Journal of prevention (2022)最新文献

Background: As traditional tobacco use has declined, the market for novel nicotine products, particularly nicotine pouches, has increased in recent years. This study examines factors associated with nicotine pouch use and their relationship with intentions to quit cigarette smoking.

Methods: This study utilized nationally representative survey data from the 2022/2023 Tobacco Use Supplement to the Current Population Survey. Multivariable logistic regressions were performed to examine sociodemographic and behavioral factors associated with current nicotine pouch use. Additionally, we assessed whether the use of nicotine pouches was associated with intentions to quit cigarette smoking among current cigarette smokers.

Results: Current nicotine pouch use was reported by approximately 0.5% of adults, with a higher prevalence (1.2%) in current cigarette smokers. Current nicotine pouch users were significantly more likely to be male, younger, non-Hispanic White, and to use other tobacco products. Among current cigarette smokers, those using nicotine pouches had significantly higher odds of intending to quit smoking within the next 6 months (OR = 1.78, 95% CI = 1.12 - 2.83) and within the next 30 days (OR = 2.09, 95% CI = 1.24 - 3.52).

Conclusion: Nicotine pouch use is more prevalent among younger, male, non-Hispanic White, and smoking adults. A positive association was found between nicotine pouch use and intentions to quit smoking among current smokers. While popular in specific groups and associated with cigarette quit intentions, these products present both potential public health benefits and risks that warrant continued investigation.

Youth violence, including gender-based violence, is a major public health issue in the UK, yet evidence on effective interventions in the UK remains limited. Becoming a Man (BAM) is a two-year school-based positive youth development programme for adolescent boys, developed in Chicago, US, where two RCTs found reduced violent crime arrests and improved academic engagement. This study evaluated BAM's potential in the UK using a theory-driven design (no comparison group). 97 boys aged 12-14 years (66% Black/Black British) in three London schools enrolled in BAM. Data sources included: implementation records (recruitment, attendance, adherence, quality, youth socio-demographics); school data (attendance, exclusions, attainment); 36 qualitative interviews (11 scholars, 14 parents, 3 school staff, 3 BAM counsellors (2 interviews each), 1 each from delivery organisation and intervention developer); and a counsellor focus group. Interviews focused on implementation, outcomes and BAM contribution to outcomes. Quantitative data were analysed using descriptive statistics, and qualitative data were analysed using framework analysis. Case studies of 11 scholars explored what worked, for whom, under what circumstances and why. Implementation outcomes were mixed. Attendance targets were met but those for group size, reach and curriculum progression were not. Case study scholars who engaged deeply with BAM's values demonstrated improved self-control and decision-making, although external influences also affected their development. Concerns about negative labelling were mitigated through balanced recruitment. Limited adverse effects on academic attainment were reported. BAM has potential in the UK but requires further adaptation, implementation support and evaluation (including impact on gender norms).

Within the framework of the Barcelona Health in the Neighborhoods strategy, an intervention was implemented in disadvantaged neighborhoods of the city to promote healthy leisure activities, training, and work experiences for adolescents. This study aimed to evaluate the effects of this intervention on emotional well-being, self-esteem, social relationships, substance use, and access to the labor market. We conducted a non-experimental pre-post mixed-methods evaluation of the intervention. A questionnaire was administered between 2017 and 2020 to participants at three time points: before the intervention (pre, N = 252), after completing Phase 2 training (post-1, N = 142), and after the first employment experience (post-2, N = 81). In 2021, qualitative interviews were conducted with both participants and program educators who had taken part in the intervention between 2019 and 2021. A total of 27 individuals (participants and educators) took part in the interviews. We collected data on emotional well-being and employment as primary outcomes, and on resilience, substance use, perceived health, self-esteem, social support, and program satisfaction as secondary outcomes. Quantitative data were analyzed using univariate and bivariate analyses, and qualitative information underwent thematic analysis. Our findings showed improved well-being and higher employment rates among participants, as well as greater perseverance and trust. The program also contributed to enhanced practical knowledge, social skills, and interpersonal relationships. In contrast, tobacco and alcohol use increased after the intervention. This study suggests that healthy leisure and labor insertion interventions for young people might facilitate workforce entry and improve young people's well-being and overall quality of life.

Community-dwelling, non-familial intergenerational programmes (IPs) have emerged as a promising approach to preventing social isolation and loneliness among older adults. However, there is a need for a comprehensive understanding of the key components, underlying mechanisms, and contextual factors involved in implementing such programmes. This study aimed to develop a comprehensive logic model framework for non-familial IPs to guide future programme design and implementation. A qualitative approach was employed to analyse the 'Post für Dich!' [Mail for You] programme in rural Lower Austria through semi-structured interviews with older adults, implementation agents, and community leaders, along with a focus group of primary school children, and a document analysis. The resulting logic model framework identifies critical inputs (e.g., local coordinator, engaged implementation agents, meeting spaces, programme flexibility), highlights the role of existing organisational settings in facilitating access to target groups, and outlines key activities (programme initiation, coordination, letter exchanges, and intergenerational events). It reports multifaceted benefits for participants, such as improved attitudes, dispelled age stereotypes, expanded social networks, and an enriched daily life for older adults. Potential community-level impacts, such as fostering multigenerational awareness and integration, are noted. This empirically grounded framework serves as a practical tool for systematically designing, implementing, and evaluating IPs across diverse settings. It can facilitate knowledge transfer, evidence-informed practice, and capacity-building efforts, contributing to the effective implementation of these interventions.

South Africa has some of the highest prevalence and incidence rates of non-communicable diseases in the world. In this study, the burden of obesity and its impact on cardiovascular conditions such as hypertension were investigated among South African men and women. The study utilized data from the South African National Income Dynamics Study (SA-NIDS) surveys conducted from 2008 to 2017. A total of 80,270 individuals consented to participate, comprising 32,686 men (41%) and 47,584 women (59%). Besides multivariable logistic regression models, the relative importance of obesity on hypertension was assessed and compared to behavioral and socioeconomic conditions. Obesity and elevated waist-circumference measurements were the most prominent correlates of increased prevalence of hypertension. After adjusting for non-modifiable and background risk factors, the population-attributable risk (PAR%) of obesity on hypertension exceeded that of other traditional risk factors. It was substantially higher in women ( $PAR\%s$ ranged: 52%, 95% CI: 50%, 55%) compared to men ( $PAR\%s$ ranged: 33%, 95% CI: 31%, 36%). In sex-specific analyses, men and women with obesity were more than four and three times more likely, respectively, to be hypertensive (adjusted Odds Ratio (aOR): 4.41 and 3.72, p < 0.001) compared to those with normal weights. Prevention strategies targeting key modifiable factors such as obesity, waist circumference, smoking, alcohol use and lack of exercise, are likely the most effective means of identifying and reaching those at highest risk. Furthermore, developing and implementing socially and culturally appropriate awareness programs remain a research priority.

The prevalence of tobacco use among young individuals is a significant public health concern. This study investigated the socioeconomic factors that contribute to smoking behavior among Turkish adolescents using a Zero-Inflated Ordered Probit model. We gathered smoking prevalence data (38,182 people, aged 11-18) from Türkiye from the Global Youth Tobacco Survey organized by the World Health Organization. The results show that adolescents exhibit lower rates of smoking, and parental employment acts as a deterrent to adolescent smoking. There is a higher probability that young individuals who frequently smoke and have mothers with a higher level of education will quit smoking. In addition, the results indicate that for individuals who are smokers or non-smokers, advertisements on several platforms, such as social media, increase the probability of initiating tobacco usage. Moreover, as age and gender play a significant role in influencing smoking habits, income has a paradoxical relationship with more frequent smoking. This study demonstrated the complex relationships between economic, educational, and environmental factors and adolescent smoking. This study recommends implementing focused and varied public health interventions in Türkiye to address youth smoking, considering socioeconomic factors and family dynamics.

König's (2025) critique of the German Prevention Project Dunkelfeld mis-applies standards developed for adjudicated ("Hellfeld") offenders to a voluntary, non-forensic prevention setting. We clarify why context-appropriate science is essential for evaluating interventions that reach individuals whose child sexual abuse (CSA) behaviour remains hidden from the justice system. First, the large gap between official recidivism and high self-reported offending is not methodological failure but strong evidence of the well-documented "dark figure" of undetected sexual crime. Second, Germany's unique legal framework (§ 65d SGB V; § 203 StGB) enables confidential, face-to-face treatment and pharmacological options that are infeasible in jurisdictions with mandatory reporting, making Dunkelfeld programmes a public-health imperative. Third, forensic risk tools and the CODC (2007) guidelines lack demonstrated validity for voluntary help-seekers; carefully collected self-report and dynamic risk-factor change therefore constitute the only context-relevant outcome metrics. Fourth, concerns about iatrogenic effects must be interpreted through the Risk-Need-Responsivity lens: specialised, multi-modal interventions such as the Berlin Dissexuality Therapy (BEDIT) show beneficial changes in cognitive and behavioural risk markers, mirroring findings from recent RCTs of internet-delivered CBT and pharmacological therapy. Finally, all German model sites are currently undergoing an independent, multi-year evaluation commissioned by the national health-insurance association. We conclude that preventing CSA and CSAM requires embracing rigorous yet context-sensitive methodologies rather than importing standards that overlook the dark figure. The ethical imperative to prevent harm and offer help to those at risk persists even acknowledging that no intervention guarantees universal success, demanding our most contextually sensitive scientific efforts.

Substance use (SU) and physical activity (PA) among university students changed with the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic. In this study, we examined factors associated with SU and PA and profiles of these health behaviours in university students in Germany 20 months into the pandemic. A cross-sectional study on student well-being during the COVID 19-pandemic was conducted in October/November 2021 at five German universities. 7203 students completed the web-based survey. Smoking, binge drinking, cannabis use, and moderate and vigorous PA served as outcomes. Twenty months into the pandemic, 17% of students reported smoking, 19% binge drinking and 6% cannabis use at least once during the last week. 13% reported low moderate and 35% low vigorous PA in the last week. Students perceiving studies to be more important than other activities showed lower odds for SU. Depressive symptoms were associated with a higher chance of smoking (OR 1.07; 95%-CI 1.06-1.09 per one unit on the CESD-8-scale) and cannabis use (1.07; 95%-CI 1.04-1.09), low moderate (1.09; 95%-CI 1.07-1.11) and low vigorous (1.06; 95%-CI 1.05-1.07) PA. The 'health protective behaviour'-profile with high overall PA and low SU was the most common one found. Among other factors, perceiving studying to be less important than other activities and reporting depressive symptoms appear to play a role in reporting risky health behaviours. Prevention programmes should therefore be integrated in the university setting and address mental health issues and health behaviours simultaneously.

Introduction: Prevention science is interdisciplinary, drawing upon multiple fields of research and practice to develop integrated knowledge. A challenge facing the field is the proliferation of different terms with the same meaning, and of terms with different meanings. This can create confusion in communication, affect evaluation standards, and ultimately also affect the implementation of preventive interventions. Contributing to the development of evidence standards for preventive interventions, this article describes the process and results of interdisciplinary prevention terminology development in Estonia.

Methods: Following the Participatory Action Research (PAR) approach, different co-design tools were used during a four-year process to help understand terminological needs, generate ideas, draw concept maps, and test examples of definitions in different target groups.

Results: Thirty-five terms were tested, refined, and published. Six of these represent the main concepts relevant to prevention and intervention evaluation: vulnerability, prevention, preventive intervention, well-being, process evaluation, and impact evaluation. Several candidate terms were omitted for being confusing, ambiguous, or misunderstood in terms of the type or mechanism of intervention, the quality of evidence, or the quality of practice.

Discussion: Collaborative and participatory methods can be used to bridge the divide in language and to help pursue consensus definitions. Shared understanding is needed both nationally and internationally between disciplines, sectors, implementation levels, and professions, as the involved parties include policymakers, researchers, innovators, and practitioners in the domains of healthcare and public health, education, safety, social work and welfare, justice, and culture. The development of an interdisciplinary prevention glossary described in this paper was novel in its approach and has the potential to support successful continuing interdisciplinary collaboration in the prevention field.

Alcohol use remains a prevalent issue on college campuses, with approximately 15% of students drinking at levels indicative of an Alcohol Use Disorder (AUD), yet help-seeking rates remain low. The Reasoned Action Approach (RAA) provides a framework for understanding psychosocial drivers of help-seeking intentions. This study assessed associations between college students' drinking behaviors, the RAA, and their intentions to seek professional help for alcohol use if they thought or knew they had an AUD. Cross-sectional survey data from 2,110 college students were analyzed to examine alcohol use, psychosocial risk factors, and help-seeking behaviors. Participants met inclusion criteria if they were 18 to 24 years old, enrolled full-time in a college or university, reported past-year alcohol consumption, and passed data quality checks. Measures included demographics, RAA constructs (attitudes toward, norms regarding, perceived control over, and intention to seek professional help), and alcohol use behaviors assessed via the Alcohol Use Disorder Identification Test (AUDIT). Descriptive statistics and multiple linear regression analyses were conducted to examine factors associated with help-seeking intentions. The average AUDIT score was 10.91, indicating hazardous alcohol use. Nearly one-third of participants had an AUDIT score ≥ 15, suggesting an increased likelihood of an AUD. Regression results showed that higher AUDIT scores (p < .001) were negatively associated with the intention to seek professional help for alcohol use. All RAA constructs were statistically significant predictors of intention to seek help (p < .001), with the full model explaining nearly 40% of the variance in help-seeking intentions. This study provides new insights into the complex interplay between personal beliefs and drinking behaviors in help-seeking intentions. Leveraging constructs of the RAA, specifically, positive attitudes toward professional help, greater social acceptance of help-seeking, and higher perceived autonomy over seeking help, was associated with stronger intentions to seek support. The psychosocial elements of these frameworks, combined with informing students of their risks, offer a nuanced approach to encouraging the shift from help-seeking hesitancy to help-seeking acceptance.