Support among middle school and high school students for smoke-free policies, North Carolina, 2009

Public support for smoke-free policies in outdoor areas and (semi-)private places: a systematic review and meta-analysis

Background

Smoke-free policies are essential to protect people against tobacco smoke exposure. To successfully implement smoke-free policies that go beyond enclosed public places and workplaces, public support is important. We undertook a comprehensive systematic review of levels and determinants of public support for indoor (semi-)private and outdoor smoke-free policies.

Methods

In this systematic review and meta-analysis, six electronic databases were searched for studies (published between 1 January 2004 and 19 January 2022) reporting support for (semi-)private and outdoor smoke-free policies in representative samples of at least 400 respondents aged 16 years and above. Two reviewers independently extracted data and assessed risk of bias of individual reports using the Mixed Methods Appraisal Tool. The primary outcome was proportion support for smoke-free policies, grouped according to location covered. Three-level meta-analyses, subgroup analyses and meta-regression were performed.

Findings

14,749 records were screened, of which 107 were included; 42 had low risk of bias and 65 were at moderate risk. 99 studies were included in the meta-analyses, reporting 326 measures of support from 896,016 individuals across 33 different countries. Support was pooled for indoor private areas (e.g., private cars, homes: 73%, 95% confidence interval (CI): 66-79), indoor semi-private areas (e.g., multi-unit housing: 70%, 95% CI: 48-86), outdoor hospitality areas (e.g., café and restaurant terraces: 50%, 95% CI: 43-56), outdoor non-hospitality areas (e.g., school grounds, playgrounds, parks, beaches: 69%, 95% CI: 64-73), outdoor semi-private areas (e.g., shared gardens: 67%, 95% CI: 53-79) and outdoor private areas (e.g., private balconies: 41%, 95% CI: 18-69). Subcategories showed highest support for smoke-free cars with children (86%, 95% CI: 81-89), playgrounds (80%, 95% CI: 74-86) and school grounds (76%, 95% CI: 69-83). Non-smokers and ex-smokers were more in favour of smoke-free policies compared to smokers. Support generally increased over time, and following implementation of each smoke-free policy.

Interpretation

Our findings suggested that public support for novel smoke-free policies is high, especially in places frequented by children. Governments should be reassured about public support for implementation of novel smoke-free policies.

Funding

Dutch Heart Foundation, Lung Foundation Netherlands, Dutch Cancer Society, Dutch Diabetes Research Foundation and Netherlands Thrombosis Foundation.

Association between bullying victimization, coping style, and mental health problems among Chinese adolescents

BACKGROUND

This study aimed to examine the association of bullying victimization with anxiety and depressive symptoms among Chinese adolescents and explored the role of coping styles in the foregoing associations.

METHOD

Data were drawn from the 2019 School-based Chinses Adolescents Health Survey (n = 19,809). Information about bullying victimization, coping styles, anxiety symptoms, and depressive symptoms were measured. Linear mixed-effects models were performed.

RESULTS

After adjusting for covariates, verbal victimization (β = 1.94 for anxiety symptoms; β = 4.62 for depressive symptoms), relational victimization (β = 3.40 for anxiety symptoms; β = 8.37 for depressive symptoms), physical victimization (β = 2.63 for anxiety symptoms; β = 6.07 for depressive symptoms) and cyber victimization (β = 4.68 for anxiety symptoms; β = 10.72 for depressive symptoms) were associated with anxiety and depressive symptoms. Moreover, the severity of anxiety and depressive symptoms tended to increase with the number of victimization types. The interaction effects between bullying victimization and coping style on anxiety and depressive symptoms were significant. Further stratified analyses by coping styles indicated that the association of relational and cyber victimization on anxiety and depressive symptoms were significantly stronger in adolescents with negative coping style than in those with positive coping style.

LIMITATIONS

Causal inference is limited due to the cross-sectional design.

CONCLUSION

Bullying victimization is associated with anxiety and depressive symptoms, and coping styles may play a moderate role in these associations. Interventions to promote mental health could focus on developing positive coping styles, particularly among adolescents with bullying victimization.

Pediatric patients’ views regarding smoke-free hospital grounds compared to those of adults: A survey study

INTRODUCTION

Children are important stakeholders in discussions about regulation of smoking and protection from secondhand smoke, but are rarely acknowledged as such. We explored the opinion of pediatric patients and other key stakeholders regarding the planned smoke-free zone around the Erasmus MC, a large university hospital in the Netherlands.

METHODS

In 2019, we conducted a survey among pediatric patients and their parents, Erasmus MC employees, visitors, and adult patients, before implementation of the outdoor smoke-free zone, to assess their opinions on smoking and the planned smoke-free policy. Qualitative and quantitative data were collected and analyzed mostly using descriptive statistics and thematic analysis.

RESULTS

In all, 91 parent-child dyads and 563 employees, visitors, patients and students filled in the questionnaires. Over 90% of children reported that they were regularly exposed to tobacco smoke, most often on the streets. Many underlined the exemplary role of healthcare providers, and 89% felt that nobody should be allowed to smoke near the hospital. Among parents, 89% were (very) positive towards the planned implementation of the smoke-free zone. In addition, 70% of adult patients, 81% of employees, 65% of visitors, 89% of students and 75% of ‘others’ were (very) positive about the new smoke-free policy. Smokers and former smokers generally were less positive about the policy.

CONCLUSIONS

Children generally disapproved smoking around a hospital and felt that healthcare providers should be a good example concerning not smoking. The majority of adult patients, employees and visitors support a smoke-free zone surrounding the hospital, and virtually all pediatric patients and their parents do. Children should be acknowledged as important stakeholders in smoke-free policies and should be involved in planning and implementation.

Gender differences in the associations between types of childhood maltreatment and sleep disturbance among Chinese adolescents

BACKGROUND

To explore the association between different types of childhood maltreatment and sleep disturbance among Chinese adolescents, with a particular focus on gender differences.

METHODS

A cross-sectional study was conducted in 7 randomly selected provinces of China via the 2015 School-Based Chinese Adolescents Health Survey. Questionnaires from 153,547 students were completed and were eligible for this study. The Chinese Version of the Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index (CPSQI) and Childhood Trauma Questionnaire-Short Form (CTQ-SF) were used to assess sleep disturbance and childhood maltreatment, respectively.

RESULTS

The prevalence of sleep disturbance among adolescents in China was 21.6%. A significantly increased risk of sleep disturbance was associated with physical abuse (aOR=1.22, 95% CI=1.21-1.24), emotional abuse (aOR=1.15, 95% CI=1.14-1.15), sexual abuse (aOR=1.16, 95% CI=1.15-1.18), physical neglect (aOR=1.04, 95% CI=1.03-1.05), and emotional neglect (aOR=1.03, 95% CI=1.02-1.03). A significant dose-response relationship was found between cumulative childhood maltreatment experiences and sleep disturbance. The interaction terms (between physical abuse/emotional abuse/sexual abuse/physical neglect/emotional neglect/number of childhood traumas and gender) were significantly associated with sleep disturbance. Further stratification analyses by gender showed that girls who reported experiencing one or more of these five types of childhood maltreatment had a higher risk of sleep disturbance than boys.

LIMITATIONS

The study only included school students, and the cross-sectional design limited our ability to make causal inferences.

CONCLUSIONS

The study findings suggest that childhood maltreatment increases the risk of sleep disturbance in adolescents. Furthermore, exposure to single and multiple types of childhood maltreatment predicts lower sleep quality in girls.

Effect of Sex on the Association Between Nonmedical Use of Opioids and Sleep Disturbance Among Chinese Adolescents: A Cross-Sectional Study

Sleep disturbance and non-medical prescription opioid use (NMPOU) are currently growing public health concerns, and sex differences may result in differential exposure to frequency of NMPOU or sleep disturbance. This study aimed to explore the association between the frequency of lifetime or past-year NMPOU and sleep disturbance and to evaluate whether there was any sex difference in this association among Chinese adolescents. A cross-sectional study was performed in seven randomly selected Chinese provinces through the 2015 School-Based Chinese Adolescents Health Survey. A total of 159,640 adolescents were invited to participate and among them, 148,687 adolescents' questionnaires were completed and qualified for this study (response rate: 93.14%). All analyses were performed for boys and girls separately. There were significant sex differences in the prevalence of lifetime or past-year opioid misuse and sleep disturbance (p < 0.05). Among girls, frequent lifetime NMPOU (adjusted odds ratio [aOR] = 2.09, 95% CI = 1.80-2.44) and past-year NMPOU (aOR = 2.16, 95% CI = 1.68-2.77) were positively associated with sleep disturbance. Among boys, these associations were also statistically significant, while the magnitudes of associations between frequent lifetime NMPOU or past-year NMPOU and sleep disturbance were greater in girls than those in boys. There is a significant sex difference in the prevalence of lifetime or past-year NMPOU and sleep disturbance. Furthermore, exposure to more frequent lifetime or past-year NMPOU is associated with a greater risk of sleep disturbance, especially among girls. Taking into account the sex difference for lifetime or past-year NMPOU may help to decrease the risk of sleep disturbance.

Association between sexual minority status and suicidal behavior among Chinese adolescents: A moderated mediation model

BACKGROUND

Evidence shows sexual minority adolescents have a higher risk of suicidality than their heterosexual peers due to minority stressors or lack of social support, but it remains unclear how the combined effects of these influence factors impact suicidality in this population. In this study, we examine whether school victimization mediates association between sexual minority status and suicidal behavior of adolescents and explore whether such mediation is moderated by interpersonal relationships.

METHODS

We sampled a large nationally representative dataset comprising data collected from 7th to 12th graders (the 2015 School-based Chinese Adolescents Health Survey) using a multistage, stratified-cluster, random-sampling method. Our sample consisted of 123,459 students who completed questionnaires regarding their sexual minority status, suicidal ideation, suicide attempts, school victimization, classmate relations, and teacher-classmate relations.

RESULTS

Using a moderated mediation model, we found that school victimization mediated the effects of sexual minority status on suicidal ideation (indirect effect = 0.0296, 95% confidence intervals (CI) = 0.0259-0.0333) and suicide attempts (indirect effect = 0.0086, 95% CI = 0.0074-0.0100). These indirect effects were moderated by interpersonal relationships, and a greater effect was seen among sexual minority students with poor classmate or teacher-classmate relations.

LIMITATIONS

Our study sample included only students attending school, and interpretation of the direction of the observed associations is limited due to the cross-sectional design.

CONCLUSIONS

Interpersonal relationships moderate the indirect effects of school victimization on association between sexual minority status and suicidal behavior. Early intervention addressing school violence combined with improving the quality of relationships with school peers would help prevent suicidality in sexual minority adolescents.

Sexual minority status and suicidal behaviour among Chinese adolescents: a nationally representative cross-sectional study

OBJECTIVES

Suicidality among sexual minority adolescents has generated worldwide concern in recent decades, and previous Western studies have demonstrated that sexual minority status is associated with adolescent suicidality. However, whether this association exists in Chinese adolescents remains largely unknown. This study aimed to estimate the associations between sexual minority status and suicidal behaviour among Chinese adolescents.

DESIGN

Cross-sectional survey.

SETTING

A total of 506 high schools in 7 provinces of China.

PARTICIPANTS

A total of 150 822 students in grades 7-12 who completed the questionnaires (response rate of 95.9%) were included.

MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES

Suicidal ideation and suicide attempts were used to measure suicidal behaviour, and sexual attraction (opposite sex, same sex or both sex) was used as a measure for sexual minority status.

RESULTS

Of the 150 822 adolescents analysed, 4.1% self-reported as sexual minorities and 17.3% were unsure. Compared with heterosexual and unsure adolescents, same-sex romantic attraction (SSA) and both-sex romantic attraction (BSA) adolescents reported a higher prevalence of past-year suicidal ideation (SSA: 21.6% for males and 30.4% for females; BSA: 34.7% for males and 42.3% for females) and suicide attempts (SSA: 6.9% for males and 8.9% for females; BSA: 12.2% for males and 10.9% for females). After adjustment for covariates, SSA and BSA adolescents were more likely to have past-year suicidal ideation and suicide attempts than their heterosexual and unsure peers. BSA adolescents reported the highest risk of suicidal ideation (males: adjusted OR (AOR) 2.42, 95% CI 2.03 to 2.88; females: AOR 2.61, 95% CI 2.41 to 2.82) and suicide attempts (males: AOR 3.83, 95% CI 2.85 to 5.14; females: AOR 2.59, 95% CI 2.19 to 3.06).

CONCLUSIONS

Our study suggested that Chinese sexual minority adolescents were at increased risk of suicidality, and those with BSA had an especially high risk in this population. These findings emphasised the urgent need to develop targeted interventions to effectively address suicide-related problems among Chinese sexual minority adolescents.

Associations of Childhood Maltreatment with Single and Multiple Suicide Attempts among Older Chinese Adolescents

OBJECTIVES

To test, among older Chinese adolescents, the associations of childhood maltreatment with single and multiple suicide attempts and whether these associations vary in relation to the presence of sleep disturbance.

STUDY DESIGN

We analyzed data collected from 10th to 12th graders from 7 randomly selected provinces of China in the 2015 School-based Chinese Adolescents Health Survey. There were 83 200 students who were invited to participate, and 75 715 students' questionnaires were completed and qualified for the survey. Adjusted multinomial logistic regression models were conducted to evaluate the associations of childhood maltreatment with suicide attempts.

RESULTS

Compared with no suicide attempts, each type of adjusted childhood maltreatment (physical abuse, emotional abuse, sexual abuse, physical neglect, or emotional neglect) was associated with an increased risk of single and multiple suicide attempts (P < .05). The magnitude of the aORs in multiple suicide attempters was greater than those in single suicide attempters. Moreover, the adjusted interaction effects for a single suicide attempt between each type of childhood maltreatment and sleep disturbance were all statistically significant in the multivariable multinomial logistic regression models (P < .001). However, the adjusted interaction effects for multiple suicide attempts were not significant (P > .05).

CONCLUSIONS

Maltreatment during one's childhood is associated with an increased risk of single and multiple suicide attempts among older Chinese adolescents. Sleep disturbances play a moderating role in these associations for a single suicide attempt.

Attitudes towards Potential New Tobacco Control Regulations among U.S. Adults

Favorable attitudes towards tobacco control policies can facilitate their implementation and success. We examined attitudes toward four potential U.S. Federal tobacco regulations (banning menthol from cigarettes, reducing nicotine levels in cigarettes, banning candy and fruit flavored electronic cigarettes, and banning candy and fruit flavored little cigars and cigarillos) and associations with individual and state variables. A nationally representative phone survey of 4337 adults assessed attitudes toward potential policies. Weighted logistic regression was used to assess relationships between attitudes and demographic factors, smoking behavior, beliefs about the government (knowledge, trust, and credibility), exposure to tobacco control campaigns, and state variables from the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) State Tobacco Activities Tracking and Evaluation (STATE) System. Most respondents supported three out of four policies. Respondents that were female, non-white, Latino, living below the poverty line, had less than high school education, were of older age, did not smoke, had higher trust in government, and were exposed to national tobacco control campaigns had higher odds of expressing favorable attitudes toward potential new tobacco regulations than did their counterparts. No state-level effects were found. While differences in attitudes were observed by individual demographic characteristics, behaviors, and beliefs, a majority of participants supported most of the potential new tobacco regulations surveyed.

Association between sleep duration, suicidal ideation, and suicidal attempts among Chinese adolescents: The moderating role of depressive symptoms

BACKGROUND

Suicidal ideation and attempts are still currently serious problems among adolescents worldwide, and there is evidence that sleep problem may be associated with increased rates of mental disorder. This study aimed to examine the associations between sleep duration and suicidal ideation and attempts among adolescents and to test whether depressive symptoms have moderating effects on the associations.

METHODS

A 3-stage, stratified cluster, random sampling method was used to collect data from 20,130 high school students in southeast China.

RESULTS

The weighted prevalence of short sleep among Chinese adolescents was 5.6% (95% CI, 5.3-6.0%), and the weighted prevalence of long sleep was 2.7% (95% CI, 2.5-3.0%). The final results demonstrated that short sleep was positively associated with suicidal ideation (AOR=2.28, 95% CI=1.96-2.66) and suicidal attempts (AOR=3.20, 95% CI=2.46-4.16), and long sleep was only significantly associated with suicidal attempts (AOR=2.47, 95% CI=1.70-3.58). Stratification analyses conducted separately for students with and without depressive symptoms demonstrated that depressive symptoms may have moderating effects on the associations between sleep duration and suicidality.

LIMITATIONS

Our study sample only included school students, and causal inference could not be examined due to the cross-sectional design.

CONCLUSIONS

Sleep duration was associated with suicidal ideation and attempts, and the association between sleep duration and suicidal attempts was U-shaped. These findings support that proper treatments services with the potential to restore adolescent normal sleep would be helpful in preventing suicidality among adolescents.

Associations between depression risk, bullying and current smoking among Chinese adolescents: Modulated by gender

This school-based study aimed to investigate the prevalence of being at risk for depression, bullying behavior, and current smoking among Chinese adolescents in order to explore gender differences in the vulnerability of adolescents with these behaviors to develop a smoking habit. A total of 35,893 high school students sampled from high schools in eighteen cities in China participated in the study from 2011 to 2012. Overall, the prevalence of current smoking was estimated at 6.4%. In total, 1.7% (618) of the participants admitted to bullying others, 5.8% (2071) reported being bullied, 3.5% (1269) were involved in both bullying others and being bullied, and 5.6% (2017) were at high risk for depression. Logistic regression analysis indicated that among girls, with high depression risk, bullying others, being bullied, and both bullying others and being bullied were independently and positively associated with current smoking habits, while the final results among boys showed that bullying others and both bullying others and being bullied were independently associated with an increased risk of current smoking. School-based prevention programs are highly recommended, and we should focus on high-risk students, particularly girls with high risk of depression or involved in school bullying and boys who are involved in school bullying.

Perceptions of harm from secondhand smoke exposure among U.S. adults, 2009-2010

Background

Exposure to secondhand smoke (SHS) causes significant disease and death. We assessed the prevalence and correlates of perceptions about the health harm of SHS among U.S. adults at the national and state level.

Methods

Data came from the 2009–2010 National Adult Tobacco Survey, a national landline and cellular telephone survey. Perceptions about the health harms of SHS were assessed as follows: ‘not at all harmful’, ‘somewhat harmful’, and ‘very harmful’. Descriptive statistics were used to assess the prevalence of SHS harm perceptions by tobacco use and sociodemographic factors, including sex, age, race/ethnicity, education, marital status, annual household income, region, sexual orientation, children in the household, and smoke-free law coverage. Logistic regression was used to assess odds of perceiving SHS to be “very harmful” (vs. “not at all harmful” or “somewhat harmful”), adjusting for the aforementioned factors.

Results

Nationally, 64.5 % of adults perceived SHS as ‘very harmful’ (state range: 73.5 % [Utah] to 53.7 % [Kentucky]). By tobacco use, the perception that SHS is ‘very harmful’ was: 76.5 % among nonusers of tobacco; 62.1 % among noncombustible only users; 47.9 % among combustible only users; and 40.8 % among dual combustible and noncombustible users. Following adjustment, the perception that SHS was ‘very harmful’ was higher among females, non-Hispanic minorities and Hispanics, respondents living with children, and states with 100 % smoke-free law coverage. Among current tobacco users the odds of perceiving SHS to be ‘very harmful’ was lower in the Midwest than the West.

Conclusions

Almost two-thirds of American adults perceive SHS as ‘very harmful’; however, currently only half of all Americans are protected by comprehensive state or local smoke-free laws. These findings underscore the importance of public education campaigns to increase awareness of SHS exposure harm and the benefits of smoke-free environments. Expanding comprehensive smoke-free laws could protect all Americans from SHS.

Factors associated with support for smoke-free policies among government workers in Six Chinese cities: a cross-sectional study

Background

A certain level of public support for smoke-free environments is a prerequisite for adoption and enforcement of policies and can be used as an indicator of readiness for legislative action. This study assessed support for comprehensive smoke-free policies in a range of settings such as hotels and colleges among government workers in China and identified factors associated with support for smoke-free policies. Understanding the extent to which government workers, a large segment of the working population in China, report a smoke-free workplace and support for smoke-free policies may be important indicators of readiness for strengthened policies given their role in formulating, implementing and enforcing regulations.

Methods

Data were from an evaluation of the Tobacco Free Cities initiative of Emory University’s Global Health Institute-China Tobacco Control Partnership. Self-administered surveys were completed by 6,646 workers in 160 government agencies in six Chinese cities. Multivariate logistic regression was used to identify factors associated with support for smoke-free worksites, bars, hotels, and colleges.

Results

Over half (54.6%) of participants were male. A large percentage of the male workers smoked (45.9%,) whereas very few women did (1.9%). Fewer than 50% of government workers reported smoke-free policies at work, with 19.0% reporting that smoking is allowed anywhere. Support for smoke-free policies was generally very high, with the lowest levels of support for smoke-free bars (79.0%) and hotels (82.3%), higher levels of support for restaurants (90.0%) and worksites (93.0%), and above 95% support for hospitals, schools, colleges, public transportation and religious settings. Knowledge of the harmfulness of secondhand smoke was positively associated with support for smoke-free policies. Stricter worksite smoking policies were associated with support for smoke-free workplaces and bars, but not hotels and colleges. Women and nonsmokers were more supportive of smoke-free policies in general.

Conclusion

Government workers play important roles in formulating, implementing and enforcing regulations; results suggest support for a more comprehensive approach to smoke-free environments in China among workers across a broad range of agencies.