No abstract

BackgroundYouth e-cigarette use is a major public health concern. Large-scale tobacco prevention campaigns are a proven strategy to prevent tobacco use. There is a gap in understanding what types of e-cigarette prevention messages might be most effective. This study addresses this gap by reporting youth reactions to health messages aimed at preventing e-cigarette use.MethodsIn 2018, twenty-four focus groups, with 159 teens (12–17) at risk for or experimenting with e-cigarettes were conducted in four cities across the USA. During focus groups, youth responded to creative concepts dealing with (1) the addictive nature of e-cigarettes, (2) the fact that e-cigarettes come in flavours, which may encourage youth initiation, and nicotine which may lead to addiction, or (3) that youth who use e-cigarettes are more likely to use cigarettes. Youth also gave feedback to specific facts about harmful and potentially harmful chemicals in e-cigarettes. Transcripts were analysed using thematic analysis.ResultsMessages focusing on addiction alone did not resonate with participants. While youth found the idea that e-cigarettes may contain nicotine and can be addictive believable, with many describing personal experiences of addiction, they questioned how bad this really was, comparing addiction to e-cigarettes to things like being addicted to food. Participants wanted more information about negative consequences of vaping. Concepts paired with strong health effects messages resonated with participants.ConclusionThese focus groups clarified which e-cigarette prevention messages might be most persuasive to teens. Youth in this study responded favourably to messages stating specific health consequences of e-cigarette use.

In the United States, the reported prevalence of lupus is 100,000 to 500,000 patients. Lupus disproportionately affects minority populations, including African Americans and Latinos, and the associated health disparities are substantial. Women are at a higher risk of lupus than men and lupus prevalence is the highest in African Americans and Latinos compared to non-Hispanic whites. African Americans and Latinos also have increased disease symptom severity, experience more lupus-related complications, and have a two- to three-fold mortality rate compared to non-Hispanic Whites. Lupus clinical trials offer opportunities for quality care and can result in new treatment options, but African Americans and Latinos are underrepresented in clinical trials because of substantial patient- and provider-side barriers. In conjunction with the limited knowledge of clinical trials that potential participants may have, the healthcare staff approaching participants have limited time to adequately educate and explain the aspects of clinical trials. Indeed, ninety percent of clinical trials fail to meet their recruitment goals on time, so a multi-faceted approach is necessary to address the issue of low minority participation in clinical trials.

The misuse of prescription drugs by teens in the United States is a growing public health problem. This article provides a systematic synthesis of multiple strands of literature to recommend effective prevention methods. Using a social-ecological framework, we review the scope of the problem of prescription drug use among teens. Then, we analyze the multiple factors that may influence teen knowledge and attitudes toward prescription drugs and discuss the important challenges related to the construction of effective prevention programs. Finally, we provide recommendations for practice that attempt to overcome these challenges.

The purpose of the current study was to examine differences in responses of older adults (age 55 and above) and younger adults (ages 18 to 54) to the Drug Abuse Problem Assessment for Primary Care (DAPA-PC), a computerized drug and alcohol abuse screening instrument developed for primary care settings. Data were collected from a diverse population of 327 adults presenting for care at The George Washington University Medical Faculty Associates clinic in downtown Washington, DC. Results indicated that rates of drug and alcohol abuse were similar in both groups. However, older adults were less likely than younger adults to perceive their drug use as problematic. This finding has serious implications for older adults, who tend to be underrepresented in treatment programs. There is a need for screening seniors and identifying those who may be at risk for substance abuse problems. Differences in responses to alcohol and drug assessments by age should be taken into consideration when designing screening instruments. The results of this study suggest that the DAPA-PC would provide a useful instrument for screening older adults in a primary care setting.