The effectiveness of tobacco cessation programs for university students: A systematic review and meta-analysis.

INTRODUCTION: This systematic review and meta-analysis aimed to explore the existing tobacco interventions and synthesize whether those interventions affected tobacco use among university students. METHODS: We searched and found 1799 studies in PubMed, ClinicalKey for Nursing, Embase, and SCOPUS between 2009 and 2022. The risk of bias was assessed using similar criteria for RCT and non-randomized studies guided by the Cochrane Handbook for Systematic Reviews. The heterogeneity of studies was evaluated using Cochran's Q and I2 index. The GRADE system was used to distinguish the quality of evidence, and Egger's linear regression test was performed to assess publication bias. RESULTS: Eighteen studies used data extraction and analyses, and only eleven were meta-analyzed, which found that the estimate obtained via the fixed-effects model was statistically significant. Technology-based and motivational interview interventions found pooled ORs of statical significance, while reinforcer interventions showed the smallest effect size. The level of heterogeneity was considered substantial. The assessment for quality of evidence showed low overall certainty of evidence due to imprecision of outcome and suspicion of publication bias. Egger's test showed no publication bias among included studies (p=0.38). CONCLUSIONS: There were numerous tobacco cessation interventions for university students, but the most effective intervention to change tobacco consumption behavior was still inconclusive and uncertain. TRIAL REGISTRATION: This systematic review was registered with PROSPERO. The registration number is CRD42019142491.

The Effectiveness of the Transitional Care Program Among People Awaiting Coronary Artery Bypass Graft Surgery: A Randomized Control Trial.

PURPOSE: This study examined the effectiveness of the Transitional Care Program (TCP) on the anxiety, depression, cardiac self-efficacy, number of hospitalizations, and satisfaction with care among people awaiting elective coronary artery bypass graft (CABG) surgery. DESIGN: The study design was a randomized controlled trial. METHODS: The participants with coronary artery disease who met the study criteria (n = 104) were randomly assigned to the intervention group (n = 52) receiving the TCP plus routine care, or the control group (n = 52) receiving routine care only. The TCP, developed based on the Transitional Care Model, comprised hospital discharge planning and six weekly home telephone follow-ups to provide health education, counseling, monitoring, and emotional support tailored to the individual's needs. Data were collected at baseline, and then at weeks 1, 6, and 8 after program enrollment. Data were analyzed using descriptive statistics, repeated-measures analysis of variance, and the Z test. FINDINGS: The intervention group had lower anxiety and depression than did the control group at weeks 1, 6, and 8 after program enrollment. At weeks 6 and 8, the intervention group exhibited higher cardiac self-efficacy and satisfaction with care than the control group. Further, the intervention group had a significantly lower number of hospitalizations than the control group at week 8. CONCLUSIONS: The TCP can reduce anxiety, depression, and number of hospitalizations, while increasing cardiac self-efficacy and satisfaction with care among people awaiting CABG. CLINICAL RELEVANCE: Nurses are in a pivotal position to make care transitions safer. Provision of discharge education and regular telephone contacts could enhance positive outcomes regarding patients awaiting elective cardiac surgery.

Exploring health-related quality of life among non-Hodgkin's lymphoma survivors after completion of primary treatment: a cross-sectional study in Thailand.

PURPOSES: To investigate health-related quality of life (HR-QoL) and its influencing factors among non-Hodgkin's lymphoma (NHL) survivors after completion of primary treatment. METHODS: A cross-sectional study with 312 NHL survivors after completing primary treatment using self-reported data collected through face-to-face interviews or postal survey between May 2019 and December 2019. Sociodemographic factors, clinical characteristics, physical symptom distress, anxiety, depression, unmet supportive care needs, and adaptation (post-traumatic growth and post-traumatic stress disorder) were assessed. Data analysis included ANOVA tests to investigate HR-QoL among NHL survivors at different time points and GEE to assess predictors of HR-QoL. RESULTS: The mean score of HR-QoL was 136.05 (SD 19.12). HR-QoL scores reported by NHL survivors in phase I (6 months or less post-treatment) were significantly lower than those in phase II (> 6 months-4 years), phase III (> 4-9 years), and phase IV (over 9 years post-treatment). Regarding HR-QoL domains, NHL survivors in phase I had significantly lower physical well-being and functional well-being scores than those in phases II, III, and IV; and significantly lower lymphoma domain score than those in phase III. GEE analysis showed that physical symptom distress, anxiety, depression, unmet supportive care needs, poor adaptation, and receiving chemotherapy disrupted HR-QoL (all P < .001). CONCLUSIONS: Healthcare providers should re-prioritize intervention guidelines and survivorship care planning to promote HR-QoL among NHL survivors, particularly in phase I, through reducing physical and psychological symptom distress, addressing unmet needs, and enhancing adaptation outcomes.

Testing the nicotine dependence measure mFTQ for adolescent smokers: A multinational investigation.

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES: As a measure of nicotine dependence among adolescent smokers, the modified Fagerström Tolerance Questionnaire (mFTQ; seven items), has been successfully used in the United States (USA). Nonetheless, the validity and reliability of mFTQ at the international level is still needed. The current study is the first to test the validity and reliability of mFTQ in four countries: Thailand, Spain, the USA, and Russia. METHODS: In a cross-sectional survey, mFTQ, risk factors of nicotine dependence, and sociodemographic characteristics were assessed. Risk factors included age of first cigarette, frequency of alcohol use, frequency of marijuana use, and number of cigarettes smoked yesterday. Salivary cotinine was also obtained in Thailand and Spain. RESULTS: For all four countries, mFTQ exhibited a single factor structure, as supported by previous work in the USA. For all studied countries except Thailand, mFTQ presented acceptable internal reliability. Overall, risk factors of nicotine dependence have predicted mFTQ scores across countries. Frequency of alcohol use in the USA and frequency of marijuana use in Thailand and Spain were not associated with mFTQ scores. DISCUSSION AND CONCLUSIONS: mFTQ is a single-factor measure of nicotine dependence that shows acceptable internal consistency and validity across countries. Further work can advance the scale and tailor it to different cultures. SCIENTIFIC SIGNIFICANCE: mFTQ can be a clinically practical international measure of nicotine dependence. This study provides initial support for the utility of the mFTQ among Thai, Spanish, American, and Russian adolescents. Further research is needed to test and advance mFTQ across cultures. (Am J Addict 2017;26:689-696).

Three-month effects of Project EX: A smoking intervention pilot program with Thai adolescents.

Adolescent smoking is a major public health problem around the world, including Thailand. The current study provides a three-month follow-up evaluation of the Project EX tobacco use cessation program among Thai adolescents. The intervention was tested involving a quasi-experimental trial with 185 smokers, with two program and two control condition schools (within each condition, one school in Bangkok Province and one school in Nakhon Pathom Province). At 3-month follow-up, the intent-to-treat (ITT) quit rate was 23% in the program group and 11% in the standard care control group (p<0.02). The intervention also lowered the level of last 30-day smoking at follow-up among persons who did not quit in the program condition, while no change in level of smoking was reported in the control condition. These results are promising for teen tobacco use cessation programming in Thailand.

New mathematical formula for differentiating thalassemia trait and iron deficiency anemia in thalassemia prevalent area: a study in healthy school-age children.

Iron deficiency anemia (IDA) and thalassemias are common diseases especially in the Mediterranean, Middle East and Asian regions. Both conditions show the same clinical findings of hypochromic and microcytic red blood cells. Although previous studies have devised mathematical formulae to differentiate between these two conditions, the prevalence of alpha- and beta-thalassemias among the affected populations may undermine the accuracy of these formulae. This study generated a new formula that was able to differentiate IDA and thalassemia traits and to determine the incidence rates of IDA and thalassemia traits. A total of 345 healthy Thai children with a mean age (+/- SD) of 11.3 (+/- 1.7) years were enrolled. Complete blood count, iron status, hemoglobin typing and DNA for alpha-1 thalassemia identification were investigated. Discriminant analysis was used to create a new mathematical formula containing significant variables to differentiate between IDA and thalassemia traits. The new formula of (1.5 Hb-0.05 MCV >14) had a receiver operator characteristic curve of 0.92 in differentiating thalassemia traits from IDA, with sensitivity and specificity of 84.6 and 87.5%, respectively. The incidence of IDA and thalassemia traits in the study group was 12% and 32%, respectively. This formula should be useful as a screening tool to differentiate between these two conditions.

A multilevel study of smoking among youths in school at Buriram Province.

OBJECTIVE: The purpose of this cross-sectional study was to determine status of smoking among youths in school and to identify both student-level and school-level factors on smoking. MATERIAL AND METHOD: A stratified two stage cluster sampling was employed to recruit 2,557 students in grades 10-12 and 30 teachers from 30 high schools in academic years 2010 in Buriram province, using a multilevel logistic analysis. RESULTS: The current smoking status was 9.0% overall, 19.0% and 1.3% for male and female respectively. The results from multilevel logistic analysis revealed that only 10.5% of variation in smoking was associated with difference in school characteristics. The following student-level factors entered into the multilevel logistic regression model according to their importance were self-efficacy-with the moderate and low self-efficacy having a higher risk of smoking compared with high (OR 8.76, 5.80)-alcohol drinking (OR 5.42). Males were more likely to smoke than females (OR 4.56), perceived benefit on non-smoking-with the moderate and low perception having a greater chance of smoking compared with the higher level of perception (OR 2.31, 1.93). School-level factors including type of school, health promoting school policy, student-teacher ratio, proportion of teachers who smoked and availability of cigarettes near the school were also taken into account, but were not related to the status of smoking among the students. CONCLUSION: The present study confirmed that school factors had no significant relationship to smoking among youths. Strict smoke-free policy at school is recommended. School program should focus more on self-efficacy Social marketing campaign/ education should focus on friends and family as non-smoking role models.