Health and social problems associated with recent Novel Psychoactive Substance (NPS) use amongst marginalised, nightlife and online users in six European countries.

Continued diversification and use of new psychoactive substances (NPS) across Europe remains a public health challenge. The study describes health and social consequences of recent NPS use as reported in a survey of marginalised, nightlife and online NPS users in the Netherlands, Hungary, Portugal, Ireland, Germany and Poland (n = 3023). Some respondents were unable to categorise NPS they had used. Use of ‘herbal blends’ and ‘synthetic cannabinoids obtained pure’ was most reported in Germany, Poland and Hungary, and use of ‘branded stimulants’ and ‘stimulants/empathogens/nootropics obtained pure’ was most reported in the Netherlands. Increased heart rate and palpitation, dizziness, anxiety, horror trips and headaches were most commonly reported acute side effects. Marginalised users reported substantially more acute side effects, more mid- and long-term mental and physical problems, and more social problems. Development of country-specific NPS awareness raising initiatives, health and social service needs assessments, and targeted responses are warranted

Computational fluid dynamic modelling of stirred reactors : power, baffle stresses, mixing times and semi-batch precipitation

EThOS - Electronic Theses Online ServiceGBUnited Kingdo

Above the message and beyond reach: persuasion knowledge by a European teenage beer commercial audience

The article accounts for qualitative knowledge on European adolescents’ (n=326) ad literacy, genre scepticism and persuasion knowledge as expressed in group discussions about televised beer commercials. Data was collected from six European countries: Denmark, Finland, Germany, Italy, Netherlands, and Poland. A general scepticism regarding the commercials’ tactics of persuasion dominated the material as a whole. There were no significant cross-country, gender or age variations between the materials regarding the level of ad scepticism. The students had great beliefs in their own coping and resisting abilities and attempts of persuasion were generally judged as unlikely to succeed. The study suggests that critical ad-literacy is not culturally bound to the same extent as attitudes towards drinking. The researchers point out an opportunity to use the format of the FGs to stimulate the expression of persuasion knowledge among young people

Exposure to online alcohol marketing and adolescents' drinking: A cross-sectional study in four European countries

Aims: The Internet is the leading medium among European adolescents in contemporary times even more time is spent on the Internet than watching television. This study investigates associations between online alcohol marketing exposure and onset of drinking and binge drinking among adolescents in four European countries.Method: A total of 9038 students with a mean age of 14.05 (SD 0.82) participated in a school-based survey in Germany, Italy, the Netherlands and Poland. Logistic regression analyses of cross-sectional cross-country survey data were undertaken. Exposure to online alcohol marketing, televised alcohol advertising and ownership of alcohol-branded items was estimated to be controlled for relevant confounders. Onset of drinking and binge drinking in the past 30 days were included in the study as outcome variables.Results: Adjusted for relevant confounders, higher exposure to (online) alcohol marketing exposure was found to be related to the odds of starting to drink (p < 0.001) and the odds of binge drinking in the past 30 days (p < 0.001). This effect was found to be consistent in all four countries. Active engagement with online alcohol marketing was found to interact more strongly with drinking outcomes than passive exposure to online alcohol marketing.Conclusions: Youngsters in the four European countries report frequent exposure to online alcohol marketing. The association between this exposure and adolescents' drinking was robust and seems consistent across national contexts

Understanding access to drug and alcohol treatment services in Europe:: A multi-national service users’ perspective

Aims: The IATPAD (Improvement in Access to Treatment for People with Alcohol and Drug Related Problems) study explored barriers and facilitators to accessing alcohol and drug treatment services in eight European countries. Methods: Results from individual interviews and focus group discussions with 246 service users who had experienced alcohol and drug treatment in Bulgaria, Greece, Italy, Poland, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain and Scotland are described. Thematic analysis was used to interpret the data. Results: The study identified a number of consistent facilitating factors and barriers across all eight European countries, despite different health care systems. The results suggest that five main factors were implicated in the help-seeking behaviour of the service users interviewed. These were: information, service organisation, staff attitudes, significant others and personal disposition. All these factors could be viewed as both facilitators and barriers. Conclusions: To enhance access to alcohol and drug treatment, local, non-stigmatising and available services are required alongside support from significant others which should increase motivation and skills of potential service users

New psychoactive substances: transnational project on different user groups, user characteristics, extent and patterns of use, market dynamics, and best practices in prevention.

This report has been compiled as part of a European research project entitled New Psychoactive Substances: transnational project on different user groups, user characteristics, extent and patterns of use, market dynamics, and best practices in prevention. The NPS-transnational Project is funded by the Home programme of the European Commission (HOME/2014/JDRU/AG/DRUG/7077). This transnational and interdisciplinary research project builds on the knowledge and experience gathered in recent years by researchers from different scientific disciplines in six EU-countries: Germany, Hungary, Ireland, the Netherlands, Poland and Portugal. The main methods applied in this project were an inventory of the NPS situation within each of the six countries and a survey among three groups of NPS users. For the inventory of the NPS situation in each of the six participating countries, national information was gathered from existing sources about NPS definitions, drug policy and legislative frameworks, supply (procurement and market), demand (prevalence rates, description of users, motives and patterns of use) and prevention activities. In addition, eight experts were interviewed on these themes, with a focus on best practice

Why do people use new psychoactive substances? Development of a new measurement tool in six European countries

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