Mapping research on LGBT+ persons' health: a bibliometric analysis.

AIMS: Lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and other people (LGBT+) individuals may have a greater risk of experiencing mental and physical health issues. In the past years, the predominant theme of research was HIV/AIDS and sexually transmitted infections (STIs). This study aimed to explore the most recent patterns in medical research concerning LGBT+ persons. METHODS: A bibliometric analysis using Biblioshiny was conducted. Based on previous studies, years of observation ranged between 2008 and 2021. Web of Science Core Collection was used. RESULTS: A total of 31,039 articles were selected. Top journals centered around HIV/AIDS and STIs (n = 6), followed by sexual behaviors/sexuality (n = 2) and LGBT+ health (n = 2). The US led in research output (n = 16,249). Papers were categorized into three main clusters (which showed different evolution across time): one addressing HIV/AIDS, STIs, and sexual behaviors, another focusing on mental health, discrimination, and stigma, and a third, smaller cluster examining transgender, intersex, and gender-diverse health. CONCLUSIONS: This article highlighted a growth in LGBT+ health research, uncovering research disparities among countries. While HIV/AIDS and STIs still dominated, a crucial theme concerning mental health, discrimination, and stigma has been rising. Declining interest in gender-diverse health, and disparities in research attention to different LGBT+ subgroups, underscored the need for more comprehensive and inclusive research to address complex health disparities.

Prevention of the Werther effect: compliance of the Italian newspapers to the 'reporting on suicide' recommendations.

OBJECTIVES: Suicide media coverage could lead to imitation, the so-called 'Werther effect'. The World Health Organization (WHO) published specific recommendations for reporting suicide news. This study aimed to quantify the compliance of Italian newspapers with the WHO suicide reporting guidelines. STUDY DESIGN: This was a quantitative content analysis study. METHODS: All articles published by the three main Italian newspapers from June 2019 to May 2020 describing suicides or attempted suicides were included. The articles were analyzed using a checklist based on the WHO recommendations, which included 18 'negative' items (e.g. 'presence of the word 'suicide' in the title') and nine 'positive' items (e.g. 'the article reports the contacts of a suicide prevention hotline'). Each negative item was scored -1, and each positive item was scored +1. Multivariate linear regressions were performed to identify factors associated with lower adherence to WHO recommendations and higher social media engagement with the articles. RESULTS: A total of 3483 articles were screened, and 110 articles were included in the final analysis. The suicidal was male in 73.6% of cases. The median checklist score was -6 (interquartile range 3). Five percent of the articles had at least one positive item. The word 'suicide' was found in 90% of the titles. Female suicides were associated with a higher checklist score (coefficient 0.81, P = 0.039). No correlation was found between the checklist score and the social media engagement of the articles. CONCLUSIONS: Italian newspapers do not adhere completely to the WHO recommendations on reporting suicide, leading to a potential imitation effect. Public health professionals should make decision-makers and journalists aware of the importance of these recommendations.

Knowledge, attitudes and eating habits red and processed meat among gym users: a cross-sectional survey.

AIMS: In 2015, the International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC) classified red meat (RM) and processed meat (PM) intakes as 'probably carcinogenic' and 'carcinogenic' to humans, respectively. The aim of the study was to evaluate eating behaviours and knowledge on the potential risks of RM-PM consumption among gym users. METHODS: In 2018, a cross-sectional survey was conducted in 20 gyms in Turin using a 48-item questionnaire assessing sociodemographic, sports, dietary information and knowledge about RM-PM (sample size = 298). Multivariable logistic and linear regressions were performed. The significance level was p ⩽ 0.05. RESULTS: Around 75% of the sample consumed RM and PM at least once a week, with an average of 240.55 ± 435.99 g and 106.50 ± 157.88 g consumed weekly, respectively. Only 7.69% exceeded 700 g of raw RM weekly. Females, those with higher education, those who practise sport outside gyms and those who declared to practise sport to stay healthy, declared to consume less RM. Those who practise sport at a competitive level, those who are on a diet for athletic needs, those with higher body mass index (BMI) and those who consume more eggs and alcohol had a higher RM intake. The association with PM consumption was negative for females and positive for those living without a partner. The likelihood of answering incorrectly to one of the knowledge outcomes was lower for those who had a healthcare-related background and declared to practise sport to stay healthy, while it was higher for participants who stated to have a sport-related background, to be on a diet to lose weight, to read rarely/never the RM-PM nutrition labels and to consume <400 g of fruit and vegetables daily. CONCLUSIONS: Given the relatively low knowledge of the potential risks of RM-PM consumption, it would be advisable to implement campaigns specifically focused on male athletes and people with lower socioeconomic status, in order to raise awareness about this topic.

Could shared decision making affect staying in hospital? A cross-sectional pilot study.

BACKGROUND: Shared Decision Making (SDM) is an approach where clinicians and patients share the best available evidence to make decision and where patients opinions are considered. This approach provides benefits for patients, clinicians and health care system. The aim of the present study is to investigate the patients' perception of their participation in treatment choices and to identify the possible influences of variables in decision aids and therapeutic choices. Furthermore the present study evaluates the impact of SDM on the length of hospital stay and the health expenditure in Piemonte, an Italian region. METHODS: A cross-sectional study was performed in 2016. The patients were selected after hospitalization to clinical and surgical units at the Rivoli and Susa Hospital. Data were collected through the questionnaire and the Hospital Discharge Registers. STROBE guidelines for observational studies were used. A descriptive analysis was conducted. Frequencies and percentages of the categorical variables were reported. Statistical analyses were performed using t-test, chi-square test and Mann-Whitney test. RESULTS: The final sample was made of 174 subjects. More than half of the sample reported a SDM approach. Female gender (p = 0.027) and lower age (p = 0.047) are associated with an increased possibility to report SDM. Receiving "good" or "excellent" information, having their own request fulfilled and their opinions took into account by healthcare professionals, were all found to be predictors for an approach recognized as SDM (p ≤ 0.05). The perception that healthcare professionals spent a proper amount of time with the patients and used an understendable language are factors increase the chance of a "shared" decision process (p ≤ 0.05). The patients trust in the information given by the healthcare professional is not affecting their perception about the decision making process (P = 0.195). No significant difference where recorded in length of stay and hospital expenditure. CONCLUSIONS: The data show the role played by different dimension of the patients-clinician relationship and that the strongest determinant of a perceived shared decision making approach are healthcare professional-depending.

Advertisement of electronic cigarettes in Italy: characteristics of online videos and the most popular promotional messages.

Given the increasing popularity of electronic cigarettes (ECs) and a lack of regulation of EC advertising, this study aimed to analyse online videos promoting ECs to assess the main marketing messages that could influence consumers' perceptions of associated risks and benefits. A web search of EC advertising videos was performed on YouTube by using keywords related to EC promotion. An evaluation grid was used to analyse promotional messages contained in each video. The most frequent promotional messages were related to health benefits (67.7%) and to the possibility of quitting smoking (57.4%). Messages that could also be appealing to adolescents and young adults, such as those promoting the multiple flavors available and the technological improvement of ECs, were present in 41.2% and 42.7% of the videos respectively. ECs similar to traditional cigarettes in appearance were included in 52.9% of the videos. EC promotional videos address messages not only to smokers who want to quit or decrease tobacco consumption but also to nonsmokers, especially young people. The use of ECs similar to traditional cigarettes may be a gateway to tobacco cigarette use. Since EC use may represent an important public health concern, regulatory policies on EC advertising should be established.

Prognostic role of histological regression in primary cutaneous melanoma: a systematic review and meta-analysis.

The prognostic significance of histological regression in primary melanoma has been debated for many years. We aim to review the evidence to see how histological regression may affect prognosis. A systematic review was performed by searching in MEDLINE, Scopus and the Cochrane Library from 1 January 1966 to 1 August 2015. All studies reporting hazard ratios or data on survival and histological regression were included. Primary random-effects meta-analyses were used to summarize outcome measures. Heterogeneity was assessed using the χ2 -test and I2 -statistic. To assess the potential bias of small studies we used funnel plots and the Begg and Mazumdar adjusted rank correlation method. Summaries of survival outcomes were measured as hazard ratios or relative risk of death at 5 years according to the presence of histological regression of primary melanoma. In total, 183 articles were reviewed out of 1876 retrieved. Ten studies comprising 8557 patients were included. Patients with histological regression had a lower relative risk of death (0·77, 95% confidence interval 0·61-0·97) than those without. Examination of the funnel plot did not provide evidence of publication bias. The results showed that histological regression is a protective factor for survival.

Pregnancy and internet: sociodemographic and geographic differences in e-health practice. Results from an Italian multicenter study.

OBJECTIVES: Since the new millennium, the number of e-health users has significantly increased. Among these, a particular category of people who are interested by this phenomenon is the one of pregnant women. The aim of the present study is to assess the sociodemographic and geographic differences existing in a sample of Italian pregnant women who search for information on the web. STUDY DESIGN: Multicenter cross-sectional survey. METHODS: The present study has been conducted from November 2011 to September 2012, in seven Italian cities, located in the North, in the Centre and in the South of Italy. Data were collected through an anonymous questionnaire, administered in waiting rooms of outpatient departments by trained medical doctors. Data were analysed through multivariate logistic regression models. RESULTS: Overall, 1347 responders were interviewed. Eighty-six percent of them declared to surf the internet to retrieve pregnancy-related information. The most searched topics were fetal development (51.3%), healthy lifestyle during pregnancy (48.7%), physiology of pregnancy (39.8%), generic and specific tips/advices during pregnancy (37.2%) and lactation (36.8%). Statistically significant differences (P < 0.05) according to geographic origin, age and educational level were found with regard to the most frequently searched information on the Web, the reasons that pushed pregnant women to practice e-health, and the possibility to change lifestyles after e-health. CONCLUSIONS: Our findings suggest that the phenomenon of pregnancy e-health is widespread and show social and geographic differences, in particular about city of residence, age and educational level. It might encourage healthcare professionals to be more available and exhaustive during routine visits and to be more careful about web content on this topic, also addressing the different needs into different geographic contexts.