Levels of physical dependence on tobacco among adolescent smokers in Cyprus

PURPOSE: The purpose of this study is to assess tobacco dependence among Cypriot adolescents and examine its association to cigarette consumption and attitudes towards smoking. METHODS: The current study used cross-sectional data from the 2011 Cyprus Global Youth Tobacco Survey which adopted multistage cluster sampling methods to select adolescents registered in middle and high schools in Cyprus. Tobacco use, physical dependence on tobacco, and attitudes towards tobacco use were measured in 187 adolescents aged 13-18years old who reported that they had smoked at least once in the preceding 30 days. Physical dependence was assessed using the Levels of Physical Dependence scale. RESULTS: Physical dependence was present in 86% of the adolescent smokers. The mean latency to needing among smokers in the highest dependence group was 101h. Significant associations were observed between physical dependence and the perceived difficulty in quitting (OR=13.1, 95% CI: 4.0, 43.0) as well as the expectation to continue smoking for the next five years (OR=3.3, 95% CI: 1.3, 8.4). Significant associations were also observed between physical dependence and the number of smoking days per month, daily smoking, daily cigarette consumption, lifetime cigarette consumption, and perceived difficulty in abstaining from smoking for one week. CONCLUSIONS: Physical dependence provides a symptom-based approach to assess dependence and it is a strong predictor of adolescents\u27 perceptions of their ability to quit or to refrain from smoking for a week. Physical dependence on tobacco was highly prevalent among adolescent smokers in Cyprus and it was associated with greater perceived difficulty in quitting. Interventions targeting adolescent smoking must account for the high prevalence of physical dependence

Occupational exposures to disinfectants and pre-diabetes status among active nurses in Cyprus

Objectives A cross-sectional study was designed in two hospitals of Cyprus to: (i) examine the possible association between exposure to disinfectants/trihalomethanes (THM) with point of care glycosylated hemoglobin (HbA1c) levels among active nurses, and (ii) identify the main determinants of pre-diabetes metabolic risk among active nurses in Cyprus. Methods In total, 179 nurses from two public hospitals in Cyprus were recruited excluding pregnant or nurses working <5 years (participation rate ~25.6%). End-of-shift urine samples were used to measure exposures to THM, and questionnaire items were used to construct improved exposure classification matrices, ie, the job exposure matrix (JEM) and the job-task exposure matrix (JTEM). Results Results showed associations between JEM- and JTEM-derived metrics of exposure and HbA1c for few disinfectants (eg, peracetic acid), but no consistent trends were derived. In multivariable models, adjusted for age, BMI, sex, smoking status and alcohol consumption, the number of night shifts per month, and (ln)chloroform (a THM compound) were associated with HbA1c levels [β 0.11 (95% confidence interval (CI) 0.05-0.17) and 0.05 (95% CI 0.00-0.11), respectively]. Conclusion A significant association between the number of monthly night shifts and HbA1c was observed, but no consistent associations were found between three exposure metrics of 11 different disinfectants, or urinary THM and point of care HbA1c levels in active nurses. Replication of the study findings in larger prospective sample is warranted. This is a novel occupational health dataset shedding light on the possible metabolic effects of exposures to disinfectants/by-products that have not been studied before.e possible metabolic effects of exposures to disinfectants/by-products that have not been studied before