Social Media Use for Public Health Campaigning in a Low Resource Setting: The Case of Waterpipe Tobacco Smoking

Introduction. Waterpipe tobacco smoking prevalence is increasing worldwide despite its documented health effects. A general belief that it is less harmful than cigarettes may be fuelled by the lack of media campaigns highlighting its health effects. We aimed to create and assess the impact of a social media campaign about dangers of waterpipe smoking. Methods. The “ShishAware” campaign included three social media (Facebook, Twitter, and YouTube) and a website. Nine months after launch we collected data to assess use of, and reaction to, our media accounts. Results. Requiring limited maintenance resources, Facebook attracted campaign supporters but YouTube attracted opposers. Twitter enabled the most organisation-based contact but Facebook was the most interactive medium. Facebook users were more likely to “like” weekday than weekend statuses and more likely to comment on “shisha fact” than “current affairs” statuses. Follower subscription increased as our posting rate increased. Our YouTube video gained 19,428 views (from all world continents) and 218 comments (86% from pro-waterpipe smokers). Conclusions. Social media campaigns can be created and maintained relatively easily. They are innovative and have the potential for wide and rapid diffusion, especially towards target audiences. There is a need for more rigorous evaluation of their effects, particularly among the youth

Perchlorate and thiocyanate exposure and thyroid function in first-trimester pregnant women

Context: Thyroid hormone, requiring adequate maternal iodine intake, is critical for fetal neurodevelopment. Perchlorate decreases thyroidal iodine uptake by competitively inhibiting the sodium/iodide symporter. It is unclear whether environmental perchlorate exposure adversely affects thyroid function in pregnant women. Thiocyanate, derived from foods and cigarette smoke, is a less potent competitive sodium/iodide symporter inhibitor than perchlorate. Objective: Our objective was to determine whether environmental perchlorate and/or thiocyanate exposure is associated with alterations in thyroid function in pregnancy. Design and Setting: We conducted a cross-sectional study at health centers in Cardiff, Wales, and Turin, Italy. Patients: During 2002–2006, 22,000 women at less than 16 wk gestation were enrolled in the Controlled Antenatal Thyroid Screening Study. Subsets of 261 hypothyroid/hypothyroxinemic and 526 euthyroid women from Turin and 374 hypothyroid/hypothyroxinemic and 480 euthyroid women from Cardiff were selected based on availability of stored urine samples and thyroid function data. Main Outcome Measures: Urinary iodine, thiocyanate, and perchlorate and serum TSH, free T4 (FT4), and thyroperoxidase antibody were measured. Results: Urinary iodine was low: median 98 μg/liter in Cardiff and 52 μg/liter in Turin. Urine perchlorate was detectable in all women. The median (range) urinary perchlorate concentration was 5 μg/liter (0.04–168 μg/liter) in Turin and 2 μg/liter (0.02–368 μg/liter) in Cardiff. There were no associations between urine perchlorate concentrations and serum TSH or FT4 in the individual euthyroid or hypothyroid/hypothyroxinemic cohorts. In multivariable linear analyses, log perchlorate was not a predictor of serum FT4 or TSH. Conclusions: Low-level perchlorate exposure is ubiquitous but did not affect thyroid function in this cohort of iodine-deficient pregnant women

Perchlorate and Thiocyanate Exposure and Thyroid Function in First-Trimester Pregnant Women

Context: Thyroid hormone, requiring adequate maternal iodine intake, is critical for fetal neurodevelopment. Perchlorate decreases thyroidal iodine uptake by competitively inhibiting the sodium/iodide symporter. It is unclear whether environmental perchlorate exposure adversely affects thyroid function in pregnant women. Thiocyanate, derived from foods and cigarette smoke, is a less potent competitive sodium/iodide symporter inhibitor than perchlorate. Objective: Our objective was to determine whether environmental perchlorate and/or thiocyanate exposure is associated with alterations in thyroid function in pregnancy. Design and Setting: We conducted a cross-sectional study at health centers in Cardiff, Wales, and Turin, Italy. Patients: During 2002During -2006,000 women at less than 16 wk gestation were enrolled in the Controlled Antenatal Thyroid Screening Study. Subsets of 261 hypothyroid/hypothyroxinemic and 526 euthyroid women from Turin and 374 hypothyroid/hypothyroxinemic and 480 euthyroid women from Cardiff were selected based on availability of stored urine samples and thyroid function data. Main Outcome Measures: Urinary iodine, thiocyanate, and perchlorate and serum TSH, free T 4 (FT 4 ), and thyroperoxidase antibody were measured. Results: Urinary iodine was low: median 98 g/liter in Cardiff and 52 g/liter in Turin. Urine perchlorate was detectable in all women. The median (range) urinary perchlorate concentration was 5 g/liter (0.04 -168 g/liter) in Turin and 2 g/liter (0.02-368 g/liter) in Cardiff. There were no associations between urine perchlorate concentrations and serum TSH or FT 4 in the individual euthyroid or hypothyroid/hypothyroxinemic cohorts. In multivariable linear analyses, log perchlorate was not a predictor of serum FT 4 or TSH. Conclusions: Low-level perchlorate exposure is ubiquitous but did not affect thyroid function in this cohort of iodine-deficient pregnant women. (J Clin Endocrinol Metab 95: 3207-3215, 2010