Association between smoking and alcohol use in the general population: stable and unstable odds ratios across two years in two different countries.

AIMS: The main objective of this article was to compare alcohol and tobacco consumption in the US and the Basque Country (the North of Spain) with particular attention to the association between alcohol and tobacco use. The consistency of findings was considered by analyzing data from two different years. These comparisons may provide a rational basis for exploring the associations between alcohol and cigarette use that are influenced by changes in use prevalences. METHODS: Two epidemiological samples from the US, obtained in 1992 and 1996, and two from the Basque Country, obtained in the same years, were used. Sampling methodologies were similar. Questionnaires were self-administrated with the help of interviewers, and were used to define ever smokers, ex-smokers, current smokers, heavy smokers, ever drinkers, ex-drinkers, current drinkers and weekly drinkers. The associations between smoking and alcohol drinking were explored through logistic regressions. RESULTS: The associations between current smoking and current drinking in the general population, and between ever smoking and weekly drinking among current drinkers appear very stable. In 1992 and 1996, US subjects who decided to try alcohol tended to try smoking and vice versa. In US Caucasians (particularly in 1996), heavy smoking was strongly associated with ever drinking among current smokers. In the Basque Country in 1992, there was a significant association between smoking cessation and drinking cessation among ever drinkers who also were ever smokers. CONCLUSIONS: Our analyses suggest that some associations between alcohol drinking and smoking behaviours are likely to be detected in Western countries where alcohol and nicotine are legal and easily available. On the other hand, other associations may be detected only in certain social contexts. These social contexts make the associations in subpopulations who are vulnerable to addiction, influence the results in the general population. In social contexts that exert considerable social pressure to quit smoking, such as in US Caucasians (particularly in 1996), heavy smoking was strongly associated with ever drinking among current smokers. When a social environment strongly discourages smoking and alcohol initiation (as in the US in 1992 and 1996), subjects who decide to try alcohol tend to try smoking and vice versa. The lack of social stigmatization of smoking and drinking in the Basque Country in 1992 may help to explain the significant association between smoking cessation and drinking cessation among ever drinkers who also were ever smokers.

Validez del cuestionario de calidad de vida SF-36 como indicador de resultados de procedimientos médicos y quirúrgicos / Clinical usefunlness of the SF-36 in several clinical problems

Objetivo: Estudiar la utilidad clínica del cuestionario genérico de calidad de vida relacionada con la salud (CVRS) SF-36 en los servicios de asistencia sanitaria. Método: Se llevó a cabo un estudio descriptivo con 691 pacientes con distintos diagnósticos médicos reclutados en el ámbito de consultas externas de un hospital general. Los grupos diagnósticos fueron cáncer de pulmón (CP) y hematológico (CH), osteoartrosis de cadera (OAC), trastornos de la alimentación (TA) y enfermedad inflamatoria intestinal crónica (EIIC). Los pacientes incluidos en el estudio cumplimentaron el SF-36, un instrumento genérico de CVRS. Con los pacientes con OAC que iban a ser operados de prótesis de cadera (PC) fue realizado un estudio de seguimiento antes y después de la intervención. Resultados: Los pacientes con TA presentaban puntuaciones bajas en las áreas mentales, funcionamiento social y rol físico. Aquellos con CP contaban con valores bajos en todas las áreas del SF-36, que eran menores en las físicas y ligeramente más bajas que en los pacientes con CH. Los pacientes con OAC presentaban un impacto importante en las áreas físicas, principalmente en el área de dolor corporal; las mejoras tras la intervención eran mayores en las áreas físicas. Aquellos pacientes con EIIC, evidenciaban afección principal en el área de salud general. Conclusiones: El SF-36 es capaz de discriminar entre distintas enfermedades. Estos resultados apoyan su validez discriminante como un indicador para la evaluación de resultados de procedimientos médicos entre centros y entre grupos de pacientes (AU)