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Tag: Public Health

  • E-Cigarettes 95% Safer? Not So Fast, Says Top Medical Journal

    E-Cigarettes 95% Safer? Not So Fast, Says Top Medical Journal

    The Lancet, one of the world’s oldest and best-known medical journals, has blasted a widely-publicized report that said e-cigarettes are 95% safer than regular, combustible tobacco.

    “Tobacco is the largest single cause of preventable deaths in England—e-cigarettes may have a part to play to curb tobacco use. But the reliance by PHE on work that the authors themselves accept is methodologically weak, and which is made all the more perilous by the declared conflicts of interest surrounding its funding, raises serious questions not only about the conclusions of the PHE report,” writes the Lancet editorial team.

    The report, from Public Health England, said that e-cigarettes can help smokers quit and are 95% less harmful than regular cigarettes.

    “Many people think the risks of e-cigarettes are the same as smoking tobacco and this report clarifies the truth of this. In a nutshell, best estimates show e-cigarettes are 95% less harmful to your health than normal cigarettes, and when supported by a smoking cessation service, help most smokers to quit tobacco altogether,” said the report.

    “Smokers who have tried other methods of quitting without success could be encouraged to try e-cigarettes (EC) to stop smoking and stop smoking services should support smokers using EC to quit by offering them behavioral support. Encouraging smokers who cannot or do not want to stop smoking to switch to EC could help reduce smoking related disease, death and health inequalities. There is no evidence that EC are undermining the long-term decline in cigarette smoking among adults and youth, and may in fact be contributing to it. Despite some experimentation with EC among never smokers, EC are attracting very few people who have never smoked into regular EC use,” it says.

    But The Lancet calls into question the report, saying the papers it is based upon are faulty at their core.

    “[N]either PHE nor McNeill and Hajek report the caveats that Nutt and colleagues themselves emphasised in their paper. First, there was a “lack of hard evidence for the harms of most products on most of the criteria”. Second, “there was no formal criterion for the recruitment of the experts”. In other words, the opinions of a small group of individuals with no prespecified expertise in tobacco control were based on an almost total absence of evidence of harm. It is on this extraordinarily flimsy foundation that PHE based the major conclusion and message of its report.”

    “The study led by Nutt was funded by Euroswiss Health and Lega Italiana Anti Fumo (LIAF). Riccardo Polosa, one of the authors of the Nutt paper, is the Chief Scientific Advisor to LIAF. In the paper, he reports serving as a consultant to Arbi Group Srl, an e-cigarette distributor. His research on e-cigarettes is currently supported by LIAF. Another author reports serving as a consultant to manufacturers of smoking cessation products. The editors of the journal added a note at the end of the paper warning readers about the “potential conflict of interest” associated with this work.”

    PHE has responded, standing by its findings.

    “We concluded that these new studies do not in fact demonstrate substantial new
    risks and that the previous estimate by an international expert panel (Nutt et al,
    2014) endorsed in an expert review (West et al, 2014) that e-cigarette use is
    around 95% safer than smoking, remains valid as the current best estimate based
    on the peer-reviewed literature,” says PHE.

    Image via Vaping360, Flickr Creative Commons

  • E-Cigarettes Are 95% Less Harmful Than Smoking, Says UK Report

    E-Cigarettes Are 95% Less Harmful Than Smoking, Says UK Report

    According to a UK health agency, electronic cigarettes (e-cigarettes) are about 95% less harmful than smoking, according to its best estimate.

    “I want to see these products coming to the market as licensed medicines. This would provide assurance on the safety, quality and efficacy to consumers who want to use these products as quitting aids, especially in relation to the flavorings used, which is where we know least about any inhalation risks,” says the government’s chief medical officer, Sally Davies.

    The report, from Public Health England, is the first of its kind in the UK.

    “Many people think the risks of e-cigarettes are the same as smoking tobacco and this report clarifies the truth of this. In a nutshell, best estimates show e-cigarettes are 95% less harmful to your health than normal cigarettes, and when supported by a smoking cessation service, help most smokers to quit tobacco altogether,” says the report.

    The report suggests that smoking cessation services should recommend e-cigarettes as a tool to quit smoking, and that there is no evidence that e-cigarettes undermine the current decline in real cigarette smoking.

    “Smokers who have tried other methods of quitting without success could be encouraged to try e-cigarettes (EC) to stop smoking and stop smoking services should support smokers using EC to quit by offering them behavioral support. Encouraging smokers who cannot or do not want to stop smoking to switch to EC could help reduce smoking related disease, death and health inequalities. There is no evidence that EC are undermining the long-term decline in cigarette smoking among adults and youth, and may in fact be contributing to it. Despite some experimentation with EC among never smokers, EC are attracting very few people who have never smoked into regular EC use,” it says.

    According to The Guardian, those responsible for the report still feel that “there continues to be a lack of evidence on the long-term use of e-cigarettes” and “they should only be used as a means to help smokers quit.”

    Image via Vaping360, Flickr Creative Commons

  • Flu Scare Leads to Public Health Emergency in Boston

    Botson Mayor Thomas Menino this week declared a public health emergency in Boston due to what could become one of the worst flu seasons in nearly a decade. Earlier this week, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention warned that cases of the flu are picking up across the U.S., hitting levels that have been seen during moderately severe flu seasons.

    The city of Boston stated that around 700 confirmed cases of the flu have been reported in the city – ten times the 70 cases reported in the whole of last year’s season. Over 4% of all emergency room visits at Boston hospitals are now due to the flu. In response, the Boston Public Health Commission is working with community health centers to provide free flu vaccination clinics over the weekend.

    “This is the worst flu season we’ve seen since 2009, and people should take the threat of flu seriously,” said Mayor Menino. “This is not only a health concern, but also an economic concern for families, and I’m urging residents to get vaccinated if they haven’t already. It’s the best thing you can do to protect yourself and your family. If you’re sick, please stay home from work or school.”

    Like many of the flu cases seen across the U.S. this year, the cases in Boston have been particularly severe. 25% of the flu cases reported in Boston have required hospitalization, and four senior Bostonians have died from flu-related illnesses since the beginning of October.

    (Image via Jared C. Benedict/Wikimedia Commons)

  • Smartphones Linked to Teen Sex, Says Study

    A new study shows that the use of smartphones is associated with an increased likelihood both of teens being solicited for sex via the internet and of having sex with someone they met online.

    The study was conducted by researchers at the University of Southern California’s School of Social Work and presented this week American Public Health Association’s 140th annual meeting in San Francisco. It looked at a survey of 1,839 students from age 12 to 18 in the Los Angeles unified School District. Overall, around one-third of those surveyed reported using their phone to access the internet. The results were controlled for a variety of factors, including age, race, gender, and sexual orientation.

    The findings show that teens with smartphones are 1.5 times more likely to report being sexually active. The study also shows that teens with smartphones are nearly two times more likely to have been approached for sex via the internet and two times more likely to have engaged in sex with someone they met online. 5% of of those surveyed reported using the internet to find sex and 17% reported being approached for sex by a stranger over the internet.

    “We – parents, health educators, physicians – must recognize that cell phones are yet another new way for adolescents to meet sex partners,” said Hailey Winetrobe, a public health researcher at USC. “Parents and school health professionals should talk to their teens about being safe in meeting people online and in using condoms to prevent sexually transmitted infections and unplanned pregnancies.”

    The researchers emphasized that the very channels that enable this type of behavior could be the same channels used to educate teens about sex. They stated that the internet and smartphone apps are “prime venues” for sexual health programs targeted at teens.

  • Obesity Rates Prediction: U.S. Will Get Even Fatter

    A report released today predicts that by the year 2030, 13 U.S. states could have obesity rates above 60% and 39 could have rates above 50%.

    The report, titled F as in Fat: How Obesity Threatens America’s Future 2012, was released by the Trust for America’s Health (TFAH) and the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation (RWJF). The TFAH is a non-profit organization dedicated to protecting citizens’ health and preventing disease. The RWJF is a philanthropic organization dedicated to public health.

    According to the report, all 50 states could have obesity rates above 44% by 2030. A CDC report released last month indicates that the current fattest state in America, Mississippi, has an obesity rate of 35%. In the report released today, it is predicted that a full two-thirds (66.7%) of Mississippians could be obese by 2030.

    “This study shows us two futures for America’s health,” said Dr. Risa Lavizzo-Mourey, RWJF CEO. “At every level of government, we must pursue policies that preserve health, prevent disease and reduce health care costs. Nothing less is acceptable.”

    As a consequence of the predicted weight gains, the report also anticipates huge rises in the medical costs associated with obesity. It predicts that in 2030 medical costs due to obesity-related diseases could increase $48 billion to $66 billion per year in the U.S., up from the $147 billion to $210 billion the report estimates it already costs the U.S. today. It also estimates that loss-of-productivity costs due to obesity could rise to $390 billion to $580 billion yearly.

    “We know a lot more about how to prevent obesity than we did 10 years ago,” said Jeff Levi, executive director of TFAH. “This report outlines how policies like increasing physical activity time in schools and making fresh fruits and vegetables more affordable can help make healthier choices easier. Small changes can add up to a big difference. Policy changes can help make healthier choices easier for Americans in their daily lives.”

    In addition to more physical activity, fruit, and vegetables, the report also recommends that public policy be implemented to curb the rise in obesity. It suggests updating nutrition standards for snack food and beverages in schools and raising school meal standards by implementing the Healthy, Hunger-Free Kids Act . It also recommends investing in evidence-based obesity-prevention programs, making physical activity a priority for Elementary and Secondary education, and implementing other legislation related to nutrition, public health, and marketing food to children.

    The report based its projections on a model published in The Lancet in 2011, using data from the CDC. Adults are currently considered obese if their body mass index (BMI) is 30 or higher.