An earlier version (version 5.0.2, 2008) of the Handbook is also published by John Wiley & Sons, Ltd under “The Cochrane Book Series” Imprint, as Higgins JPT, Green S (editors), Cochrane Handbook for Systematic Reviews of Interventions (ISBN 978-0470057964) by John Wiley & Sons Ltd, The Atrium, Southern Gate, Chichester, West Sussex PO19 8SQ, England, Telephone (+44) 1243 779777; Email (for orders and customer service enquiries): cs-books@wiley.co.uk. Visit their Home Page on www.wiley.com.

Chapter 8: Assessing risk of bias in included studies

Assessing Risk of Bias in Included Studies

The CONSORT (Consolidated Standards of Reporting Trials) statement is used worldwide to improve the reporting of randomized, controlled trials. Schulz and colleagues describe the latest version, CONSORT 2010, which updates the reporting guideline based on new methodological evidence and accumulating experience.

/pdf/consort-2010-statement-updated-guidelines-for-reporting-2gsukgxz6c.pdf

CONSORT 2010 statement: updated guidelines for reporting parallel group randomized trials.

25. Multiple Imputation for Nonresponse in Surveys. By D. B. Rubin. ISBN 0 471 08705 X. Wiley, Chichester, 1987. 258 pp. £30.25.

Multiple Imputation for Nonresponse in Surveys

Statistical Analysis with Missing Data

Introduction An unintended consequence of indoor smoking restrictions is the relocation of smoking to building entrances, where non-smokers may be exposed to secondhand smoke, and smoke from outdoor areas may drift through entrances, exposing people inside. Tobacco smoke has been linked to numerous health effects in non-smokers and there is no safe level of secondhand smoke (SHS) exposure. This paper presents data on levels of tobacco smoke inside and outside entrances to office buildings. Methods Real-time air quality monitors were used to simultaneously measure respirable particulate matter (PM 2.5 ; air pollutant particles with a diameter of 2.5 μm or less) as a marker for tobacco smoke, outside and inside 28 entrances to office buildings in downtown Toronto, Ontario, in May and June 2008. Measurements were taken when smoking was and was not present within 9 m of entrances. Background levels of PM 2.5 were also measured for each session. A mixed model analysis was used to estimate levels of PM 2.5 , taking into account repeated measurement errors. Results Peak levels (10 s averages) of PM 2.5 were as high as 496 μg/m 3 when smoking was present. Mixed model analysis shows that the average outdoor PM 2.5 with smoking was significantly higher than the background level (p 2.5 with ≥5 lit cigarettes was 2.5 times greater than the average background level. Conclusions These findings support smoke-free policies at entrances to buildings to protect non-smokers from exposure to tobacco smoke.

https://tobaccocontrol.bmj.com/content/tobaccocontrol/20/3/212.full.pdf

Not just ‘a few wisps’: real-time measurement of tobacco smoke at entrances to office buildings

Deadly fashion : the rise and fall of cigarette smoking in North America

INTRODUCTION There are limited data on the use of electronic cigarettes (e-cigarettes) among youth, particularly with regard to the use of nicotine versus nonnicotine products. This study investigates ever use of nicotine and nonnicotine e-cigarettes and examines the demographic and behavioral correlates of e-cigarette use in Ontario, Canada. METHODS Data for 2,892 high school students were derived from the 2013 Ontario Student Drug Use and Health Survey. This province-wide school-based survey is based on a 2-stage cluster design. Bivariate and multivariate analyses were used to investigate the factors associated with ever use of e-cigarettes. Ever use of e-cigarettes was derived from the question, "Have you ever smoked at least one puff from an electronic cigarette?" All analyses included appropriate adjustments for the complex study design. RESULTS Fifteen percent of high school students reported using e-cigarettes in their lifetime. Most students who ever used e-cigarettes reported using e-cigarettes without nicotine (72%), but 28% had used e-cigarettes with nicotine. Male, White/Caucasian, and rural students, as well as those with a history of using tobacco cigarettes, were at greater odds of e-cigarette use. Seven percent of students who had never smoked a tobacco cigarette in their lifetime reported using an e-cigarette. Five percent of those who had ever used an e-cigarette had never smoked a tobacco cigarette. CONCLUSION More students reported ever using e-cigarettes without nicotine than with nicotine in Ontario, Canada. This underscores the need for greater knowledge of the contents of both nicotine and nonnicotine e-cigarettes to better guide public health policies.

Ever Use of Nicotine and Nonnicotine Electronic Cigarettes Among High School Students in Ontario, Canada

Smoking in urban outdoor public places: Behaviour, experiences, and implications for public health

As the health toll from tobacco use mounts worldwide,1 ,2 policy makers, programme personnel, and researchers are focusing more on the tobacco industry as the “underlying cause” of the tobacco epidemic.3 ,4 To mitigate growing public opposition, the tobacco industry attempts to buy respectability and social legitimacy.5-8 In the process, not only does it addict consumers to its lethal product, but it addicts institutions to a portion of its profits. Outcomes of institutional addiction to tobacco may include delayed decision making, distortion of the research agenda, and silence or inaction on tobacco control issues.9-11 

Institutional addiction to tobacco is widespread. In Canada and the United States, individual legislators and political parties have benefited from tobacco industry campaign contributions.12 ,13 Many governments garner tax revenues generated from the sale of tobacco—for example, refs14 ,15. In addition, the organisers of major sporting and cultural events on both sides of the Atlantic have come to depend on tobacco funds, and are now fighting along with the industry against restrictions on sponsorship.16 ,17 

Universities and healthcare institutions also may be dependent on tobacco industry funding and connections. Their relationships with the industry pose a direct conflict of interest, particularly for those with health mandates, since these institutions are implicitly entrusted with researching and publicising the harmful effects of tobacco and the role of the tobacco industry. In this commentary, we examine the ways in which these institutions become dependent on the tobacco industry, that is, “institutionally addicted to tobacco”, and discuss what can be done to break this addiction.

The tobacco industry’s involvement in health research funding is controversial for institutions and their researchers.18-23 Proponents argue that such funding is necessary as other sources of support diminish.23 They contend …

/pdf/institutional-addiction-to-tobacco-2r6mhlqy5o.pdf

Roberta Ferrence

Papers

Not just ‘a few wisps’: real-time measurement of tobacco smoke at entrances to office buildings

Deadly fashion : the rise and fall of cigarette smoking in North America

Ever Use of Nicotine and Nonnicotine Electronic Cigarettes Among High School Students in Ontario, Canada

Smoking in urban outdoor public places: Behaviour, experiences, and implications for public health

Institutional addiction to tobacco