ECAM: A low-cost vaping device for generating and collecting electronic cigarette condensate for in vitro studies.

The use of electronic cigarettes (ECs) has become widespread despite many unknowns around their long-term health impact. ECs work by vapourising a liquid, known as an e-liquid, typically consisting of propylene glycol, glycerol, flavourings and nicotine. The chemical constituents and resultant impact on cells and tissue are dependent on several factors, including the flavourings used, the vaping topography/use pattern, and the device used. ECAM (Electronic Cigarette Aerosol Machine) is an open source, portable device for creating EC aerosol - for condensate collection and in vitro studies - using a controlled methodology. ECAM was developed as a low cost, automated, and customisable alternative to commercial devices. ECAM consists of a micro diaphragm gas pump to draw air/EC aerosol through the system. The device is automated using an Arduino and solenoid pinch valves are used to alternate between air and EC vapour. Condensate is collected in a vial within a cold-water bath. Each ECAM unit uses a temperature/humidity sensor to measure ambient air conditions and a differential pressure sensor to determine the pressure within the system. ECAM is programmed to adhere to International Standards Organisation 20768:2018. The design files, source code, and build instructions for this device can be found at https://dx.doi.org/10.17605/OSF.IO/3NGU4.

Identifying trajectories of adolescent smoking: an application of latent growth mixture modeling.

The goal of the current study was to identify discrete longitudinal patterns of change in adolescent smoking using latent growth mixture modeling. Five distinct longitudinal patterns were identified. A group of early rapid escalators was characterized by early escalation (at age 13) that rapidly increased to heavy smoking. A pattern characterized by occasional puffing up until age 15, at which time smoking escalated to moderate levels was also identified (late moderate escalators). Another group included adolescents who, after age 15, began to escalate slowly in their smoking to light (0.5 cigarettes per month) levels (late slow escalators). Finally, a group of stable light smokers (those who smoked 1-2 cigarettes per month) and a group of stable puffers (those who smoked only a few puffs per month) were also identified. The stable puffer group was the largest group and represented 25% of smokers.

Use of medical care by African American and White older persons: comparative analysis of three national data sets.

Historically, there has been a large gap between African Americans and Whites in access to health care, but this gap was ostensibly lessened by the advent of Medicare and Medicaid for older adults in the mid 1960s. The extent to which older African Americans continue to receive less access to medical care as a result of economic inequalities, institutionalized forms of discrimination, and life-style factors remains a subject of policy debate. Empirical enquiry has produced inconsistent results. The purpose of this study is to test the same set of models of medical use using identically measured predictor variables in three nationally representative data sets of older Americans: 1984 Study of Aging (SOA); 1984 National Long-Term Care Survey (NLTC); and the 1987 National Medical Care Expenditure Survey (NMES). Multivariate logistic regression of use of physician and hospital services and Poisson regression of amount of service use identified inconsistent results in race differences across data sets, but consistent results in terms of the importance of health status and insurance as predictors of use and amount of use. The findings suggest that health status and financial resources may be more relevant areas for policy interventions than considerations related to race and ethnicity.

Minority use of community long-term care services: a comparative analysis.

A series of national surveys since 1982 have examined health needs of elders. Small proportions of minority elders in each sample have limited our understanding of service use by minorities. This research sought to determine (1) the extent to which minorities have restricted use of community long-term care services as a result of socioeconomic status, family structure, and health status, and (2) the replicability and validity of results across three national surveys: Supplement on Aging, National Long-Term Care, and National Medical Expenditure. Results indicate no bivariate or multivariate differences between African American, Hispanic, or White frail older persons in use of community long-term services. Living arrangements, Medicaid use, and overall health and functional status were primary predictors of service use. Taking methodological limitations into account, the results suggest similarity in processes influencing use of community long-term care services for African American and White older persons.

The worksite environment as a cue to smoking reduction.

With a modified version of the Health Belief Model as the conceptual framework, the hypothesis that exposure to a worksite health-promoting environment acted as a cue to smoking reduction among 310 smokers was tested with a quasi-experimental design. Using path analysis (LISREL), the total effects on posttest smoking were decomposed. Results showed exposure to the health-promoting environment had statistically significant direct and indirect effects on posttest smoking. The indirect effect was through the posttest perceived barriers variable. The LISREL model explained 74% of the variance in smoking reduction and fit the data satisfactorily. The importance of developing the worksite as a health-promoting force is discussed.

Race, control, mastery, and caregiver distress.

This study investigated the relationship between race, psychological resources of sense of control and caregiver mastery, and distress outcomes of caregiver depression and role stain among 77 African American and 138 White spouse caregivers of persons with dementia. Patterns of association between psychological resources and caregiving distress outcomes varied by type of outcome. Sense of control had a direct negative relationship with depression. Caregiver mastery moderated the effects of stressors on depression and was the only significant psychological resource predicting role strain. Although African American caregivers were less likely to report caregiver depression and role strain, there were no race differences in the process influencing caregiver distress.

Attitudes and practices for smoking cessation counseling by provider type and patient age.

Attitudes and self-reported practices for smoking cessation counseling among 145 providers at a health maintenance organization were compared among two provider groups, physicians/nurse practitioners and registered/licensed practical nurses, and across three patient age groups, < 50, 50-64, and > or = 65. Smoking cessation attitudes did not differ by provider type but they did differ by patient age, especially among the registered/licensed practical nurses, whose attitudes were least favorable for the oldest smokers (> or = 65). While smoking cessation practices did not differ by patient age, they did differ by provider type. Self-reported performance of the 4 As of smoking cessation practice (Ask, Advise, Assist, Arrange) was more frequent among the physicians/nurse practitioners than among the registered/licensed practical nurses. However, among both groups, asking and advising practices were reported more often than were assisting and arranging. In all cases, different attitudes were correlated with different practice behaviors for the two provider groups. Also, there were more significant correlations between age-specific attitudes and practices among the registered/licensed practical nurses than among the physicians/nurse practitioners. This was true especially regarding the oldest patients. The findings suggest a need for provider education, especially among registered/licensed practical nurses, about the benefits of smoking cessation for patients of all ages and the potential effectiveness of provider-based intervention strategies that are targeted toward specific age groups. The findings also suggest that assisting and arranging practices in particular need improvement among all types of providers.

Changes in sources of community long-term care among African American and white frail older persons.

This study examined race differences in changes in source of long-term care. We addressed the following questions: (1) Are there differences between African Americans and Whites in the patterns of transitions among community longterm care, institutionalization, and death? (2) Are there differences between African American and White populations in sociodemographic characteristics and functional limitations influencing source of long-term care in a two-year follow-up sample? (3) Controlling for socioeconomic status, health status, level of informal care, and demographic variables, are there differences between African Americans and Whites in patterns of change to informal and mixed (informal and formal) care among community-dwelling frail older persons? and, (4) What are the predictors of change patterns within African American and White populations of older frail persons? The source of data is the longitudinal component of the 1982-1984 National Long Term Care Survey (NLTCS). Results of multinomial logistic analysis indicate few differences in change patterns, despite differences in the context of care among African American and White frail older persons.

Alternative models of the stress buffering hypothesis.

The interactive effects of life events and social support on a DSM-III diagnosis of major depressive episode and on number of depressive symptoms were examined. Data are from a stratified random sample of 3,732 community-dwelling adults. The paper focuses on differences between linear probability models and logistic regression models with regard to the definition, detection, and interpretation of interaction effects. Results indicate that conclusions about the interaction of life events and social support are model dependent. Using a linear probability model, significant event by support interactions were observed for both depressive symptoms and major depression. Using logistic regression, which estimates interactions in terms of odds ratios, no significant event by support interactions were observed. Discussion addresses the interpretive implications of modeling interaction in terms of probability differences versus odds ratios.