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

The future of tobacco use and smoking research.

OBJECTIVE: To address three questions (Is moderate drinking good for health? Should people drink to prevent heart disease? What is moderate drinking?) and to examine and compare two recent Canadian guidelines on low-risk drinking in the context of counseling patients. DATA SOURCES: English-language data sources were searched, particularly peer-reviewed health and social science literature and recent expert reports. STUDY SELECTION: Studies and reports were selected for their scientific merit and direct relevance to the three questions addressed and to the formulation of guidelines on low-risk drinking. SYNTHESIS: While moderate drinking might protect some older people against coronary heart disease, it is associated with increased risk of hemorrhagic stroke, certain cancers, accidents and injuries, and a range of social problems. For most health outcomes, risk increases as consumption of alcohol increases. CONCLUSIONS: While the data have limitations, they provide a basis for formulating guidelines on low-risk drinking. The two Canadian guidelines, one developed from the perspective of health recovery, the other from the perspective of health promotion, complement each other in the context of counseling patients.

Moderate drinking and health. Implications of recent evidence.

Objective: To evaluate the impact of an indoor smoke-free bylaw in Toronto, Ontario, implemented June 2004. Methods: We used a pre-post comparison design to assess secondhand smoke (SHS) exposure among 79 eligible bar workers in Toronto, Ontario (bylaw enacted), and 49 eligible bar workers in a control community, Windsor, Ontario (no bylaw change), at four times: preban, and 1, 2, and 9 months postban. Results: SHS exposure time and urinary cotinine level were substantially reduced in Toronto bar workers immediately after the ban by 94% (from 7.8 to 0.5 hours) and 68% (from 24.2 to 7.8 ng/mL), respectively. The reduction was sustained throughout follow-up. There was no change among Windsor bar workers before and after the ban. Conclusions: Compliance with the ban was high, and the ban led to a substantial reduction in SHS exposure.

Impact of an indoor smoking ban on bar workers' exposure to secondhand smoke

Few studies have employed a qualitative approach to better understand how both smokers and non-smokers experience and make sense of no-smoking restrictions in their daily lives. We describe qualitative research involving an examination of self-reported interpersonal interactions between smokers and non-smokers in public places regarding exposure to environmental tobacco smoke (ETS). Five focus group discussions and twenty individual in-depth interviews were conducted with smokers and non-smokers in the Metropolitan Toronto region as a complement to a quantitative survey of the adult population of Ontario. Strategies used by non-smokers in responding to ETS exposures included verbal confrontations, non-verbal cues, use of a third party, and moving away. The perceived consequences of such actions, as described by both smokers and non-smokers, are discussed, together with implications for tobacco control policy and practice.

Interactions between smokers and non-smokers in public places: a qualitative study.

Aims Non-First Nations people purchasing cigarettes on First Nations reserves do not pay applicable taxes. We estimated prevalence and identified correlates of purchasing contraband cigarettes on reserves; we also quantified the shareof contrabandpurchasedonreservesrelativetoreportedtotalcigaretteconsumptionandtheassociatedfinancial impact on taxation revenue. Design Data from the Ontario Tobacco Survey, a regionally stratified representative population telephone survey that over-samples smokers. Setting Ontario, Canada. Participants A total of 1382 adult current smokers. Measurements Reported status of purchasing cigarettes on reserves and the quantity of cigarettes bought on reserves. The prevalence of purchasing cigarettes on reserves was assessed with descriptive statistics.Atwo-partmodelwasusedtoanalysecorrelatesof havingrecentlypurchasedcontraband.Findings Atotal of 25.8% reported recent purchasing and 11.5% reported usual purchasing. Heavy smoking, having no plans to quit and lower education were correlated with recent purchasing. Heavy smoking and not having plans to quit were also correlated with buying more packs of cigarettes on reserves. Contraband purchases on reserves accounted for 14.0% of the reported total cigarette consumption and resulted in an estimated tax loss of $122.2 million. Conclusions There was substantial purchasing of contraband cigarettes on reserves in Ontario, resulting in signifi- cant losses in tax revenues.The availability of these cheap cigarettes undermines the effectiveness of tobacco taxation to reduce smoking. Wherever indicated, governments should strengthen their contraband prevention and control measures, as recommended by the Framework Convention on Tobacco Control, to ensure that tobacco taxation achieves its intended health benefits and that tax revenues are protected.

Roberta Ferrence

Papers

The future of tobacco use and smoking research.

Moderate drinking and health. Implications of recent evidence.

Impact of an indoor smoking ban on bar workers' exposure to secondhand smoke

Interactions between smokers and non-smokers in public places: a qualitative study.

Prevalence and correlates of purchasing contraband cigarettes on First Nations reserves in Ontario, Canada