[The 2015 China Adult Tobacco Survey: exposure to second-hand smoke among adults aged 15 and above and their support to policy on banning smoking in public places]

Perceptions, behaviours and attitudes towards smoking held by the male partners of Chinese pregnant women: a qualitative study

BACKGROUND

Direct associations of tobacco exposure during pregnancy with pregnancy complications and adverse birth outcomes have been proven. Previous studies suggest that expecting a child provides a valuable opportunity to promote behavioural changes, such as smoking cessation, among the male partners of pregnant women. Thorough understandings of Chinese expectant fathers' smoking behaviour during the transition to fatherhood is a prerequisite to the development of appropriate interventions to facilitate smoking cessation. This study aimed to explore the perceptions, behaviours and attitudes related to smoking among male partners of pregnant women in China.

METHODS

A descriptive phenomenological approach was adopted. A purposive sample of expectant fathers aged 18 years or older who had a tobacco use history within the past year were recruited at obstetrics and gynaecology clinics and invited to participate in one-to-one, 20-30-min semi-structured interviews. The data analysis followed Colaizzi's descriptive phenomenological method.

RESULTS

Twenty-five expectant fathers were interviewed. Four themes were generated: 1) the benefits of smoking and respondents' misperceptions of the impact of smoking and SHS and neglectful attitude of the impact of smoking, which were given as the major reasons for continuing to smoke; 2) factors contributing to smoking cessation, including concern for the potential health impact of continued smoking on the pregnant partner and baby, the role of being father, and the encouragement to quit from family members; and 3) perceived barriers to smoking cessation, including withdrawal symptoms or cigarette cravings, absence of smoking cessation support, and increasing stress.

CONCLUSION

This study provides a comprehensive understanding of the perception, behaviours, and attitudes related to smoking among Chinese expectant fathers. The findings of this study can guide healthcare professionals and policymakers in combining the distribution of educational information about the hazards of SHS for maternal and neonatal health with smoking cessation assistance for expectant fathers through policy initiatives and other types of incentives and programmes targeted to enhance smoking cessation among this population.

TRIAL REGISTRATION

Prospectively registered at clinicaltrial.org ( NCT03401021 ) on 8 Jan 2018.

Impact of smoking on COVID-19 outcomes: a HOPE Registry subanalysis

BACKGROUND

Smoking has been associated with poorer outcomes in relation to COVID-19. Smokers have higher risk of mortality and have a more severe clinical course. There is paucity of data available on this issue, and a definitive link between smoking and COVID-19 prognosis has yet to be established.

METHODS

We included 5224 patients with COVID-19 with an available smoking history in a multicentre international registry Health Outcome Predictive Evaluation for COVID-19 (NCT04334291). Patients were included following an in-hospital admission with a COVID-19 diagnosis. We analysed the outcomes of patients with a current or prior history of smoking compared with the non-smoking group. The primary endpoint was all-cause in-hospital death.

RESULTS

Finally, 5224 patients with COVID-19 with available smoking status were analysed. A total of 3983 (67.9%) patients were non-smokers, 934 (15.9%) were former smokers and 307 (5.2%) were active smokers. The median age was 66 years (IQR 52.0-77.0) and 58.6% were male. The most frequent comorbidities were hypertension (48.5%) and dyslipidaemia (33.0%). A relevant lung disease was present in 19.4%. In-hospital complications such sepsis (23.6%) and embolic events (4.3%) occurred more frequently in the smoker group (p<0.001 for both). All cause-death was higher among smokers (active or former smokers) compared with non-smokers (27.6 vs 18.4%, p<0.001). Following a multivariate analysis, current smoking was considered as an independent predictor of mortality (OR 1.77, 95% CI 1.11 to 2.82, p=0.017) and a combined endpoint of severe disease (OR 1.68, 95% CI 1.16 to 2.43, p=0.006).

CONCLUSION

Smoking has a negative prognostic impact on patients hospitalised with COVID-19.

Esophageal cancer: trends in incidence and mortality in China from 2005 to 2015

BACKGROUND

The long-term trend analysis of esophageal cancer is rarely reported in China. Our purpose is to analyze the incidence and mortality trends of esophageal cancer in China from 2005 to 2015.

METHOD

Based on the data in the annual report of the China Cancer Registry, a comprehensive analysis of esophageal cancer cases and deaths from 2005 to 2015 was carried out. The incidence and mortality of esophageal cancer are stratified by gender and region (urban or rural). Long-term trend analysis was conducted using Joinpoint regression model.

RESULT

In China, the age-standardized incidence rates by the world population declined from 13.84/105 in 2005 to 11.64/105 in 2015. Annual percent changes were 3.4% (95% CI: 0.6%, 6.3%) in the period 2005-2011, -7.4% (95% CI: -10.1%, -4.7%) in the period 2011-2015, respectively. The age-standardized mortality rates declined from 10.86/105 in 2005 to 8.57/105 in 2015. And the average annual percent change was -4.1% (95% CI: -6.7%, -1.5%). The incidence and mortality of esophageal cancer in men are higher than those in women, and the incidence and mortality of esophageal cancer in rural areas are much higher than those in urban areas.

CONCLUSION

In China, the incidence of esophageal cancer first increased and then decreased during 2005-2015, while the mortality rate has been declining.

Secondhand smoke (SHS) exposure before and after the implementation of the Tobacco Free Cities (TFC) initiative in five Chinese cities: a pooled cross-sectional study

OBJECTIVES

To assess the levels of secondhand smoke (SHS) exposure before and after the implementation of the Tobacco Free Cities (TFC) initiative.

DESIGN

City-wide representative, cross-sectional surveys (Tobacco Questions for Surveys, TQS) were conducted in each participating city before and after the implementation of TFC.

SETTING

Five large Chinese cities (Chengdu, Chongqing, Wuhan, Xiamen and Xi'an) participated in the TFC initiative.

PARTICIPANTS

A total of 10 184 adults participated in the 2015 TQS survey, and 10 233 adults participated in the 2018 TQS survey, respectively.

INTERVENTIONS

The TFC initiative, which included targeted media campaigns, educational programmes, implementing city-wide smoke-free policies and providing cessation interventions, was implemented in these five cities between 2015 and 2018.

MAIN OUTCOME

Self-reported past 30-day (P30D) SHS exposure in indoor workplaces, restaurants and homes.

DATA ANALYSIS

The pre-TFC and post-TFC SHS exposure levels were compared among all residents and among certain population subgroups. Multivariate logistic regressions were used to estimate the adjusted associations between P30D SHS exposure and individual characteristics.

RESULTS

Across all five cities, the overall rate of self-reported P30D SHS exposure declined in indoor workplaces (from 49.6% (95% CI: 46.4% to 52.8%) to 41.2% (95% CI: 37.7% to 44.7%)), restaurants (from 72.4% (95% CI: 69.8% to 74.9%) to 61.7% (95% CI: 58.7% to 64.7%)) and homes (from 39.8% (95% CI: 36.9% to 42.7%) to 34.7% (95% CI: 31.5% to 37.8%)) from 2015 to 2018. These declines were statistically significant after controlling for individual characteristics. The P30D SHS exposure was associated with sex, age, education level, occupation and current smoking status. The associations varied by venues.

CONCLUSIONS

Our analysis showed that compared with the nationwide SHS exposure levels reported in concurrent national surveys, the declines in P30D SHS exposure in five Chinese cities that implemented the TFC initiative were larger in indoor workplaces and restaurants. Our findings suggest that the TFC initiative was effective in reducing SHS exposure in Chinese cities.

Sex differences underlying preexisting cardiovascular disease and cardiovascular injury in COVID-19

The novel 2019 coronavirus disease (COVID-19), resulting from severe acute respiratory syndrome coronarvirus-2 (SARS-CoV-2) infection, typically leads to respiratory failure in severe cases; however, cardiovascular injury is reported to contribute to a substantial proportion of COVID-19 deaths. Preexisting cardiovascular disease (CVD) is among the most common risk factors for hospitalization and death in COVID-19 patients, and the pathogenic mechanisms of COVID-19 disease progression itself may promote the development of cardiovascular injury, increasing risk of in-hospital death. Sex differences in COVID-19 are becoming more apparent as mounting data indicate that males seem to be disproportionately at risk of severe COVID-19 outcome due to preexisting CVD and COVID-19-related cardiovascular injury. In this review, we will provide a basic science perspective on current clinical observations in this rapidly evolving field and discuss the interplay sex differences, preexisting CVD and COVID-19-related cardiac injury.

Alcohol drinking as a mediator of the influence of smoking prevalence on second-hand smoke exposure in workplaces: a mediation analysis

Objective

Both alcohol drinking and second-hand smoke (SHS) exposure have shown a strong association with smoking behaviour. This study uses mediation analysis to clarify the process underlying the relationship between smoking prevalence and SHS exposure and the extent to which this relationship is mediated by alcohol use in the workplace.

Method

A total of 14,195 employees from 81 companies in China participated in this survey. Mediation analysis was used to establish the mediation effect of alcohol drinking. Structural equation modelling (SEM) was used to evaluate the role of alcohol drinking when a smoke-free (SF) workplace policy was imposed.

Results

For males, approximately 6.3% of the effects on SHS exposure were mediated through the channel of alcohol use. For females, this channel mediated 14.1% of the total effects. SF policy was negatively associated with smoking prevalence and SHS exposure. The indirect effect of the SF policy on reducing SHS exposure by controlling smoking behaviour was significant. For smokers, worksite smoking bans were negatively associated with the smoking amount and drinking behaviour, and the indirect effect of this policy on promoting smokers’ intention to quit by reducing the smoking amount and controlling drinking behaviour was significant.

Conclusion

This study confirmed that alcohol drinking is among the channels that mediate the association between smoking prevalence and SHS exposure in workplaces. Our results also find a spillover effect of SF workplace policy and call for effective interventions for alcohol use, which may influence the outcomes of SF policy implementation.

Lixisenatide for Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus Patients Inadequately Controlled on Oral Antidiabetic Drugs: A Mixed-Treatment Comparison Meta-analysis and Cost-Utility Analysis

INTRODUCTION

The aim of this study was to compare the efficacy, safety and cost-utility (from the Chinese health insurance perspective) of lixisenatide and insulin regimens in patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) inadequately controlled on oral antidiabetic drugs (OADs).

METHODS

A comprehensive literature search of English (PubMed and Cochrane Library) and Chinese (CNKI and WanFang) language databases was performed, and head-to-head relevant randomized controlled trials (RCTs) were retrieved and analyzed by performing a mixed-treatment comparison (MTC) meta-analysis for efficacy and safety endpoints. A cost-utility analysis was then conducted using the IQVIA CORE Diabetes Model to compare the lifetime pharmacoeconomic profiles among the treatment groups.

RESULTS

Eleven RCTs were included in this MTC meta-analysis. Regarding glycated hemoglobin targets, lixisenatide was similar to both basal insulin (mean difference [MD] 0.27%; 95% credible interval [CrI] 0.02%, 0.57%) and premixed insulin (MD 0.32%; 95% CrI - 0.01%, 0.66%), respectively. Statistically significant differences were found for changes in body weight in favor of lixisenatide compared with basal insulin (MD - 3.22 kg; 95% CrI - 5.51 kg, - 0.94 kg) and premixed insulin (MD - 2.68 kg; 95% CrI - 5.16 kg, - 0.20 kg). The relative risk (RR) of symptomatic hypoglycemia associated with lixisenatide was also significantly lower than that associated with basal insulin (RR 0.22; 95% CrI 0.09, 0.52) and premixed insulin (RR 0.17; 95% CrI 0.07, 0.41). The cost-utility analysis yielded results of ¥61,072 ($8565, vs. basal insulin) and ¥127,169 ($17,836, vs. premixed insulin) per quality-adjusted life year gained, with both values falling within the willingness-to-pay threshold in China.

CONCLUSIONS

For T2DM patients inadequately controlled on OADs, lixisenatide was shown to be comparable to basal insulin and premixed insulin in terms of HbA1c and better than both of the latter in terms of both body weight loss and hypoglycemia. Lixisenatide was also a cost-effective treatment option from the perspective of Chinese health insurance.

Adult Secondhand Smoke Exposure - Shanghai Municipality, 2018

What is already known on this topic?

The average secondhand smoke exposure rate was 68.1% in China in 2018. The World Health Organization suggests that legislation must be used to achieve a 100% smoke-free environment and protect nonsmokers from secondhand smoke.

What is added by this report?

This study showed that the implementation of the Amendment Regulations on Smoking Control in Public Places of Shanghai had a significant effect on reducing the exposure rate of secondhand smoke. The rate in 2018 was 46.7%, which was significantly lower than that (58.5%) before implementation in 2016.

What are the implications for public health practice?

Considering the high exposure and the harm of secondhand smoke in China, it is necessary to promote smoke-free legislation and enforce tobacco control measures.

Secondhand smoke exposure and support for smoke-free policies in cities and rural areas of China from 2009 to 2015: a population-based cohort study (the ITC China Survey)

OBJECTIVES

To examine trends in smoking prevalence in key venues (workplaces, restaurants, bars) and in public support for comprehensive smoke-free laws, with comparisons between cities and rural areas in China.

DESIGN

Data are from Waves 3-5 (2009-2015) of the International Tobacco Control (ITC) China Survey, a cohort survey of smokers and non-smokers. Logistic regression analyses employing generalised estimating equations assessed changes in smoking prevalence and support for smoke-free laws over time; specific tests assessed whether partial smoking bans implemented in three cities between Waves 3 and 4 had greater impact.

SETTING

Face-to-face surveys were conducted in seven cities (Beijing, Changsha, Guangzhou, Kunming, Shanghai, Shenyang and Yinchuan) and five rural areas (Changzhi, Huzhou, Tongren, Yichun and Xining).

PARTICIPANTS

In each survey location at each wave, a representative sample of approximately 800 smokers and 200 non-smokers (aged 18+) were selected using a multistage cluster sampling design.

MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES

Prevalence of smoking (whether respondents noticed smoking inside restaurants, bars and workplaces); smoking rules inside these venues; and support for complete smoking bans in these venues.

RESULTS

Although smoking prevalence decreased and support increased over time, neither trend was greater in cities that implemented partial smoke-free laws. Smoking was higher in rural than urban workplaces (62% vs 44%, p<0.01), but was equally high in all restaurants and bars. There were generally no differences in secondhand smoke (SHS) exposure between smokers and non-smokers except in rural workplaces (74% vs 58%, p<0.05). Support for comprehensive bans was equally high across locations.

CONCLUSIONS

Partial laws have had no effect on reducing SHS in China. There is an urgent need for comprehensive smoke-free laws to protect the public from exposure to deadly tobacco smoke in both urban and rural areas. The high support among Chinese smokers for such a law demonstrates that public support is not a barrier for action.

Design and Development of Smoking Cessation Apps Based on Smokers' and Providers' Perspectives in China: Survey Study

BACKGROUND

Although there are more than 60 smartphone apps for smoking cessation in China, many of them do not include the content and features that health care professionals and smokers prefer-which may make them impractical, unengaging, and ineffective. Therefore, we investigated both health care providers' and smokers' preferences for features of future smoking cessation apps.

OBJECTIVE

This study aimed to investigate Chinese health care providers' and smokers' desired features of a smoking cessation app, with the goal of providing design recommendations for app designers and researchers.

METHODS

Both Chinese smokers who own smartphones (n=357) and Chinese health care providers (n=224) responded to a survey collecting data on their sociodemographic characteristics and opinions on the importance of 20 smoking cessation app design features studied in previous US research.

RESULTS

Chinese health care providers expressed strong support of smoking cessation apps on a number of attitude indicators (range 153/224, 68.3% to 204/224, 91.1%). They rated nearly all (18/20) features as very or extremely important (range 52.2%-83.4%) and rated nearly all features (17/20) as more important than the smokers did. More than 60% of smokers rated the following 4 features as very or extremely important: allow sharing the process of smoking cessation with family members and friends (216/319, 67.7%), helping smokers track their progress (such as the amount of smoking per day; 213/319, 66.8%), helping with the side effects of medications and nicotine withdrawal symptoms (201/319, 63.0%), and adapting to ongoing needs and interests of smokers (194/319, 60.8%). Contrary to a similar study of US smokers and health care providers, Chinese smokers and providers rated reputation and ability to communicate with family members and friends as important features, whereas Chinese smokers rated privacy and security as less important.

CONCLUSIONS

The design of future smoking cessation and health behavior change apps should consider perspectives of both providers and smokers as well as the role of culture.

Smoke-free environment policy in Vietnam: what did people see and how did they react when they visited various public places?

Introduction

Since Vietnam has signed WHO framework on tobacco control (FCTC) in 2003 and has issued tobacco control law in 2013, there has been little research concerning about what impacts smoke-free regulations have had on public compliance. The objective of this study was to assess public exposure to secondhand smoke and reaction toward smoke-free policy regulations in Vietnam and the associated factor.

Methods

Using the design of GATS (Global Adult Tobacco Survey), a nationally representative sample of 8,996 adults were approached for data collection. Logistic regression was used to examine the associated factor.

Results

The study revealed that the prevalence of respondents exposed to secondhand smoke was much higher in bars/café/tea shops (90.07%) and restaurants (81.81%) than in any other public places, universities (36.70%), government buildings (31.12%), public transport (20.04%), healthcare facilities (17.85%) and schools (15.84%). 13.23% of respondents saw smokers violate smoke-free regulations. Among those who saw them violate smoke-free regulations, just one-third cautioned them to stop smoking. Strikingly, a higher rate of cautioning smokers to stop smoking was observed among the older, married, and better educated respondents. Respondents who were married, better educated and in lower economic status were more likely to remind smokers to stop smoking.

Conclusions

The study has called for strengthening two of the six MPOWER (Monitor, Protect, Offer, Warn, Enforce and Raise) components of the tobacco free initiative introduced by WHO, Monitoring tobacco use and prevention policies and Protecting people from tobacco smoke.

Impact of smoke-free legislation on acute myocardial infarction and stroke mortality: Tianjin, China, 2007-2015

BACKGROUND

Smoke-free legislation is an effective way to protect the population from the harms of secondhand smoke and has been implemented in many countries. On 31 May 2012, Tianjin became one of the few cities in China to implement smoke-free legislation. We investigated the impact of smoke-free legislation on mortality due to acute myocardial infarction (AMI) and stroke in Tianjin.

METHODS

An interrupted time series design adjusting for underlying secular trends, seasonal patterns, population size changes and meteorological factors was conducted to analyse the impact of the smoke-free law on the weekly mortality due to AMI and stroke. The study period was from 1 January 2007 to 31 December 2015, with a 3.5-year postlegislation follow-up.

RESULTS

Following the implementation of the smoke-free law, there was a decline in the annual trends of AMI and stroke mortality. An incremental 16% (rate ratio (RR): 0.84; 95% CI: 0.83 to 0.85) decrease per year in AMI mortality and a 2% (RR: 0.98; 95% CI: 0.97 to 0.99) annual decrease in stroke mortality among the population aged ≥35 years in Tianjin was observed. Immediate postlegislation reductions in mortality were not statistically significant. An estimated 10 000 (22%) AMI deaths were prevented within 3.5 years of the implementation of the law.

CONCLUSION

The smoke-free law in Tianjin was associated with reductions in AMI mortality. This study reinforces the need for large-scale, effective and comprehensive smoke-free laws at the national level in China.

Estimation of the Disease Burden Attributable to 11 Risk Factors in Hubei Province, China: A Comparative Risk Assessment

In order to estimate the health losses caused by common risk factors in the Hubei province, China, we calculated the deaths and disability-adjusted life years (DALYs) attributable to 11 risk factors. We estimated the exposure distributions of risk factors in Hubei Province in 2013 from the monitoring system on chronic disease and related risk factors, combined with relative risk (RR) in order to calculate the population attributable fraction. Deaths and DALYs attributed to the selected risk factors were then estimated together with cause-specific deaths and DALYs. In total, 53.39% of the total deaths and 36.23% of the total DALYs in Hubei were a result of the 11 selected risk factors. The top five risk factors were high blood pressure, smoking, high body mass index, diet low in fruits and alcohol use, accounting for 14.68%, 12.57%, 6.03%, 3.90% and 3.19% of total deaths, respectively, and 9.41%, 7.22%, 4.42%, 2.51% and 2.44% of total DALYs, respectively. These risk factors, especially high blood pressure, smoking and high body mass index, significantly influenced quality of life, causing a large number of deaths and DALYs. The burden of chronic disease could be substantially reduced if these risk factors were effectively controlled, which would allow people to enjoy healthier lives.

High prevalence of diabetes mellitus and impaired glucose tolerance in liver cancer patients: A hospital based study of 4610 patients with benign tumors or specific cancers

Objective: The prevalence of diabetes mellitus (DM), impaired glucose tolerance (IGT) and impaired fasting glucose (IFG) were hypothesised to be different among different tumor patients. This study aimed to study the association between the prevalence of DM, IGT and IFG and liver cancer, colorectal cancer, breast cancer, cervical cancer, nasopharyngeal cancer and benign tumor.

Methods:  A hospital based retrospective study was conducted on 4610 patients admitted to the Internal Medical Department of the Affiliated Tumor Hospital of Guangxi Medical University, China. Logistic regression was used to examine the association between gender, age group, ethnicity , cancer types or benign tumors and prevalence of DM, IFG, IGT.

Results: Among 4610 patients, there were 1000 liver cancer patients, 373 breast cancer patients, 415 nasopharyngeal cancer patients, 230 cervical cancer patients, 405 colorectal cancer patients, and 2187 benign tumor patients. The prevalence of DM and IGT in liver cancer patients was 14.7% and 22.1%, respectively. The prevalence of DM and IGT was 13.8% and 20%, respectively, in colorectal cancer patients, significantly higher than that of benign cancers. After adjusting for gender, age group, and ethnicity, the prevalence of DM and IGT in liver cancers patients was 1.29 times (CI :1.12-1.66) and 1.49 times (CI :1.20-1.86) higher than that of benign tumors, respectively.

Conclusion: There was a high prevalence of DM and IGT in liver cancer patients.