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Curtin KD, Thomson M, Hyshka E, Colman I, Wild TC, Belon AP, Nykiforuk CIJ. Assessing support for substance use policies among the general public and policy influencers in two Canadian provinces. Subst Abuse Treat Prev Policy 2024; 19:40. [PMID: 39232782 DOI: 10.1186/s13011-024-00622-w] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/13/2023] [Accepted: 08/20/2024] [Indexed: 09/06/2024] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Examining support for substance use policies, including those for harm reduction, among the general public and policy influencers is a fundamental step to map the current policy landscape and leverage policy opportunities. Yet, this is a knowledge gap in Canada. Our paper identifies the level of support for substance use policies in two provinces in Canada and describes how the level of support is associated with intrusiveness and sociodemographic variables. METHODS Data came from the 2019 Chronic Disease Prevention Survey. The representative sample included members of the general public (Alberta n = 1648, Manitoba n = 1770) as well as policy influencers (Alberta n = 204, Manitoba n = 98). We measured the level of support for 22 public policies concerning substance use through a 4-point Likert-scale. The Nuffield Council on Bioethics Intervention Ladder framework was applied to assess intrusiveness. We used cumulative link models to run ordinal regressions for identification of explanatory sociodemographic variables. RESULTS Overall, there was generally strong support for the policies assessed. The general public in Manitoba was significantly more supportive of policies than its Alberta counterpart. Some differences were found between provinces and samples. For certain substance use policies, there was stronger support among women than men and among those with higher education than those with less education. CONCLUSIONS The results highlight areas where efforts are needed to increase support from both policy influencers and general public for adoption, implementation, and scaling of substance use policies. Socio-demographic variables related to support for substance use policies may be useful in informing strategies such as knowledge mobilization to advance the policy landscape in Western Canada.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kimberley D Curtin
- Department of Emergency Medicine, Faculty of Medicine and Dentistry, University of Alberta, 8303-112 St NW - Room 7-80, Edmonton, AB, T6G 2T4, Canada
| | - Mathew Thomson
- Clinical Epidemiology Department, Ottawa Hospital Research Institute, 501 Smyth Box 511, Ottawa, ON, K1H 8L6, Canada
| | - Elaine Hyshka
- School of Public Health, University of Alberta, 3-300 ECHA, 11405-87 Ave, Edmonton, AB, T6G 1C9, Canada
| | - Ian Colman
- School of Epidemiology and Public Health, University of Ottawa, 600 Peter Morand Cr - Room 308C, Ottawa, ON, K1G 5Z3, Canada
| | - T Cameron Wild
- School of Public Health, University of Alberta, 3-300 ECHA, 11405- 87 Ave, Ave, Edmonton, AB, 11405-87, T6G 1C9, Canada
| | - Ana Paula Belon
- Centre for Healthy Communities, School of Public Health, University of Alberta, 3-300 ECHA, 11405-87 Ave, Edmonton, AB, T6G 1C9, Canada
| | - Candace I J Nykiforuk
- School of Public Health, University of Alberta, 3-300 ECHA, 11405- 87 Ave, Ave, Edmonton, AB, 11405-87, T6G 1C9, Canada.
- Centre for Healthy Communities, School of Public Health, University of Alberta, 3-300 ECHA, 11405-87 Ave, Edmonton, AB, T6G 1C9, Canada.
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Izquierdo-Condoy JS, Ortiz-Prado E. Urgent action needed: addressing the regulatory gap in e-cigarette trade and usage. J Public Health Policy 2024; 45:582-587. [PMID: 38969788 PMCID: PMC11315660 DOI: 10.1057/s41271-024-00505-1] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 06/25/2024] [Indexed: 07/07/2024]
Abstract
Tobacco use is associated with serious health problems. Global efforts, such as the World Health Organization's Framework for Tobacco Control, have reduced tobacco use, but challenges remain. Initially perceived as aids for smoking cessation, e-cigarettes have gained popularity among young people and non-smokers. Government approaches to regulating e-cigarettes range from treating them like tobacco, requiring a prescription for their use to outright bans. Although touted as a valuable alternative, evidence suggests that increased e-cigarette use carries potential direct and indirect health risks, necessitating urgent regulatory measures on a global scale. Lack of defined and uniform regulations poses substantial public health risks, compounded by marketing targeting vulnerable groups. Immediate interventions, public awareness, and research are essential to effectively control the current e-cigarette epidemic.
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Affiliation(s)
- Juan S Izquierdo-Condoy
- One Health Research Group, Faculty of Health Science, Calle de los Colimes y Avenida de los Granados, Universidad de Las Américas, 170137, Quito, Ecuador
| | - Esteban Ortiz-Prado
- One Health Research Group, Faculty of Health Science, Calle de los Colimes y Avenida de los Granados, Universidad de Las Américas, 170137, Quito, Ecuador.
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Dong F, Li K, Li Y, Liu Y, Zheng L. Factors influencing public support for banning gasoline vehicles in newly industrialized countries for the sake of environmental improvement: a case study of China. ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCE AND POLLUTION RESEARCH INTERNATIONAL 2022; 29:43942-43954. [PMID: 35122648 DOI: 10.1007/s11356-022-18884-x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/11/2021] [Accepted: 01/21/2022] [Indexed: 06/14/2023]
Abstract
In recent years, various countries have put forward Banning Gasoline Vehicle Sales Policy (BGVSP), and the degree of public support for BGVSP is crucial to its design and implementation. Taking China as an example, this study built a policy support index using network crawler technology and natural language processing technology. Then, multi-spatial convergence cross-mapping technology was used to study the interaction between public support and air pollution, electric vehicle (EV) infrastructure, EV technology, and use cost. The results showed that air pollution has a significant impact on public support; public support has a significant impact on the construction of the EV infrastructure and the level of EV technological research, and the use cost of traditional gasoline vehicles has a significant impact on public support. This study investigated the correlations between public support and the factors influencing public support, and the results can be used as a reference for the design and implementation of BGVSP in newly industrialized countries.
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Affiliation(s)
- Feng Dong
- School of Economics and Management, China University of Mining and Technology, Xuzhou, 221116, People's Republic of China.
| | - Kun Li
- School of Economics and Management, China University of Mining and Technology, Xuzhou, 221116, People's Republic of China
| | - Yangfan Li
- School of Economics and Management, China University of Mining and Technology, Xuzhou, 221116, People's Republic of China
| | - Yajie Liu
- School of Economics and Management, China University of Mining and Technology, Xuzhou, 221116, People's Republic of China
| | - Lu Zheng
- School of Economics and Management, China University of Mining and Technology, Xuzhou, 221116, People's Republic of China
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Shen X, Li CJ, Dong T, Cao H, Feng J, Lei Z, Wang Z, Han X, Lv C, Gan Y. Public Opinion and Expectations: Development of Public Health Education in China After COVID-19 Pandemic. Front Public Health 2021; 9:702146. [PMID: 34447736 PMCID: PMC8383066 DOI: 10.3389/fpubh.2021.702146] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/29/2021] [Accepted: 07/12/2021] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Abstract
Background: Policymakers must promote the development of public health education and human resources. As a feature of the political environment, public opinion is essential for policy-making, but virtually the attitudes of Chinese citizens toward human resources development in public health is unknown. Methods: This study conducted a crosssectional survey from February 4, 2021 to February 26, 2021 in China. We adopted a convenient sampling strategy to recruit participators. Participants filled out the questions, which assess the attitudes of the expanding public health professionals. A logistic regression analysis was given to identify the predictors associated with the attitudes of the subjects. Results: There were 2,361 residents who have finished our questionnaire. Chinese residents who lived in urban (OR = 1.293, 95% CI = 1.051-1.591), "themselves or relatives and friends have participated in relevant epidemic prevention work" (OR = 1.553, 95% CI = 1.160-2.079), "themselves or family members engaged in medical-related work" (OR = 1.468, 95% CI = 1.048-2.056), and those who "were aware of public health before the outbreak of COVID-19" (OR = 1.428, 95% CI = 1.125-1.812) were more likely to support the promotion of public health education and training. Conclusions: The present study found that 74.50% of Chinese citizens supported the promotion of public health education and training in China, in which economic status, personal perception, and comprehension are the crucial factors that influence public opinion. COVID-19 has aroused the attention of Chinese residents to public health education, with only 22.11% of residents being aware of public health before the outbreak of COVID-19. The COVID-19 pandemic has profound implications for human society. Literally, this impact will feed back into future public health policies based on public opinion. This innovative perspective will also help us better understand the potential social impact of COVID-19 on human resources and development for health in the modern world.
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Affiliation(s)
- Xin Shen
- Department of Social Medicine and Health Management, School of Public Health, Tongji Medical College, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan, China
| | - Crystal Jingru Li
- Department of Psychology, School of Education and Human Development, Hong Kong Education University, Hong Kong, China
| | - Tianyi Dong
- Department of Labor and Environmental Health, School of Public Health, Tongji Medical College, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan, China
| | - Hui Cao
- Department of Labor Economics and Management, Beijing Vocational College of Labour and Social Security, Beijing, China
| | - Jing Feng
- Department of Social Medicine and Health Management, School of Public Health, Tongji Medical College, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan, China
| | - Zihui Lei
- Department of Social Medicine and Health Management, School of Public Health, Tongji Medical College, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan, China
| | - Zijian Wang
- School of Arts and Communication, Guangxi University of Science and Technology, Liuzhou, China
| | - Xiaotong Han
- Department of Emergency Medicine, Hunan Provincial Institute of Emergency Medicine, Hunan Provincial Key Laboratory of Emergency and Critical Care Metabolomics, Hunan Provincial People's Hospital/The First Affiliated Hospital, Hunan Normal University, Changsha, Hunan, China
| | - Chuanzhu Lv
- Emergency Medicine Center, Sichuan Provincial People's Hospital, University of Electronic Science and Technology of China, Chengdu, China
- Research Unit of Island Emergency Medicine, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences (No. 2019RU013), Hainan Medical University, Haikou, China
- Key Laboratory of Emergency and Trauma of Ministry of Education, Hainan Medical University, Haikou, China
| | - Yong Gan
- Department of Social Medicine and Health Management, School of Public Health, Tongji Medical College, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan, China
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Edache IY, Kakinami L, Alberga AS. Weight bias and support of public health policies. Canadian Journal of Public Health 2021; 112:758-765. [PMID: 33990876 DOI: 10.17269/s41997-020-00471-7] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/14/2020] [Accepted: 12/27/2020] [Indexed: 11/17/2022]
Abstract
OBJECTIVES Public health policies have been proposed to help address prevalent Canadian obesity rates. Along with the increase in obesity prevalence, explicit weight bias is also rampant in Western society. This paper aimed to assess the association between explicit weight bias attitudes and Canadian public support of these policy recommendations. METHODS Canadian adults (N = 903; 51% female; BMI = 27.3 ± 7.0 kg/m2) completed an online survey measuring explicit weight bias, using the three subscales of the Anti-Fat Attitudes Questionnaire: Willpower (belief in weight controllability), Fear of fat (fear of gaining weight), and Dislike (antipathy towards people with obesity). Whether these subscales were associated with policy support was assessed with logistic regression. Analyses were adjusted for age, race, gender, and income. RESULTS Public support of policy recommendations ranged from 53% to 90%. Explicit weight bias was primarily expressed through a fear of weight gain and the belief that weight gain was within the individual's control based on willpower. Although the Dislike subscale was associated with lower support for several policies that enable or guide individual choice in behaviour change, the Willpower and Fear of fat subscales were associated with greater support for similar policies. CONCLUSION This study contributes to evidence-informed public health action by describing public support of public health policies and demonstrating an association between explicit weight bias and public support. A higher total explicit weight bias score increased the odds of supporting primarily less intrusive policies. However, dislike of individuals with obesity was associated with decreased odds of supporting many policies.
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Affiliation(s)
- Iyoma Y Edache
- Department of Health, Kinesiology, and Applied Physiology, Concordia University, 7141 Sherbrooke St. W., SP 165.31, Montréal, QC, H4B 1R6, Canada
| | - Lisa Kakinami
- Department of Mathematics and Statistics, Concordia University, 1455, Boulevard de Maisonneuve West, Montréal, QC, H3G 1M8, Canada.,PERFORM Centre, Concordia University, 7141, Sherbrooke St. W., Montréal, QC, H4B 1R6, Canada
| | - Angela S Alberga
- Department of Health, Kinesiology, and Applied Physiology, Concordia University, 7141 Sherbrooke St. W., SP 165.31, Montréal, QC, H4B 1R6, Canada.
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