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ABSTRACT: The aim of this study is to test the acceptance and efficacy of an individualised text messaging (SMS)-based intervention to support smoking cessation in apprentices of vocational schools.The SMS program MyWay, which generated individualised text messages to support smoking cessation based on an online assessment and a weekly SMS assessment, was developed. The text messages were based on the Transtheoretical Model of Behavior Change and sent to the programme participants over a period of 3 months. The programme was tested in 62 school classes at 6 vocational schools in Bremen, Germany, where 1 086 apprentices participated in an online assessment addressing demographic and smoking related variables.A total of 415 persons (38%) fulfilled the inclusion criteria "daily cigarette smoking", "ownership of a cell phone" and "regular use of text messaging". Of these, 210 persons (51%) participated in the programme. A 6-month follow-up telephone interview for the evaluation of the SMS programme and the assessment of smoking-related variables could be conducted in 125 (60%) of the 210 programme participants. Compared to the baseline assessment, the smoking prevalence (7-day-point prevalence abstinence, 11%) and the intention to stop smoking (p<0.01) were higher at the 6-month follow-up. Furthermore, cigarette craving was lower at 6-month follow-up among persons who still smoked at this point in time (p<0.01).In comparison to other smoking cessation services, this intervention approach allows us to reach a substantial part of smokers in vocational schools. The text messaging programme is promising for the support of smoking cessation in young adults.
Das Gesundheitswesen 01/2013; · 0.94 Impact Factor
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ABSTRACT: Little is known about tobacco smoking and health risk drinking among apprentices at vocational schools. The aim of this study was to determine the proportions of subjects who smoke or drink alcohol in a risky way, their preparedness to stop smoking, and the proportions of smokers and risk drinkers according to occupational groups and general school education. The methods included a survey of all apprentices in their first year of vocational training and all trainees in a course of preparation for occupation in a north-eastern region of Germany. All vocational schools of the study region participated. At the time of the survey, 77.9% of the apprentices were present. Among them, 99.8% (N=1 124) filled in questionnaires. The data revealed that among the total sample 61.2% were daily or less than daily current smokers. Among adults, 8.2%, among those at age 17 or younger 12.9% had a mean daily consumption of more than 12 grams (females) or more than 24 grams (males) of pure alcohol. These proportions were 12.6-18.0% among apprentices of blue collar occupations and 2.8-6.5% among apprentices of white collar or health occupations. Among subjects who had left school without graduation, 85.0%, and among those with the highest school education 36.9% were current smokers. It is concluded that vocational schools are a suitable and essential setting to reach a high risk population concerning tobacco smoking or unhealthy alcohol consumption.
Das Gesundheitswesen 08/2012; · 0.94 Impact Factor
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ABSTRACT: In some studies, hypertension is more common in never and former smokers than in current smokers.
To examine the associations between hypertension and smoking status, when divided into subgroups by overweight and obesity.
Cross-sectional study.
We used data from a national health survey with a probability sample of the national population of Germany aged 18 to 79 (n = 6903 with complete data). Smoking status data were collected via questionnaire. Obesity and overweight were assessed by body mass index, hypertension by blood pressure measurement and by participants' statements about antihypertensive treatment. Analyses were adjusted for gender, age, history of coronary artery disease, serum cholesterol levels, alcohol drinking, exercise, and education.
Obese former smokers who were abstinent for 3 or more years had an adjusted odds ratio (OR) 3.6 (95% confidence interval, CI 2.3-5.7) for mild hypertension (> or =140 mmHg systolic or > or =90 mmHg diastolic blood pressure) and an adjusted OR 6.5 (95%CI 3.6-11.8) for moderate or severe hypertension (> or =160 mmHg systolic or > or =100 mmHg diastolic). Normal weight never or former smokers did not differ from normal weight current smokers smoking > or =15 cigarettes/day with regard to likelihood of hypertension (normal weight never smokers, OR 1.1, 95%CI 0.8-1.5; normal weight former smokers, abstinent 3 or more years, OR 0.8, 95%CI 0.5-1.3).
In this nationally representative sample, never or former smoking was unrelated to hypertension among normal weight individuals.
QJM: monthly journal of the Association of Physicians 07/2006; 99(6):407-15. · 2.33 Impact Factor
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ABSTRACT: To analyze overweight and obesity in a nation by self-report (SR) data and by data about the target person provided via other household members compared to measurement devices (MD). The magnitude of hypothesized under-reporting by the SR data should be estimated with adjustment for age, gender, and education.
Two cross-sectional studies, nationally representative health examination surveys (response rates: 61.4 and 73.2%, respectively).
Adult general population of Germany aged 20-79 years.
Sample 1 included 6806 residents. Samples 2 (n=98 673) and 3 (n=34 960) included residents in the second survey.
In sample 1 MD data were collected, in sample 2 SR data were collected, and in sample 3 body weight and height information was provided from another household member living together with the target person.
MD data revealed higher proportions of overweight and obesity compared to SR. Among women with body mass index (BMI) 35.00 or higher, the odds ratio (OR) was 3.9 (95% confidence interval, CI, 3.2-4.7), and among men 2.8 (CI, 2.2-3.6) for MD versus SR. Data from other household members also revealed higher proportions of overweight and obesity than SR (OR for BMI 35.00 or higher 2.1, CI, 1.7-2.5, for data from other household members versus SR in women and OR 1.3, CI, 1.1-1.5, in men).
MD data should be used when providing proportions of overweight and obesity in a nation such as Germany.
European Journal of Clinical Nutrition 04/2006; 60(3):372-7. · 2.46 Impact Factor
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ABSTRACT: 1] Mineral dust, one of the most abundant aerosols by mass in the atmosphere, may have a lasting but to date almost unexplored effect on the trace gases nitric acid (HNO 3) and sulfur dioxide (SO 2). These gases have an important influence on, for example, the tropospheric ozone cycle, aerosol formation or acid rain. Within the second part of the MINATROC project (Mineral Dust and Tropospheric Chemistry) we investigated the interaction of mineral dust with gaseous HNO 3 and SO 2 . The measurements were performed on a high mountain plateau (Izaña, Tenerife, 2367 m asl) using the highly sensitive CIMS (Chemical Ionization Mass Spectrometry) technique. During five periods of medium and one period of high atmospheric dust load, the HNO 3 concentration decreased with increasing dust concentrations, and in all cases the HNO 3 detection limit was reached. From the HNO 3 decrease the uptake coefficient g HNO 3 was calculated for the first time on the basis of in situ measurements. For the observed events, g HNO 3 varied between 0.017 and 0.054. Moreover, during the dust events a significant decrease of ozone (O 3) of the order of 30% was detected. The measurements and the analyses made in this paper show that the direct uptake of O 3 on dust is a minor pathway for O 3 depletion compared to the indirect effect, i.e., HNO 3 depletion on dust which takes away a source of the O 3 precursors nitrogen oxides. In contrast, a general interaction between SO 2 and mineral dust was not observed. Positive as well as negative and no correlations between SO 2 and mineral dust were detected. (2005), Interaction of mineral dust with gas phase nitric acid and sulfur dioxide during the MINATROC II field campaign: First estimate of the uptake coefficient g HNO 3 from atmospheric data, J. Geophys. Res., 110, D22306, doi:10.1029/2005JD005906.
Journal of Geophysical Research 11/2005; 110. · 3.02 Impact Factor
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ABSTRACT: Weight gain after smoking cessation is perceived to be a barrier against quitting smoking. The goal was to analyze overweight and obesity depending on smoking status and number of cigarettes per day (cpd) among former and current smokers.
The sample included 7124 residents of Germany aged 18-79 y from a national health examination survey (participation rate: 61.4%). Body weight and height were objectively measured; smoking status and cpd were assessed by a questionnaire administered in a health examination center.
The number of cpd was positively related to being overweight and more so to obesity among former smoking men, but not women. The results were adjusted for age, school education, exercise and alcohol consumption. Men who formerly had smoked more than 30 cpd had an adjusted odds ratio (OR) of 5.0 for obesity compared to men who had never smoked.
With an increasing number of cpd more psychological and physiological processes of compensation of nicotine supply after smoking cessation may be expected. Male smokers should be provided with information on how to prevent weight gain after smoking cessation. To foster smoking cessation, female smokers should be informed that women who stop smoking manage to have no increase in the rates of overweight or obesity when considered at the general population level.
International Journal of Obesity 11/2005; 29(10):1289-94. · 4.69 Impact Factor
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ABSTRACT: Exposure to environmental tobacco smoke (ETS) poses an impact on the health of the newborns and infants. In Germany research about the tobacco-attributable morbidity and mortality has been conducted to a very small extent. This analysis examines all data from 16 federal states in regard to number and duration of hospitalization of children exposed to ETS up to 5 years of age.
Integration of two different data sets: (a) national data (number of households with children younger than 5 years exposed to a current smoker) with (b) hospital statistics (number and duration of hospitalisations by diagnoses) for all 16 federal states. Relative risks for tobacco-attributable diseases were taken from current research.
In Germany the rate for tobacco-attributable hospitalisations of children between 0 and < 5 years range from 1.6 % to 3.8 % between states. Between 22.0 % and 27.1 % of all hospitalisations with the diagnosis of otitis media or respiratory diseases are attributable to passive smoking.
Tobacco-attributable hospitalisations pose a serious but preventable problem for the health care system.
DMW - Deutsche Medizinische Wochenschrift 05/2005; 130(19):1189-94. · 0.53 Impact Factor
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ABSTRACT: The aim of the study was to determine how many inpatient treatments are attributable to tobacco smoking or alcohol risk-drinking in a high tobacco smoking and alcohol per capital consumption country.
Relative mortality risks from international studies, inpatient diagnoses in the year 1997 (n = 12,803,729), rates of tobacco smokers and alcohol risk drinkers from Germany (microcensus 1995, n = 169,403; German National Health Survey 1990/1991, n = 7450) were the data base.
Of all inpatient treatment cases in the year 1997, 9.9 % (n = 1,273,651) were tobacco- or alcohol-attributable. The inpatient stays took 1.5 days more than those who were not tobacco- or alcohol-attributable.
It is concluded that early detection and early intervention are needed for the decrease of the number of inpatient treatments.
DMW - Deutsche Medizinische Wochenschrift 07/2003; 128(25-26):1387-90. · 0.53 Impact Factor
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ABSTRACT: The aim of the study was to compare rates of smokers among physicians and nurses in the USA, a country with relatively high levels of activity in tobacco control, with those in a country with low levels of tobacco-control efforts. Analysis of interview data in three cross-sectional population studies was carried out. The tobacco-smoking rate of the physicians in the country with low prevention activity dropped to 18%, which is still much higher than the smoking rate in the US and other European countries. In conclusion, prevention activity on a national level might contribute to reducing the rate of current smokers among physicians to a large extent, less so in nurses.
European Journal of Cancer Prevention 07/2003; 12(3):235-7. · 2.13 Impact Factor
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ABSTRACT: The aim was to estimate the cancer mortality explained by tobacco smoking and alcohol risk drinking. The methods included (1) smoking rates from the largest population survey and alcohol drinking data from the German National Health Survey, and (2) vital statistics from Germany. The tobacco- and alcohol-related data were analysed using formulas for the estimation of attributable fractions. The results show that 19.7% of all malignant neoplasm deaths are explained by tobacco smoking alone, a further 0.2% by alcohol consumption alone and a further 5.6% by tobacco smoking and alcohol drinking. It is concluded that this overlap in the two substance use behaviours has to be taken into account when considering attributable mortality data.
European Journal of Cancer Prevention 03/2002; 11(1):11-7. · 2.13 Impact Factor
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ABSTRACT: The goal of the study is the estimation of mortality rates attributable to tobacco smoking (TAM) for the Federal States of Germany.
The 0.5% representative sample of the German population with data about tobacco smoking (microcensus 1995) as well as the data about causes of death according to ICD from the Federal Office of Statistics are used. On these grounds the mortality as well as the smoking prevalence and, on the basis of data of the U. S. Department of Health and Human Services, the mortality risks for smokers in comparison to never-smokers are estimated.
Tobacco-smoking attributable mortality rates vary in females from 5.6% to 13.2% in the Federal States, in males from 24.3% to 29.2% (age: 35 years or older). Women in the City States show the highest TAM rates. The TAM rate for Germany (females and males taken together) is 17.0% of the total mortality at an age of 35 years and above.
The data reveal for Germany that tobacco smoking is the most preventable health risk.
Das Gesundheitswesen 07/2001; 63(6):363-9. · 0.94 Impact Factor
