E-cigarette attitudes and behaviours amongst 15-30-year-olds in the UK.

BACKGROUND: The use of e-cigarettes has been rising in the UK, particularly by young people. This study investigated behaviours, attitudes and beliefs about e-cigarettes amongst 15-30-year-olds in the UK. METHODS: An online survey was administered to a sample of 1009 15-30-year-olds in the UK. RESULTS: About one in five participants currently used e-cigarettes at least monthly, with 1 in 10 using them daily. Amongst those using e-cigarettes at least monthly, 90% had used e-cigarettes containing nicotine. E-cigarettes were mainly obtained from vape shops and used at home. Having friends who used e-cigarettes and using them to help quit/reduce smoking were the most common reasons for vaping. About half of participants had been exposed to e-cigarette advertising, especially online, and warning labels on e-cigarettes. Most participants agreed that e-cigarettes are addictive (75%), help people quitting smoking (64%) and are bad for health (63%). Previous or current tobacco smokers were 9 and 22 times more likely to use e-cigarettes than never smokers, respectively. Perceiving e-cigarettes as harmful was associated with a 40% lower likelihood of use. CONCLUSION: Raising awareness on the uncertain long-term consequences of vaping and regulation of marketing and sales are crucial to protect young people in the UK.

Exposure to e-cigarette advertising and young people's use of e-cigarettes: A four-country study.

INTRODUCTION: The World Health Organization recommends banning all forms of e-cigarette advertising, promotion, and sponsorship. The aims of the present study were to: 1) examine young people's exposure to e-cigarette advertising across a wide range of media in four diverse countries; and 2) identify any association between the number of different types of media exposures and e-cigarette use. METHODS: A cross-sectional online survey was administered to approximately 1000 people aged 15-30 years in Australia, China, India, and the United Kingdom (n=4107). The survey assessed demographic characteristics, e-cigarette and tobacco use, numbers of friends and family members who vape, and exposure to multiple forms of e-cigarette advertising (e.g. television, radio, print, and various types of social media). Descriptive analyses were conducted on those who had heard of e-cigarettes (n=3095, significance threshold p<0.001) and a logistic regression analysis was used to identify factors associated with e-cigarette ever use (significance threshold p<0.05). RESULTS: The majority (85%) of respondents who had heard of e-cigarettes reported being exposed to e-cigarette advertising on at least one type of media, and the average number of types of media to which respondents were exposed was 5 (range: 0-17). The number of media types was significantly associated with ever use of e-cigarettes (OR=1.05; 95% CI: 1.02-1.08, p=0.001). CONCLUSIONS: Despite advertising restrictions in place in all four countries, large majorities of young people reported being exposed to e-cigarette advertising. Social media and advertising on/around vape shops and other retailers appear to be key exposure locations. Urgent attention is needed to address these forms of exposure given their apparent association with e-cigarette use.

Review of national nutrition standards with salt-related criteria for publicly funded institutions around the world.

CONTEXT: Creating healthy food environments through nutrition standards for publicly funded institutions (eg, schools, workplaces, and hospitals) provides an important opportunity to improve population diets. OBJECTIVE: This study aimed to identify countries with national nutrition standards for publicly funded institutions that included salt-related criteria and to describe and summarize these initiatives. DATA SOURCES: Peer-reviewed and grey literature was searched to December 2019, including MEDLINE, CENTRAL, Embase, TRoPHI, LILACS, Web of Science, Cochrane Public Health Group Specialised Register, and Effective Public Health Practice Project Database. In addition, a questionnaire was sent to country contacts and salt-reduction experts, and a targeted search on relevant government websites was conducted. DATA EXTRACTION: Key characteristics of the national nutrition standards for publicly funded institutions were extracted, including name, governance, institution type, implementation status, and details of food and nutrient criteria. DATA ANALYSIS: Nutrition standards were analyzed by World Health Organization region, World Bank income level, institution type, type of criteria, regulatory approach, and method of application. Sixty-six countries were identified as having national nutrition standards that included salt-related criteria for at least one publicly funded institution. Standards were more prevalent in the European Region, high-income countries, and schools compared to other regions, income levels, and institution types, respectively. Most standards were mandatory and contained nutrition criteria pertaining to both foods and nutrients. CONCLUSION: Nutrition standards have the potential to significantly improve diets, but there is considerable scope to develop and implement nutrition standards more effectively using the new World Health Organization Action Framework.

The Science of Salt: A regularly updated systematic review of the implementation of salt reduction interventions (September 2016-February 2017).

This periodic review aims to identify, summarize, and appraise studies relating to the implementation of salt reduction strategies that were published between September 2016 and February 2017. A total of 41 studies were included as relevant to the design, assessment, and implementation of salt reduction strategies, and a detailed appraisal was conducted on the seven studies that evaluated the impact of salt reduction strategies. Of these, three were national studies or included large populations and four were conducted in communities with small participant sample sizes. Each study used a different strategy for reducing salt intake varying from category-specific sodium targets for packaged food to use of a low-sodium salt substitute to behavior change interventions. Four studies found statistically significant decreases in dietary salt intake and one study showed statistically significant decreases in mean sodium density of packaged food products. Four of the seven studies used either spot or 24-hour urine samples to measure dietary salt intake and five were conducted in East or Southeast Asia-two of which were in low- and middle-income countries. Study quality varied among the seven studies and all except one had one or more risks related to bias.