Preventive Effect ◽  
Illegal Drug Use ◽  
The Social ◽  
Negative Effect

The study presents proposed methods of estimation for mortality rates of illegal drug users and nonusers and their application in estimation of the life expectancy and the life potential loss of the users in Poland. Mortality rates for male users were in Poland in 2013, as an average, 4 times higher for male illegal drug users than for nonusers, and 7 times as high for females. For male illegal drug users, the loss of more than 12 years of life can be expected, whereas for females the figure stands at about 8 years. Similar losses of life potential of the users can be expected. The applied methods can be particularly useful in estimation of the social costs of illegal drug use. The results strongly underline the negative effect of the drug use which may have a preventive effect.

Dangers and pleasures: Drug attitudes and experiences among young people

2011 ◽  
Vol 54 (4) ◽  
pp. 333-350 ◽  
Author(s):  
Margaretha Järvinen ◽  
Jeanette Østergaard
Keyword(s):  
Drug Use ◽  
Focus Group ◽  
Risk Perceptions ◽  
Social Space ◽  
Multiple Correspondence Analysis ◽  
Illegal Drug ◽  
Illegal Drugs ◽  
Focus Group Interviews ◽  
Illegal Drug Use ◽  
Group Interviews

This is a study of young people’s conceptions of illegal drug use as dangerous and/or pleasurable and an analysis of the relationship between attitudes to drugs, drinking, friends’ reported drug use and own experience with drug use and drinking. The article applies a mixed methods approach using both survey data and focus group interviews. The main statistical method is Multiple Correspondence Analysis (MCA), which constructs a social space of young people’s attitudes to drugs and drug experiences relationally. We identify four interrelated positions on illegal drug use among 17 to 19-year-old Danes: the anti-drug position, usually held by youths who do not use illegal drugs and do not have drug-using friends; the ambivalent position, occupied by non-users who report that they have drug-using friends; the transitory position, held by cannabis users, some of whom express positive attitudes to ‘hard’ illegal drugs; and, finally, the pro-drug position, characteristic of drug users with low risk perceptions and high pleasure-orientation. We use the focus group interviews to demonstrate how youths occupying these differing positions argue for and against drugs and which risks and pleasures they associate with drug use.

scholarly journals Justifications for Decriminalizing Drugs

2020 ◽  
Vol 3 (1) ◽  
pp. 15-26
Author(s):  
Theodor Ernst
Keyword(s):  
Drug Use ◽  
Drug Users ◽  
War On Drugs ◽  
Illegal Drug ◽  
Public Health Issue ◽  
Central Feature ◽  
Illegal Drug Use ◽  
Production And Distribution ◽  
The Government ◽  
Drug Decriminalization

Drug decriminalization calls for reduced control and penalties compared to existing laws. Proponents of drug decriminalization generally support the use of fines or other punishments to replace prison terms, and often propose systems whereby illegal drug users who are caught would be fined, but would not receive a permanent criminal record as a result. A central feature of drug decriminalization is the concept of harm reduction. Drug decriminalization is in some ways an intermediate between prohibition and legalization, and has been criticized as being "the worst of both worlds", in that drug sales would still be illegal, thus perpetuating the problems associated with leaving production and distribution of drugs to the criminal underworld, while also failing to discourage illegal drug use by removing the criminal penalties that might otherwise cause some people to choose not to use drugs. In 2001 began treating use and possession of small quantities of drugs as a public health issue. This also decreases the amount of money the government spends fighting a war on drugs and money spent keeping drug users incarcerated. A number of countries have similarly moved to reduce the penalties associated with drug use and personal possession.

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