Short term effects of cigarette smoking on hospitalisation and associated lost workdays in a young healthy population.

OBJECTIVE: There are relatively few published studies conducted among people of younger ages examining short term outcomes of cigarette smoking, and only a small number with outcomes important to employers. The present study was designed to assess the short term effects of smoking on hospitalisation and lost workdays. DESIGN: Retrospective cohort study. SETTING: Military population. SUBJECTS: 87 991 men and women serving on active duty in the US Army during 1987 to 1998 who took a health risk appraisal two or more times and were followed for an average of 2.4 years. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: Rate ratios for hospitalisations and lost workdays, and fraction of hospitalisations and lost workdays attributable to current smoking (population attributable fraction). RESULTS: Compared with never smokers, men and women who were current smokers had higher short term rates of hospitalisation and lost workdays for a broad range of conditions. Population attributable fractions (PAFs) for outcomes not related to injury or pregnancy were 7.5% (men) and 5.0% (women) for hospitalisation, and 14.1% (men) and 3.0% (women) for lost workdays. Evidence suggests that current smoking may have been under reported in this cohort, in which case the true PAFs would be higher than those reported. CONCLUSIONS: In this young healthy population, substantial fractions of hospitalisations and lost workdays were attributable to current smoking, particularly among men.

Depression and anxiety in young children of substance abusers.

144 5- to 13-yr.-old children of substance abusers, enrolled in an expressive arts therapy program, were tested for depression on the Children's Depression Inventory and for anxiety on the Revised Children's Manifest Anxiety Scale prior to treatment. Total scores for anxiety were significantly higher for girls than for boys; however, total depression scores did not differ between boys and girls. Analysis of subscale scores on each of the tests indicated several sex differences. Age was positively correlated with certain symptoms of depression for boys but not for girls. Conversely, age was negatively correlated with certain symptoms of anxiety for boys but not for girls. When compared to known norms for these assessments, girls scored significantly higher on total Depression but not differently than normals on total Anxiety. Boys, however, scored significantly lower on total Anxiety but did not score differently than normals on total Depression. We interpreted these findings as indicating that young children of substance abusers may be at risk for certain symptoms of anxiety and depression following their parents' addiction. Also, these symptoms may be manifest differently by boys and girls of various ages.