Predictors of intentions to use cigarettes and electronic-cigarettes among high school students.

PURPOSE: Tobacco is the second most commonly used drug by Spanish high school students and e-cigarette use has increased over the last three years among this population. Students who reported smoking tobacco and/or e-cigarette use often have friends and family that also consume these substances. The aims of the present study were to: determine the prevalence of tobacco and electronic cigarette consumption among young adolescents, the age of initiation and the intention to consume both of these substances in the future; study the relationships between their current tobacco and e-cigarette consumption status, intentions to consume these substances in the future and the consumption of these substances by family members living in their home and friend's consumption status; investigate the relationship between their current tobacco and e-cigarette consumption status, friends' consumption status and their intention to consume each substance in the future; analyse the relationship between current consumption status, intentions to consume in the future and perceived risk; identify the main predictors of intentions to use these substances in the future. METHODS: A cross-sectional survey was conducted in 2017. The sample consisted of 468 school students in the first cycle of secondary education in Catalonia, Spain. The participants who were aged between 11 and 15 years old, with 49.4% being female. RESULTS: A stepwise binary logistic regression showed that the best predictors of the intention to smoke tobacco in the future were: having tried tobacco, being a current consumer, having a family member smoking at home and having a low perceived risk of smoking. The best predictors of the intention to use electronic cigarettes in the future were: having tried tobacco, being a current consumer and having friends who smoke or use electronic cigarettes. CONCLUSION: Smoking prevention programs must consider the social network surrounding teenagers, particularly close friends and family. Intervention strategies for delaying the onset of tobacco or e-cigarette consumption are greatly needed.

The Connor-Davidson Resilience Scale (CD-RISC) amongst Young Spanish Adults / La escala de resiliencia de Connor-Davidson en adultos españoles jóvenes

The interest in resilience has grown over the last few decades due to its relationships with health, well-being, and quality of life. Several instruments have been developed to measure resilience, with one of the most common being the Connor-Davidson Resilience Scale (CD-RISC). This scale has been validated in many cultures with divergent results. This paper investigates the factor structure of the CD-RISC. Participants were 3,214 students (62.1% female, mean age = 21.01, SD = 2.86) who were randomly divided into two equal subsamples (n = 1,607). One subsample was used to explore which models best fit the data and these models were fitted using the other subsample. Confirmatory factor analysis did not support the original 5-factor CD-RISC. The analyses supported unidimensional scale structures for both the 22-item and 10-item versions of the scale. The shorter instrument reduces the time needed to answer the questionnaire, allows it to be combined with other instruments, and does not require large sample sizes

El interés por el estudio de la resiliencia ha aumentado en las últimas décadas debido a su relación con la salud, el bienestar y la calidad de vida. Se han desarrollado diversos instrumentos para medir la resiliencia, siendo uno de los más comunes la Escala de Resiliencia de Connor-Davidson (CD-RISC). Esta escala ha sido validada en muchas culturas con resultados diversos. En este trabajo se analiza la estructura factorial del CD-RISC en una muestra de 3,214 estudiantes (62.1% mujeres, edad media =21.01, DT = 2.86) que fueron divididos aleatoriamente en dos submuestras iguales (n = 1,607). Se exploró en una de las submuestras qué modelos se ajustaban mejor a los datos y estos modelos fueron ajustados en la otra submuestra. El análisis factorial confirmatorio no avaló la estructura de 5 factores del CD-RISC, sino que confirmó una estructura unidimensional de 22 y de 10 items. La escala de 10 items reduce el tiempo de aplicación del cuestionario, permite combinarlo con otros instrumentos y no requiere muestras muy grandes

Organizing palliative care in the rural areas of Iran: are family physician-based approaches suitable?

INTRODUCTION: The provision of palliative end-of-life care (P/EOLc) for patients, wherever they live, is an increasingly important service, particularly given the increasing rates of cancer and other life-threatening diseases in Iran. However, unfortunately, those living in the rural areas of Iran are greatly disadvantaged with respect to this type of care. Therefore, the present study explored the feasibility of organizing P/EOLc in the rural areas of Iran. METHODS: In this qualitative study, two focus group (FG) discussions were held in Tabriz (Iran) with rural family physicians (FPs, n=23) and key P/EOLc stakeholders (n=13). The FG sessions were recorded, transcribed, and the transcriptions checked by participants before the data were subjected to content analysis. RESULTS: While most FPs indicated that they did not have sufficient involvement in providing P/EOLc, they emphasized the necessity of providing P/EOLc through four main themes and 25 subthemes. The four main themes were labeled as "structures and procedures," "health care provider teams," "obstacles," and "strategies or solutions." Furthermore, according to the main themes and subthemes identified here, the key stakeholders believed that the Iranian health system and the FPs' team have the potential to provide P/EOLc services in rural areas. CONCLUSION: The most feasible strategy for providing P/EOLc in Iranian rural areas would be to use the current health care framework and base the process around the FP.

The impact of an industry-based rehabilitation programme.

An industry specific rehabilitation programme was developed to cater for the special requirements of the New Zealand logging industry. The aims of the rehabilitation programme were to: reduce the amount of time lost due to injury, reduce the number of lost time injuries, and overall, to reduce the direct costs associated with logging injuries. The programme was field-tested on a logging company. The rehabilitation programme was effective for reducing the average amount of time lost due to injury and also for reducing the cost of the injuries. Although there were a number of factors that may have had an impact upon these results, this research provides evidence that this rehabilitation programme was effective for reducing the severity and cost of injury to the New Zealand logging industry.