BACKGROUND: We aimed to estimate the prevalence of depressive symptoms as well as suicide-related ideation among Japanese university students during the stay-home order necessitated by the coronavirus disease 2019 pandemic in Japan, and offer evidence in support of future intervention to depression and suicide prevention strategies among college and university students. METHODS: The data for this cross-sectional study were derived from the Student Mental Health Survey conducted from May 20 to June 16, 2020 at a national university in Akita prefecture. Among the 5111 students recruited, 2712 participated in this study (response rate, 53%; mean age ± standard deviation, 20.5 ±3.5 years; men, 53.8%). Depressive symptoms were identified by using the Patient Health Questionnaire-9 (PHQ-9). RESULTS: The prevalence of moderate depressive symptoms based on a PHQ-9 score ≥10 and suicide-related ideation based on question 9 of PHQ-9 ≥1, which encompasses thoughts of both suicide and self-harm, was 11.7% and 6.7%, respectively. Multivariable logistic regression analyses showed that risk factors for depression included being a woman, smoking, alcohol consumption, and social network communication using either video or voice. For suicide-related ideation, alcohol consumption was the only risk factor. Exercise and having someone to consult about worries were associated with decreased risk of both depressive symptoms and suicide-related ideation. CONCLUSIONS Negative lifestyles of smoking and drinking, and being a woman, may be important risk factors for depressive symptoms, whereas exercise and having someone to consult about worries may be protective factors.
Adolescent ; Alcohol Drinking ; COVID-19/psychology* ; Cross-Sectional Studies ; Depression/epidemiology* ; Female ; Humans ; Japan/epidemiology* ; Logistic Models ; Male ; Multivariate Analysis ; Pandemics ; Risk Factors ; Smoking ; Students/psychology* ; Suicidal Ideation ; Surveys and Questionnaires ; Young Adult

BACKGROUND: Suicidal behaviors are seriously social issues among adolescents in the world. Exposed to smoking and being bullied are risk factors of suicidal behaviors. The present study was aimed to examine the interaction of smoking and being bullied on suicidal behaviors among Chinese adolescents. METHODS: A total of 18,900 students were involved in the questionnaire study, in four cities of China from November 2017 to January 2018. Suicidal behaviors, smoking, and being bullied were measured by self-reported validated instruments. Chi-square tests and logistic regression were used to analyze the associations of suicidal ideation (SI)/suicidal plan (SP)/suicidal attempt (SA), smoking, and being bullied. RESULTS: The prevalence of smoking, being bullied, SI/SP/SA, were 3.1%, 20.6%, 26.4%, 13.2%, and 5.2% respectively. Interaction analysis indicated that being bullied was associated with a greater increase in the likelihood of suicidal behaviors for adolescents with smoking than for those without smoking. CONCLUSIONS These finding suggest that smoking exacerbates the association between being bullied and suicidal behaviors. Future research should explore how and why smoking appears to more bully-victims than for those without smoking and how to mitigate it.
Adolescent ; Adolescent Behavior/psychology* ; Bullying/psychology* ; Child ; China/epidemiology* ; Cross-Sectional Studies ; Humans ; Prevalence ; Smoking/psychology* ; Students/statistics & numerical data* ; Suicidal Ideation

BACKGROUND: There have been inconsistent findings reported on maternal passive smoking during pregnancy and child risk of ADHD. In this study, ADHD symptoms at pre-school age children in association with prenatal passive and active tobacco smoke exposure determined by maternal plasma cotinine levels in the third trimester were investigated. METHODS: This was a follow-up study of the birth cohort: the Hokkaido Study on Environment and Children's Health. Children whose parents answered Strengths and Difficulties Questionnaire (SDQ) to identify child ADHD symptoms (hyperactivity/inattention and conduct problems) and total difficulties at age 5 years with available maternal plasma cotinine level at the third trimester were included (n = 3216). Cotinine levels were categorized into 4 groups; ≦ 0.21 ng/ml (non-smoker), 0.22-0.51 ng/ml (low-passive smoker), 0.52-11.48 ng/ml (high-passive smoker), and ≧ 11.49 ng/ml (active smoker). RESULTS: Maternal cotinine levels of active smokers were significantly associated with an increased risk of total difficulties (OR = 1.67) and maternal low- and high-passive smoking also increased the risk (OR = 1.11, 1.25, respectively) without statistical significance. Similarly, maternal cotinine levels of active smokers were associated with an increased risk of hyperactivity/inattention (OR = 1.49). Maternal low- and high-passive smoking and active smoking increased the risk of hyperactivity/inattention (OR = 1.45, 1.43, and OR = 1.59, respectively) only in boys. CONCLUSION Our findings suggested that maternal active smoking during pregnancy may contribute to the increased risk of child total difficulties and hyperactivity/inattention at pre-school age. Pregnant women should be encouraged to quit smoking and avoid exposure to tobacco smoke.
Adult ; Attention Deficit Disorder with Hyperactivity ; epidemiology ; etiology ; physiopathology ; psychology ; Child, Preschool ; Cotinine ; blood ; Female ; Follow-Up Studies ; Humans ; Japan ; epidemiology ; Male ; Maternal Exposure ; adverse effects ; Mothers ; Pregnancy ; Pregnancy Trimester, Third ; Prenatal Exposure Delayed Effects ; epidemiology ; etiology ; Risk ; Sex Factors ; Tobacco Smoking ; adverse effects ; epidemiology

BACKGROUND: A diabetes risk score in Korean adults was developed and validated. METHODS: This study used the National Health Insurance Service-National Health Screening Cohort (NHIS-HEALS) of 359,349 people without diabetes at baseline to derive an equation for predicting the risk of developing diabetes, using Cox proportional hazards regression models. External validation was conducted using data from the Korean Genome and Epidemiology Study. Calibration and discrimination analyses were performed separately for men and women in the development and validation datasets. RESULTS: During a median follow-up of 10.8 years, 37,678 cases (event rate=10.4 per 1,000 person-years) of diabetes were identified in the development cohort. The risk score included age, family history of diabetes, alcohol intake (only in men), smoking status, physical activity, use of antihypertensive therapy, use of statin therapy, body mass index, systolic blood pressure, total cholesterol, fasting glucose, and γ glutamyl transferase (only in women). The C-statistics for the models for risk at 10 years were 0.71 (95% confidence interval [CI], 0.70 to 0.73) for the men and 0.76 (95% CI, 0.75 to 0.78) for the women in the development dataset. In the validation dataset, the C-statistics were 0.63 (95% CI, 0.53 to 0.73) for men and 0.66 (95% CI, 0.55 to 0.76) for women. CONCLUSION: The Korean Diabetes Risk Score may identify people at high risk of developing diabetes and may be an effective tool for delaying or preventing the onset of condition as risk management strategies involving modifiable risk factors can be recommended to those identified as at high risk.
Adult ; Blood Pressure ; Body Mass Index ; Calibration ; Cholesterol ; Cohort Studies* ; Dataset ; Diabetes Mellitus ; Discrimination (Psychology) ; Epidemiology ; Fasting ; Female ; Follow-Up Studies ; Genome ; Glucose ; Humans ; Hydroxymethylglutaryl-CoA Reductase Inhibitors ; Korea ; Male ; Mass Screening ; Motor Activity ; National Health Programs ; Risk Assessment ; Risk Factors ; Risk Management ; Smoke ; Smoking ; Transferases

Objective: To understand the status, attitude and related risk factors on smoking among 18-65 years old patients with hypertension, diabetes, dyslipidemia, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) or asthma in Beijing. Methods: Data was gathered from the 2014 Beijing Non-communicable and Chronic Disease Surveillance Program. Multiple classified cluster sampling method was used and 19 815 participants aged 18-65 were sampled from 16 districts in Beijing. Results: Among all the 18 405 participants, male hypertensive patients showed a higher rate on current smoking than the other groups (χ(2)=17.695, P<0.001). Male patients with dyslipidemia had higher current smoking rate than the other groups (χ(2)=39.292, P<0.001). However, female patients with COPD or with asthma showed higher rate on current smoking than the other groups (χ(2)=6.276, P=0.012), (χ(2)=8.245, P=0.004). Among the smokers, hypertensive patients presented lower rate (χ(2)=20.487, P<0.001) on intention of smoking concession, than the other groups. Patients with COPD showed greater intention in quitting smoking (χ(2)=6.085, P=0.048), than the other groups. Male patients with diabetes (χ(2)=9.219, P=0.010) or dyslipidemia (χ(2)=13.513, P=0.001) who had stopped smoking tobacco appeared having higher rates in keeping the current status. Results from logistic regression analyses showed that smoking was the risk factor for hypertension (OR=1.17), dyslipidemia (OR=1.25), COPD (OR=1.78), and asthma (OR=1.57). Conclusions: Patients with certain kinds of chronic diseases showed higher rate of current smoking and lower rate of quitting. Cigarette consumption appeared an important risk factor for patients with hypertension, dyslipidemia, COPD, or asthma in Beijing.
Adolescent ; Adult ; Aged ; Asthma/epidemiology* ; Beijing/epidemiology* ; Chronic Disease/epidemiology* ; Diabetes Mellitus/epidemiology* ; Female ; Humans ; Hypertension/epidemiology* ; Intention ; Male ; Middle Aged ; Pulmonary Disease, Chronic Obstructive/epidemiology* ; Risk Factors ; Smokers ; Smoking/psychology* ; Smoking Cessation ; Nicotiana/adverse effects*

Objective: Smoking is the most important risk factor for COPD. Understanding the smoking rate, current smoking rate, average age to start smoking and average daily consumption of cigarettes among people aged ≥40 years in China can provide scientific evidence for the effective control and prevention of COPD. Methods: Data were from COPD surveillance in China (2014 to 2015) which covered 31 provinces, autonomous regions and municipalities. A total of 75 107 adults aged ≥40 years selected through multi-stage stratified cluster sampling from 125 surveillance sites (county/district) were surveyed by electronic questionnaire during face to face interviews. The smoking rate and other smoking index were estimated by using weighting complex sampling design. Results: The smoking rate and current smoking rate were 40.0% (95%CI: 38.5%-42.0%) and 31.0% (95%CI: 29.7%-32.0%), respectively, among the Chinese aged ≥40 years in 2014. The smoking rate and current smoking rate in males (74.1% and 57.6%) were much higher than those in females (5.4% and 4.0%). And the two rates were significantly higher in rural area (41.2% and 32.4%) than in urban area (38.8% and 29.5%). The mean age of smokers to start smoking was 20.1 (95%CI: 19.7-20.5) years. The younger the smokers were, the earlier their average age to start smoking was (The ages to start smoking for smokers aged 40-, 50-, 60-, ≥70 years were 18.3, 19.2, 20.9 and 23.1 years, respectively). Average daily cigarette consumption of current daily smokers was 18.9 (95%CI: 18.1-19.7) cigarettes, and the daily cigarette consumption was higher in males (19.3 cigarettes) than in females (12.5 cigarettes). Conclusion: The smoking rate in males aged ≥40 years is high in China. Compared with urban area, the smoking rate in rural area is higher, posing a big challenge for COPD control and prevention.
Adult ; Aged ; Asian People/statistics & numerical data* ; China/epidemiology* ; Female ; Humans ; Male ; Prevalence ; Risk Factors ; Smoking/psychology* ; Smoking Cessation ; Surveys and Questionnaires ; Young Adult

INTRODUCTIONGiven that past research on drinking problems has focused primarily on younger samples, the present study sought to examine the prevalence and correlates of alcohol use among the elderly in Singapore.

MATERIALS AND METHODSData were extracted from the Well-being of the Singapore Elderly (WiSE) study, a cross-sectional, epidemiological survey conducted among a nationally representative sample of Singapore residents (n = 2565) aged 60 years and above. Variables assessed include drinking problems, depression and anxiety symptoms, obesity, smoking status, chronic physical disorders and disability.

RESULTSThe weighted prevalence of drinking problems (CAGE score ≥2) in our sample was 4.2%. Male sex, Indian ethnicity, and being divorced or separated were associated with a significantly higher likelihood of drinking problems. Participants with drinking problems were also more likely to have subthreshold depression. There were no significant differences in disability among those with drinking problems, those without drinking problems and non-drinkers, after adjusting for demographic variables.

CONCLUSIONOur findings contribute to the body of research that indicates an association between drinking problems and depressive symptoms among the elderly. Thus, screening for depressive symptoms in the elderly with drinking problems may be useful in identifying such comorbidities in order to aid treatment planning.

Aged ; Aged, 80 and over ; Alcohol-Related Disorders ; diagnosis ; epidemiology ; psychology ; Alcoholism ; diagnosis ; epidemiology ; psychology ; Anxiety ; epidemiology ; psychology ; Chronic Disease ; Cross-Sectional Studies ; Depression ; epidemiology ; psychology ; Divorce ; statistics & numerical data ; Ethnic Groups ; Female ; Humans ; India ; Male ; Marital Status ; Mass Screening ; Middle Aged ; Obesity ; epidemiology ; Prevalence ; Risk Factors ; Sex Factors ; Singapore ; epidemiology ; Smoking ; epidemiology ; Surveys and Questionnaires

PURPOSE: Cigarette smoking is associated not only with increased risk of cancer incidence, but also influences prognosis, and the quality of life of the cancer survivors. Thus, smoking cessation after cancer diagnosis is necessary. However, smoking behavior among Korean cancer-survivors is yet unknown. MATERIALS AND METHODS: We investigated the smoking status of 23770 adults, aged 18 years or older, who participated in the Health Interview Survey of the Korea National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey from 2007 to 2010. Data on the cancer diagnosis and smoking history were obtained from an interview conducted by trained personals. "Cancer-survivor" was defined as anyone who has been diagnosed with cancer by a physician regardless of time duration since diagnosis. Smoking status was classified into "never-smoker", "former-smoker", and "current-smoker". Former-smoker was further divided into "cessation before diagnosis" and "cessation after diagnosis". RESULTS: Overall, 2.1% of Korean adults were cancer-survivors. The smoking rate of Korean cancer-survivors was lower than that of non-cancer controls (7.8+/-1.3% vs. 26.4+/-0.4%, p<0.001). However, 53.4% of the cancer-survivors continued to smoke after their cancer diagnosis. In multivariate analysis, male gender [odds ratio (OR), 6.34; 95% confidence interval (CI), 2.62-15.31], middle-aged group (OR, 2.74; 95% CI, 1.12-6.72), the lowest income (OR, 4.10; 95% CI, 1.19-14.15), living with smoking family member(s) (OR, 5.49; 95% CI, 2.42-12.48), and the poor self-perceived health status (OR, 2.78; 95% CI, 1.01-7.71) were independently associated with persistent smoking among Korean cancer-survivors. CONCLUSION: The smoking rate among Korean cancer survivors is low. However, the smoking cessation rate after the cancer diagnosis is also low. This mandates comprehensive and systematic intervention for smoking cessation among cancer-survivors.
Adolescent ; Adult ; Aged ; Female ; Health Status ; Health Surveys ; Humans ; Incidence ; Male ; Middle Aged ; Multivariate Analysis ; Neoplasms/chemically induced/*psychology ; Nutrition Surveys ; Odds Ratio ; Prevalence ; Prognosis ; *Quality of Life ; Republic of Korea/epidemiology ; Sex Distribution ; Smoking/*adverse effects/epidemiology/psychology ; Smoking Cessation/*psychology/statistics & numerical data ; Socioeconomic Factors ; Survivors/*psychology

PURPOSE: This study aimed to identify the characteristics and factors related to problem drinking in male workers. METHODS: This study was conducted using a cross-sectional survey and 232 male workers, who completed self-reported questionnaires addressing alcohol consumption, drinking motives, job stress, supervisor/coworker support, and family support. Multivariate analysis was used to uncover factors associated with problem drinking. RESULTS: As compared with normal alcohol users, problem drinkers were more likely to smoke and had greater family support and coping motivations, and fewer confirmatory motives. Problem drinking was found to be related to perceived health status (adjusted odds ratio [OR] = 0.78, 95% confidence interval [CI] [0.64, 0.95]), current smoking (adjusted OR = 2.79, 95% CI [1.26, 6.18]), family support (adjusted OR = 2.04, 95% CI [1.23, 3.39]), confirmatory motivation (adjusted OR = 0.60, 95% CI [0.37, 0.96]), and coping (adjusted OR = 1.79, 95% CI [1.04, 3.07]). CONCLUSIONS: Our findings suggest that any interventions targeting problem drinking among male workers must address smoking cessation, control of stress, and the improvement of drinking subculture in the workplace.
Adaptation, Psychological ; Adult ; Alcohol Drinking/*epidemiology/psychology ; Alcohol-Related Disorders/*epidemiology/psychology ; Cross-Sectional Studies ; Health Status ; Humans ; Male ; Middle Aged ; Motivation ; Republic of Korea/epidemiology ; Risk Factors ; Smoking/epidemiology ; Social Support ; Stress, Psychological/epidemiology ; Surveys and Questionnaires ; Workplace

PURPOSE: The aim of this study was to identify factors associated with early initiation of cigarette smoking among Korean adolescents. METHODS: A secondary analysis was conducted on the 2012 Korea Youth Risk BehaviorWeb-based Survey data using Cox proportional hazards regression. RESULTS: Early smoking initiation was associated with being male, having a positive subjective health status, perceiving oneself as thin or average weight (body image), having an average happiness level, being stressed, consuming alcohol, having suicidal ideation, experiencing sexual intercourse, having low or average academic grades, having a parental education level of high school or below, not taking a family trip in the previous 12 months, and having a family that approves of smoking in the home. CONCLUSIONS: Interventions targeting the prevention of smoking initiation among adolescents should include individual factors such as health status, body weight, perceived mental health status, health-risk behaviors, and academic characteristics as well as family factors that reinforce family cohesion and home smoking bans. Moreover, male adolescents aged 12e13 years and their parents should be the main target of these interventions.
Adolescent ; Adolescent Behavior/*psychology ; Child ; Female ; Humans ; Male ; Proportional Hazards Models ; Republic of Korea ; Risk Factors ; *Smoking/epidemiology/psychology ; Time Factors