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

We document implementation and enforcement activities undertaken by high schools and health units with regard to the 1994 ban on smoking on school property in Ontario. Telephone interviews were conducted in the early summer of 1996 with 213 high school administrators and 38 tobacco enforcement personnel in health units. While some schools are unclear about enforcement responsibility, most are making efforts to enforce the ban, including warning and suspending students. Some school administrators (30%) suggest the reinstitution of designated smoking areas on school property. One quarter of health units had not made enforcement visits in schools in the 1995-96 school year and a minority accounted for most of the warnings and tickets issued to students. While most tobacco enforcement officers perceive that schools support the ban, they report some problems in obtaining cooperation in enforcement. However, only 11% suggest returning to designated smoking areas on school property.

The Ontario ban on smoking on school property : Issues and challenges in enforcement

Is 'stage of change' related to knowledge of health effects and support for tobacco control?

The home is a significant source of environmental tobacco smoke (ETS) exposure for many children and, therefore, increasingly a focus of intervention, although evidence of effectiveness remains equivocal. However, little is known about the nature, genesis, and micro-social context of self-imposed restrictions on smoking in the home. In this exploratory study, interviews were conducted in 15 diverse households that had resident children in Toronto, Canada. The results suggest that households cluster into three distinctive groups, from a high degree of restrictions to a lack of consistent measures. Attempts to control ETS exposures in homes often emerge as a result of protracted negotiations and must be understood in the context of situated relationships within the family. Implications for policy and practice, as well as recommendations for future research, are addressed.

The interpersonal management of environmental tobacco smoke in the home–a qualitative study

Papers pp 333, 337, 343 

Environmental tobacco smoke is a serious health risk to children. Regulatory measures to protect children, such as eliminating smoking in day care settings, schools, and public places, do not address their main source of exposure to tobacco smoke—their homes. Formal structures for protecting children in the home are usually only used in certain circumstances involving custody and adoption,1 and legislation to ban smoking in homes is unlikely, so other strategies to reduce children's exposure to environmental tobacco smoke must be put in place.

In this issue of the BMJ , three separate but thematically related papers provide support for a comprehensive approach to protect children from environmental tobacco smoke.2–4 Jarvis et al report that much of the reduction in exposure among English children aged 11–15 that occurred between 1988 and 1998 was due to reduced prevalence of parental smoking, as well as reduced smoking …

https://www.bmj.com/content/bmj/321/7257/310.full.pdf

Protecting children from passive smoking: The risks are clear and a comprehensive strategy is now needed

Aims Previous studies have shown inconsistent findings with regard to the association between amount of spending money and adolescent smoking. Drinking alcohol may be a mediator of the association between spending money and adolescent smoking. However, no studies have examined this potential role. The objective of this study was to investigate the association between amount of spending money and adolescent smoking and the potential mediation role of alcohol use in this association.



Design  The 2003 Ontario Student Drug Use Survey of students in grades 7–12.



Measurements  Multivariable logistic, probit and linear regression models were used to investigate the association between amount of spending money and smoking, and the contribution of drinking alcoholic beverages to this relationship.



Findings  Spending money was associated positively with experimental smoking, current smoking and daily consumption of cigarettes (P < 0.01). The analysis adjusted for confounders showed that students with spending money ≥$20/week were significantly more likely to be experimental smokers, students with ≥$30/week were significantly more likely to be current smokers and students with ≥$60/week smoked significantly more cigarettes/day (P ≤ 0.05), compared to students with <$10/week. Alcohol use was an important mediator, responsible for 81% of the association of spending money with experimental smoking, 38% with current smoking and 37% with daily consumption of cigarettes.



Conclusions  Amount of spending money was associated significantly and positively with smoking among adolescents, and alcohol use mediated this association. Integrated tobacco prevention programs may be more effective, and increasing taxes on cigarettes and alcohol would increase price sensitivity among youth and protect against adolescent smoking.

Roberta Ferrence

Papers

The Ontario ban on smoking on school property : Issues and challenges in enforcement

Is 'stage of change' related to knowledge of health effects and support for tobacco control?

The interpersonal management of environmental tobacco smoke in the home–a qualitative study

Protecting children from passive smoking: The risks are clear and a comprehensive strategy is now needed

The role of spending money and drinking alcohol in adolescent smoking.