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Monthly Archives: March 2011

Findings from the alcohol National Support Team

A legacy document has been produced by the alcohol National Support Team (NST) detailing findings, analysis and case studies from across the country: Supporting Partnerships to Reduce Alcohol Harm: Key Findings, Recommendations and Case Studies from the Alcohol Harm Reduction National Support Team Ten Department of Health supported teams had been established to tackle complex public health issues using the best available evidence. The NSTs worked across the on areas such as tobacco control, childhood obesity and health inequalities. The teams carried out over 480 intensive ‘diagnostic’ visits in total to local areas, providing intelligence and support to achieve better public health outcomes

Alcohol Improvement Programme ends

The 3 year Alcohol Improvement Programme ( AIP ), funded by the Department of Health, has now come to an end. The AIP provided support the NHS and third sector in delivering on alcohol harm reduction, particularly around the High Impact Changes .

A School’s Scholastic Success Can Keep Kids From Drugs, Alcohol

In building a culture where even the most underprivileged students can achieve academic success, schools may be able to inadvertently stymie another problem: drug and alcohol use…

Link Between Asthma, Smoking And Nicotine Dependence

New research out of the University of Cincinnati suggests that being diagnosed with asthma is significantly associated with a greater risk for a lifetime history of daily smoking and nicotine dependence. The findings are reported in the online preview issue of the Journal of Health Psychology…

Psychiatrists Support MP’s Call To Limit Exposure Of Children To Alcohol Advertising, UK

The Royal College of Psychiatrists has praised a private member’s bill put forward in parliament today by Dr Sarah Wollaston, MP for Totnes. Dr Wollaston will put forward proposals to limit the exposure of children and young people to alcohol advertising as a Ten Minute Rule Motion…

Genes Relate To Level Of Alcohol Consumption Among Asians

In a study of 1,721 Korean male drinkers aged 40-69 y in an urban population-based cohort, and another sample of 1,113 male drinkers from an independent rural cohort, information on average daily alcohol consumption was collected and DNA samples were collected for genotyping…

SAMHSA Outlines New Strategic Initiatives Paper For Advancing The Nation’s Behavioral Health

The Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) published its strategic initiatives paper – an overview of SAMHSA’s goals, priorities and action steps for accomplishing its mission of reducing the impact of substance abuse and mental illness on America’s communities…

How many HIV infections are prevented by Vancouver Canada’s supervised injection facility?

Abstract: Mathematical modelling analyses of drug injection-related HIV risk reduction interventions can provide policy makers, researchers, and others with important information that would be difficult to obtain through other means. The validity of the results of mathematical modelling analyses that rely on secondary data sources critically depends on the model(s) employed in the analyses and the parameter values used to populate the models. A recent article in the International Journal of Drug Policy by Andresen and Boyd (2010: 70–76) utilised four different mathematical models of injection-related HIV transmission to estimate the number of HIV infections prevented by Vancouver Canada’s Insite supervised injection facility (SIF)

HPA axis Reactivity to Social Stress and Adolescent Cannabis Use: The TRAILS Study

ABSTRACT Aims To investigate the relationship of lifetime and repeated cannabis use with hypothalamic–pituitary–adrenal (HPA) axis reactivity to social stress in a general population sample of adolescents. Design Adolescents who reported lifetime or repeated cannabis use, lifetime or repeated tobacco use, and never use of either cannabis or tobacco were compared with respect to their HPA axis reactivity during the Groningen Social Stress Task (GSST), which was based on the Trier Social Stress Task. Setting A large prospective population study of Dutch adolescents (The TRacking Adolescents’ Individual Lives Survey (TRAILS) study )

Social gradient in initiation and transition to daily use of tobacco and cannabis during adolescence: a retrospective cohort study

Abstract Aims:  This study explores whether the family socioeconomic status (F-SES) and school situation could have an impact on tobacco and cannabis initiation and transition to daily use during adolescence. Design and setting:  A French cross-sectional nationwide survey conducted in 2005 containing retrospective data. Participants:  French teenagers aged 17 (n = 29,293).