12 research outputs found
Current state of cannabis use, policies, and research across sixteen countries : cross-country comparisons and international perspectives
INTRODUCTION : Varying public views on cannabis use across countries may explain the variation in the
prevalence of use, policies, and research in individual countries, and global regulation of cannabis. This
paper aims to describe the current state of cannabis use, policies, and research across sixteen countries.
METHODS : PubMed and Google Scholar were searched for studies published from 2010 to 2020. Searches
were conducted using the relevant country of interest as a search term (e.g., âIranâ), as well as relevant
predefined keywords such as âcannabis,â âmarijuana,â âhashish,â âbhang âdual diagnosis,â âuse,â
âaddiction,â âprevalence,â âco-morbidity,â âsubstance use disorder,â âlegalizationâ or âpolicyâ (in English
and non-English languages). These keywords were used in multiple combinations to create the search
string for studiesâ titles and abstracts. Official websites of respective governments and international
organizations were also searched in English and non-English languages (using countries national
languages) to identify the current state of cannabis use, policies, and research in each of those countries.
RESULTS : The main findings were inconsistent and heterogeneous reporting of cannabis use, variation
in policies (e.g., legalization), and variation in intervention strategies across the countries reviewed.
European countries dominate the cannabis research output indexed on PubMed, in contrast to Asian
countries (Thailand, Malaysia, India, Iran, and Nepal).
CONCLUSIONS : Although global cannabis regulation is ongoing, the existing heterogeneities across
countries in terms of policies and epidemiology can increase the burden of cannabis use disorders
disproportionately and unpredictably. There is an urgent need to develop global strategies to address
these cross-country barriers to improve early detection, prevention, and interventions for cannabis use
and related disorders.The Indian Council of Medical Research.https://www.scielo.br/j/trendsam2023Family Medicin
Crossâcultural adaptation of Nepalese literacy and stigma of suicide scales (LOSSâSFâNep and SOSSâSFâNep) among Nepalese medical and nursing students
Abstract Introduction: Nepal is a country in Southâeast Asia with high suicide. There is ongoing trend of emerging research on suicide from Nepal but there is lack of validated scale in measuring literacy or stigma. In the view of poor media reporting and large treatment gap, this study was conducted. All previous validation studies were done in nonâHindu populations. Methods: A crossâsectional study was planned where the short forms of Nepalese literacy of suicide scale (LOSSâSFâNep) and Stigma of Suicide Scale (SOSSâSFâNep) were validated using standard procedure at a medical college in southern Nepal. Medical and nursing students of all batches were approached offline after successful pretesting. The psychometric properties of the scales were tested, and the statuses of literacy and stigma were assessed. Patient Health Questionnaireâ9 and General Anxiety Disorder Scaleâ7 were used for revealing depression and generalized anxiety. Results: Three hundred and nineteen Nepalese students participated and most of them were males, belonged to nuclear family, upperâmiddle socioeconomic status and represented 46 out of 77 districts of Nepal. The mean score of LOSSâSFâNep was 6.36 ± 1.92 and literacy ranged from 37.9% to 89.7%. The deeper exposure to suicidal patients was associated with better literacy. Factor analysis of SOSSâSFâNep revealed three subscales: stigmatization, isolation/depression, and normalization/glorification and had acceptable psychometric properties. Gender, occupation of head of the family, region and years of education, using mental health services, and depression were associated with variable literacy or stigma. Conclusion: Literacy and stigma scales were validated in Nepali, and SOSS factor structures were revealed with modified descriptors. The literacy and stigma levels in medical students were calculated for the first time in Nepal and Hindu majority population
Disparities in Prevalence of Cardiometablic Risk Factors in Rural, Urban-Poor, and Urban-Middle Class Women in India.
OBJECTIVE:Urbanization is an important determinant of cardiovascular disease (CVD) risk. To determine location-based differences in CVD risk factors in India we performed studies among women in rural, urban-poor and urban middle-class locations. METHODS:Population-based cross-sectional studies in rural, urban-poor, and urban-middle class women (35-70 y) were performed at multiple sites. We evaluated 6853 women (rural 2616, 5 sites; urban-poor 2008, 4 sites; urban middle-class 2229, 11 sites) for socioeconomic, lifestyle, anthropometric and biochemical risk factors. Descriptive statistics are reported. RESULTS:Mean levels of body mass index (BMI), waist circumference, waist-hip ratio (WHR), systolic BP, fasting glucose and cholesterol in rural, urban-poor and urban-middle class women showed significantly increasing trends (ANOVAtrend, p 80 cm (28.3, 63.4, 61.9%), waist >90 cm (8.4, 31.4, 38.2%), waist hip ratio (WHR) >0.8 (60.4, 90.7, 88.5), WHR>0.9 (13.0, 44.3, 56.1%), hypertension (31.6, 48.2, 59.0%) and hypercholesterolemia (13.5, 27.7, 37.4%) (Mantel Haenszel X2 ptrend <0.01). Inverse trend was observed for tobacco use (41.6, 19.6, 9.4%). There was significant association of hypertension, hypercholesterolemia and diabetes with overweight and obesity (adjusted R2 0.89-0.99). CONCLUSIONS:There are significant location based differences in cardiometabolic risk factors in India. The urban-middle class women have the highest risk compared to urban-poor and rural
Dietary visible fat intake in the rural, poor urban and urban women at Jaipur study site (mean and median intake, g/day).
<p>Dietary visible fat intake in the rural, poor urban and urban women at Jaipur study site (mean and median intake, g/day).</p