Relationship between health literacy in substance use and alcohol consumption and tobacco use among adolescents, Northeast Thailand.

BACKGROUND: Health literacy (HL) is an important role-play in health risk behaviors such as alcohol drinking and smoking. Inadequate HL in substance use (HLSU) is a barrier to reduce the risk of alcohol and tobacco use. This study aims to investigate the association of HLSU with alcohol consumption and tobacco use among Thai adolescents. Hence, the strengthening of HL program intervention may applied to reduce substance abuse among Thai adolescents. MATERIALS AND METHODS: This was a cross-sectional study conducted on 1087 university students studying in three universities located in northeastern area with multistage sampling methods by geographical areas. The data were collected by self-administered questionnaire. Multiple logistic regression was applied to determine the effect of HLSU of alcohol consumption and tobacco use. RESULTS: Most adolescents were drinkers (60.7%) and about 20.7% were smokers. Approximately 40% of them reported as inadequate HLSU. Adolescents with inadequate HLSU and a high level of positive alcohol expectancies and smoking outcome expectancies (SOE) were more likely to drink alcohol and smoke. Conversely, those who had a high level of negative alcohol drinking and SOE were less likely to consume alcohol and tobacco. CONCLUSION: Adolescents' alcohol consumption and tobacco use were influenced by HL, hence improving adolescents' HLSU could help prevent or reduce the risk of drinking and smoking behaviors.

The Perceived Stigma of Addiction and Treatment Utilization among Cannabis Addicts in Thailand.

CONTEXT: A major social problem among clients with substance use disorders is stigmatization related to health conditions, which contributes to poor mental and physical health circumstances and becomes hazardous to substance abuse treatment. Meanwhile, decreased stigmatization among cannabis users might occur because some people use cannabis without experiencing harm or believe it to be a harmless substance and might not be receiving treatment. Several studies have investigated stigma toward substance use disorder and treatment. However, less is known about how stigmatization influences treatment. AIMS: To investigate the association between the perceived stigma of addiction and treatment utilization among cannabis addicts. MATERIALS AND METHODS: A cross-sectional design was conducted with consecutive sampling techniques among 977 cannabis users recruited from all 7 compulsory drug detention centers in Thailand. The data were collected by standardized interviewers with a structured interviewing questionnaire. Binary logistic regression was applied to determine the effect of perceived stigma of treatment utilization. RESULTS: Most clients were male (84.5%), had a family history of drug problems (54.5%), and had a history of mental health problems (5.1%). Most of them reported moderate-to-high levels of perceived stigma (87.2%) and received treatment (28.9%). Greater perceived stigma was associated with decreased treatment for cannabis abuse. CONCLUSIONS: The perceived stigma of addiction is a barrier to cannabis abuse treatment utilization. Thus, a better understanding of stigma could reduce its negative impact on seeking and engaging in treatment.

The Perceived Neighborhood Crime and Hazardous Alcohol Use Among Youth in University of the Northeastern Thailand Context.

BACKGROUND: The residents' perceptions of the crime and lack of safety with their neighborhood environment, associated with stress that confers risk for drinking. While many studies have focused on adult drinking, less is known about how subjective neighborhood crime influences drinking during adolescent. We aimed to determine the association of perceived neighborhood crime and youth alcohol use. STUDY DESIGN: A cross-sectional study. METHODS: This study was conducted on 1087 university youths from 30 neighborhood clusters in Northeastern Thailand from May 2019 to Mar 2020. The data were collected by self-administered questionnaire. A multilevel logistic regression model was applied to examine the effect of perceived neighborhood crime on hazardous alcohol use. RESULTS: Most of youths were female, approximately 60.7% reported hazardous alcohol use, and the average perceived neighborhood crime score was 65.1 (standard deviation, 2.1). The perceived neighborhood crime was associated with hazardous alcohol use; a 1-unit increase in the scores for perceived neighborhood crime corresponded to a 20% increase in hazardous alcohol use. The role of perceived neighborhood crime on alcohol use varied among males, but not females. CONCLUSION: The perceived neighborhood crime plays a role in the increase likelihood of hazardous alcohol use. The consideration of neighborhood crime context is important to design the alcohol preventive and intervention strategies.

Preoperative Ultrasound Evaluation of the Semitendinosus Tendon for Anterior Cruciate Ligament Reconstruction.

BACKGROUND: Adequate graft size and length are crucial factors that correlate with improved outcomes after anterior cruciate ligament reconstruction with a semitendinosus (ST) tendon autograft alone. Anthropometric parameters could be used as predictors of graft measurements but they have shown imprecise correlation in some patients. PURPOSE: To evaluate the accuracy of ultrasound (US) for the preoperative evaluation of ST graft size and length. STUDY DESIGN: Cohort study (diagnosis); Level of evidence, 3. METHODS: A total of 40 patients were included in this study. Patient sex, age, anthropometric parameters, and preoperative US measurements were recorded. After the ST tendons were harvested, their lengths as well as the diameters of the 4-strand ST grafts were recorded. Correlations between patient US measurements were analyzed. Inadequate ST graft length was defined at <28 cm, and inadequate 4-strand ST graft diameter was defined at <8 mm. RESULTS: The prevalence of patients with an ST graft length <28 cm was 47.5%, and the prevalence of patients with a 4-strand ST graft diameter <8 mm was 42.5%. US measurements had a strong, significant correlation with the ST graft length (P < .001) and a moderate correlation with the 4-strand ST graft diameter (P < .001). Absolute agreement between the preoperative US measurement of ST graft length and the intraoperative ST graft length showed good reliability (ICC2,1 = 0.825). The cross-sectional area (CSA) of the ST tendon at the knee joint level by US showed a weak correlation (r = 0.207) with the 4-strand ST graft diameter (P = .200). A CSA of 16 mm2 measured by US could be used to predict a 4-strand ST graft diameter ≥8 mm, with a sensitivity of 73.9% and specificity of 76.5%. CONCLUSION: Preoperative US measurements of ST tendons had a strong correlation with intraoperative ST graft length and provided good sensitivity to detect a 4-strand ST graft diameter ≥8 mm. All other anthropometric parameters showed a weak to moderate correlation with ST graft length and size.