Активность

Calls to provide sanctioned drug-checking (pill testing) at Australian music festivals have been met with resistance from most governments due to concerns that such services would increase use of ecstasy and other drugs. We investigated that concern and used the Theory of Planned Behaviour to examine the determinants of intention to use a drug-checking service.

Data were collected over a 3-day period at a music festival in Western Australia. Participants (n = 247; 50% male; 52% aged 25-34 years) were presented with three hypothetical pill testing scenarios no testing provided, onsite testing provided and fixed offsite testing provided.

Neither ecstasy users (n = 212) nor participants who had never used ecstasy (n = 35) reported an increased intention to use ecstasy in scenarios in which drug checking was provided. The combination of attitudes, subjective norms and perceived behavioural control predicted intention to use a fixed site drug-checking service, while only subjective norms predicted intention to use an onsite service.

These data do not support the view that offering a drug-checking service at a festival will result in ecstasy use by people who have never used ecstasy or lead to increased use among people who use ecstasy.

These data do not support the view that offering a drug-checking service at a festival will result in ecstasy use by people who have never used ecstasy or lead to increased use among people who use ecstasy.

Patients who undergo the Fontan procedure for complex congenital heart disease are prone to liver cirrhosis. Liver stiffness (LS) reflects liver fibrosis stage in patients with chronic viral hepatitis; however, its accuracy in predicting liver fibrosis stage in Fontan patients is controversial. We aimed to clarify the correlation between LS and liver fibrosis stage in Fontan patients.

Fifty-eight Fontan patients were prospectively measured for LS with transient elastography. We undertook liver biopsy, cardiac catheterization, and laboratory tests in 22 of these patients (median age, 14.7years; range, 9.9-32.1years) with LS>11.0kPa (median, 19.2kPa; range, 12.2-39.8kPa); these elevated LS values suggest liver cirrhosis.

Histologically, all patients showed mild-to-severe portal and sinusoidal fibrosis but no cirrhosis. Statistically, LS did not predict histological liver fibrosis scores (p=0.175). Liver stiffness was not correlated with central venous pressure (p=0.456) or with the hepatic venous pressure gradient (HVPG; p=0.062), although the p value for HVPG was only slightly above the threshold for significance.

Fontan patients are prone to developing both portal and sinusoidal fibrosis. Liver stiffness could be influenced by HVPG, and using the conventional cut-off values for LS overestimates and overtreats liver fibrosis in these patients.

Fontan patients are prone to developing both portal and sinusoidal fibrosis. Liver stiffness could be influenced by HVPG, and using the conventional cut-off values for LS overestimates and overtreats liver fibrosis in these patients.

The COVID-19 pandemic introduced unparalleled uncertainty into the lives of pregnant women, including concerns about where it is the safest to give birth, while preserving their rights and wishes. Reports on the increased interest in community births (at home or in birth centers) are emerging. BIIB129 The purpose of this project was to quantitatively investigate psychological factors related to this birth preference.

This study included 3896 pregnant women from the COVID-19 Pregnancy Experiences (COPE) Study who were anticipating a vaginal birth. COPE Study participants were recruited online between April 24 and May 15, 2020, and completed a questionnaire that included preference with respect to place of birth and psychological constructs fear of childbirth, basic beliefs about birth, pandemic-related preparedness stress, and pandemic-related perinatal infection stress.

Women who preferred a community birth, on average, had less childbirth fear, had stronger beliefs that birth is a natural process, were less lincrease access to safe in-hospital and out-of-hospital birth services should be encouraged.

Alcohol advertising is prevalent on social media. The current study sought to identify effective message types to pair with social media alcohol ads to minimise purchase intentions associated with exposure.

A 6 (within) × 5 (between) randomised controlled experiment was conducted with n = 723 US participants. Participants viewed six unique social media alcohol ads and were randomised to view one of four message types (i.e. pro-drinking comments, anti-drinking comments, industry responsibility messages and health warning labels) associated with the ads or the control (i.e. no messages). Purchase intentions were measured after each ad exposure. Significant main and interactive effects were determined by two-level, random intercept hierarchical linear models.

Purchase intentions were significantly lower among participants who viewed anti-drinking comments relative to the control (P = 0.022) and warning labels (P = 0.016). Purchase intentions were significantly greater among participants who viewed pro-drinking comments and had a family history of alcohol use (P = 0.032) and among those who viewed warning labels and were previously exposed to alcohol depictions through family and friends’ social media posts (P = 0.033).

Anti-drinking messages, written by social media users, may be effective at reducing alcohol purchase intentions when posted as social media comments. Current industry responsibility messages had no effect, and caution may be needed if warning labels are applied to ads in this medium.

Anti-drinking messages, written by social media users, may be effective at reducing alcohol purchase intentions when posted as social media comments. Current industry responsibility messages had no effect, and caution may be needed if warning labels are applied to ads in this medium.New Zealand recently held the world’s first national referendum on cannabis legalisation involving a detailed bill to regulate retail sale and supply of cannabis for recreational (non-medical) adult use (i.e. the Cannabis Legalisation and Control Bill; CLCB). The referendum generated significant domestic debate and lobbying from both sides of the issue. The CLCB was narrowly defeated, with 48.4% voting to support versus 50.7% opposed. In this commentary, we discuss the referendum campaigns and other political and social factors that may have contributed to the result. Voting patterns appeared to largely follow traditional conservative-liberal, urban-rural and age divides. The referendum format created a public campaigning environment that encouraged persuasion and selective use of evidence rather than rational discussion of all the evidence and related knowledge gaps. The self-imposed neutrality of the centre left Labour Party and its popular leader may have been a decisive factor in the narrow defeat. It did not appear to be the case that anti-CLCB groups outspent the pro-CLCB movement in online promotional advertisements, and the leading digital media appeared largely neutral or mildly in favour of reform.