The authors analysed US and European data and and conclude that "these population-level results reject the hypothesis of hardening as smoking prevalence drops, instead supporting softening of the smoking population as prevalence declines".

To read the full abstract, and for information on how to access the full text, go to: http://dx.doi.org/10.1136/tobaccocontrol-2015-052329 or contact your DHB library, or organisational or local library for assistance.

Kulik, M.C. & Glantz, S. (2015). The smoking population in the USA and EU is softening not hardening. Tobacco Control, 24 June [Epub before print]

They hypothesised that prior exposure to opinions rejecting the safety or value of HPV vaccines would be associated with an increased risk of posting similar opinions and tested this hypothesis by analysing temporal sequences of messages posted on Twitter (tweets).

The study design was a retrospective analysis of tweets related to HPV vaccines and the social connections between users. Between October 2013 and April 2014, they collected 83,551 English-language tweets that included terms related to HPV vaccines and the 957,865 social connections among 30,621 users posting or reposting the tweets. Tweets were classified as expressing negative or neutral/positive opinions using a machine learning classifier previously trained on a manually labeled sample.

The authors conclude from their analysis that the heterogeneous community structure on Twitter appears to skew the information to which users are exposed in relation to HPV vaccines. They found that among users that tweeted about HPV vaccines, those who were more often exposed to negative opinions were more likely to subsequently post negative opinions. They go on to say that, although this research may be useful for identifying individuals and groups currently at risk of disproportionate exposure to misinformation about HPV vaccines, there is a clear need for studies capable of determining the factors that affect the formation and adoption of beliefs about public health interventions.

This is an open access article and can be read in free full text at:  http://doi.org/10.2196/jmir.4343

Dunn AG, Leask J, Zhou X, Mandl KD, Coiera E (2015). Associations between exposure to and expression of negative opinions about human papillomavirus vaccines on social media: An observational study. Journal of Medical Internet Research, 17(6), e144.

A UK population-representative sample of greater than or equal to 50 year-olds (n=6965) was surveyed using the Awareness and Beliefs about Cancer measure. These analyses examine six items on cancer beliefs (e.g., ‘cancer can often be cured’), and four on help-seeking barriers (e.g., ‘I would be too embarrassed’).
results: Smokers were more likely to hold pessimistic cancer beliefs than never-smokers or former-smokers on four of six items. For example, 34% agreed ‘a cancer diagnosis is a death sentence’, compared with 24% of non/former-smokers (P<0.001).

More smokers (18%) than non/former-smokers (11%) would not want to know if they had cancer (P<0.01). The only barrier to symptomatic help-seeking differing by smoking status was ‘worry about what the doctor might find’ (36% vs 28%, P<0.01). Associations were independent of demographics, self-rated health and cancer experience.

The authors conclude that smokers held more pessimistic and avoidant beliefs about cancer, which could deter early-detection behaviour. A better understanding of these beliefs is needed to increase engagement in early diagnosis by this high-risk group.

This is an open access article and is available to read in free full text at:  http://dx.doi.org/10.1038/bjc.2015.148

Quaife, S.L., et al. (2015). Smoking is associated with pessimistic and avoidant beliefs about cancer: results from the International Cancer Benchmarking Partnership. British Journal of Cancer, 112, 1799–1804

Massey University’s ‘It’s My Life’ smokefree campaign proves that young people are most responsive to messages created by their peers, says project leader Associate Professor Elspeth Tilley.

One year on from the ‘It’s My Life’ competition, which asked young New Zealanders to create a poster, video or app to inspire their peers to support a smokefree New Zealand, the impact of the campaign has been measured by Massey researchers.

Over 7000 Massey University students were surveyed before the campaign started and nearly 5000 students were surveyed afterwards to see if attitudes to smoking had changed. The results were clear – the desire to quit smoking increased, while tolerance of the tobacco industry decreased.

Dr Tilley says the campaign’s success was due to the fact that it was created by youth, for youth. Massey University design and communication students were recruited to design the ‘It’s My Life’ campaign and website, promote the competition and run a series of Smokefree Summits.

“The innovative difference of our campaign was that young people, themselves, designed and drove it, which has never been tried in New Zealand before,” she says.

In the baseline survey, just under 60 per cent of people who smoked more than five cigarettes in the preceding fortnight said they wished they could quit. Fifteen months later that figure had risen to over 65 per cent.

Within the ‘It’s My Life’ target age group (16-24 year olds) there was an even more pronounced increase in the desire to quit – from 50.2 per cent to 58.4 per cent. The Wellington Campus Health Service also experienced a significant spike in smoking cessation enquiries during the quarter that coincided with the campus’ Smokefree Summit.

The other statistically significant result, Dr Tilley says, was the change in attitudes towards the tobacco industry. The baseline survey found that under 43 per cent of respondents thought tobacco companies should pay for the total health costs of smoking. When respondents were surveyed 15 months later, over 45 per cent thought they should pay.

“We were surprised at the relatively low awareness New Zealand youth had of the tobacco industry when we conducted our first survey, especially when compared to youth overseas,” Dr Tilley says. “But you can see that attitudes are changing, and increasing numbers of people are starting to attribute responsibility for the health effects of smoking to the companies that produce the product.”

Dr Tilley says the ethos of the ‘It’s My Life’ campaign was effective because it didn’t point the finger at smokers.

“I think these results absolutely vindicate the positive, supportive way the students chose to design the campaign,” she says. “They never blamed smokers for becoming addicted; they celebrated self-empowerment and made it clear that the choice to say ‘no’ to smoking is about being assertive, positive and in control of your own life.

“That made it quite distinct from messaging that preaches death and gloom, and I think the young people who created that difference should be extremely proud.”

Dr Tilley hopes the work of Massey’s design and communication students will be just the beginning.

“Now that we’ve tested the idea of youth-led social change with Massey students and seen how effective it can be, the next stage is to encourage other young New Zealanders to become part of the global youth smokefree movement.”

Postgraduate researcher Karen Page who is studying with Massey’s College of Health wants to find out why New Zealand’s vaccination rate is much lower than other countries like Australia and the UK.

She has discovered that vaccination rates in high decile schools are 20 per cent lower than in low decile schools in the catchment area of the Whanganui District Health Board and would like to extend this research to the rest of the country".

To read the full news story on the Massey University website, go to:  http://www.massey.ac.nz/massey/about-massey/news/article.cfm?mnarticle_uuid=7A6CFC8E-B77E-EE4D-4392-266C02A17699

They conclude that "increasing the size of HWLs and introducing them on PP in Australia appears to have led to an overall increase in desired levels and strength of some reactions, but evidence of reactance was among a small minority".

To read the full abstract, and for information on how to access the full text, go to: http://dx.doi.org/10.1136/tobaccocontrol-2014-051979 or contact your DHB library, or organisational or local library for assistance.

Yong, H.H., et al. (2015). Smokers’ reactions to the new larger health warning labels on plain cigarette packs in Australia: Findings from the ITC Australia project. Tobacco Control, 19 February [Epub before print].

Forty-one studies were included. The authors found that whether young women receive the HPV vaccine is strongly governed by the decisions of policy makers, healthcare professionals, and parents. These decisions are shaped by: financial considerations; social norms and values relating to sexual activity, and; trust in vaccination programmes and healthcare providers. Financial constraints may be overcome through universal healthcare systems offering the HPV vaccine free at the point of delivery. In the healthcare setting, judgements by healthcare professionals about whether to recommend the vaccine may restrict a young woman's access to the vaccine irrespective of her own beliefs and preferences. Parents may decide not to allow their daughters to be vaccinated, based on cultural or religious perceptions about sexual activity.

The authors conclude that interventions to address barriers to uptake of the vaccine should target appropriate, and multiple, levels of the socio-ecological model. Issues of trust require clear, accessible, and sometimes culturally appropriate, information about the HPV vaccination programme. 

This is an open access article and can be downloaded and read in free full text at: http://dx.doi.org/10.1186/1471-2458-14-700

Fisher, H., et al. (2014). Barriers and facilitators to HPV vaccination of young women in high-income countries: A qualitative systematic review and evidence synthesis. BMC Public Health, 14:700.

The aim of this paper was to identify the psychosocial experiences of diabetes, including negative accounts of diabetes and adaptive ways of coping from the perspective of the person with diabetes, using data on the 8,596 participants with diabetes (1,368 - type 1 diabetes and 7,228  - type 2 diabetes) in the DAWN2 study.

Analysis of qualitative data identified "... two negative psychosocial themes: 1) anxiety/fear, worry about hypoglycemia and complications of diabetes, depression, and negative moods/hopelessness and 2) discrimination at work and public misunderstanding about diabetes. Two psychosocial themes demonstrated adaptive ways of coping with diabetes: 1) having a positive outlook and sense of resilience in the midst of having diabetes and 2) receiving psychosocial support through caring and compassionate family, friends, health care professionals, and other people with diabetes".

To read the full abstract, and for information on how to access the full text, go to: http://dx.doi.org/10.2337/dc13-2536 or contact your DHB library, or organisational or local library for assistance.

Stuckey, H.L., et al. (2014). Personal accounts of the negative and adaptive psychosocial experiences of people with diabetes in the second Diabetes Attitudes, Wishes and Needs (DAWN2) Study. Diabetes Care, 37(9), 2466-2474.

Despite the compelling evidence supporting cardiovascular medications in the secondary prevention of coronary artery disease, many patients discontinue treatment. In this systematic review and synthesis, the authors sought to understand from a patient perspective the factors that promote medication persistence.

A University of Canterbury student who graduated last month has designed a new web app which will enable people with ongoing health difficulties to explore their identity and learn that they are not defined by their illness.

The new website app, Beautiful Identities, will help people create a private profile and follow prompts to learn about maintaining their identity while experiencing mental and physical issues.

The app has been created by Hazel Guyan and will help people look at their identity in a visual format to consider things they may have overlooked.

To read the full media release on Scoop, go to: http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/GE1405/S00017/student-designs-web-app-to-help-people-with-ongoing-illness.htm

To read the full abstract, and for access to a free full text version of the article, go to: http://www.hqlo.com/content/12/1/58/abstract

Mielck, A., Vogelmann, M., & Leidl, R. (2014). Health-related quality of life and socioeconomic status: Inequalities among adults with a chronic disease. Health and Quality of Life Outcomes, 12, 58, doi:10.1186/1477-7525-12-58.

To read the full abstract, and for access to a free full text version of the article, go to: http://www.biomedcentral.com/1471-2458/14/407/abstract

Lehmann, B. A., et al. (2014). "I don't see an added value for myself": A qualitative study exploring the social cognitive variables associated with influenza vaccination of Belgian, Dutch and German healthcare personnel. BMC Public Health, 14, 407, doi:10.1186/1471-2458-14-407.

The authors of this study believe routine family history risk assessment for chronic diseases could enable primary care practitioners to efficiently identify at-risk patients and promote preventive management strategies. This paper investigates the understanding and responses to family history risk assessment in primary care amongst 453 English patients who completed both baseline and follow-up questionnaires 4 weeks after a family history consultation.

At follow-up, there was no increase in anxiety among either group (increased risk or population risk), or differences between the groups. There were no significant changes over time in self-rated health in either group. Participants at increased risk were more likely at follow-up to have recent changes to behaviour and they had stronger intentions to make changes to diet, physical activity and to seek further information in the future than those at population risk. The authors conclude that routine assessment for familial risk of chronic diseases may be undertaken in primary care without causing anxiety or reducing self-rated health. Patient responses to family history risk assessment may also inform promotion of preventive management strategies.

To read the full abstract, and for information on how to access the full text, go to: http://fampra.oxfordjournals.org/content/31/4/409 or contact your DHB library, local or organisational library for assistance.

Birt, L., et al. (2014). Psychological impact of family history risk assessment in primary care: A mixed methods study. Family Practice, 31(4), 409-418.

Results found that smokers who do not want to quit, who are in good health, whose friends and family are not trying to get them to quit, and who do not report receiving helpful advice to quit from a health professional, are more likely to report never having tried to quit.

To read the full abstract, and for access to a free full text version of the article, go to: http://www.biomedcentral.com/1471-2458/14/346/abstract

Sharma, A., & Szatkowski, L. (2014). Characteristics of smokers who have never tried to quit: Evidence from the British Opinions and Lifestyle Survey. BMC Public Health, 14, 346.

A total of 316 studies were retrieved, 22 of which were included in the review. The key cultural issues that emerged were: participants' strong adherence to cultural norms, religious beliefs, linguistic diversity, low health literacy levels, different beliefs about health and illness, belief in expert and professional support, low accessibility of culturally appropriate services/information, and low concordance with western professional advice. These issues compromised the level of diabetes care services received by members of ethnic minority groups. The authors recommend that further attention is given to the development of culturally competent interventions for improving access to healthcare and diabetes outcomes for members of specific ethnic minority groups.

To read the full abstract, and for information on how to access the full text, go to: http://www.ingentaconnect.com/content/rmp/dehc/2014/00000011/00000001/art00003 or contact your DHB library, or organisational or local library for assistance.

Zeh, Peter, Sandhu, Harbinder K., Cannaby, Ann Marie, Sturt, Jackie A. (2014). Cultural barriers impeding ethnic minority groups from accessing effective diabetes care services: A systematic review of observational studies. Diversity and Equality in Health and Care, 11 (1), 9-33.

A cross-sectional survey was undertaken during the roll-out phase of the law, in the state of Victoria. Participants were 536 cigarette smokers with a usual brand, of whom 72.3% were smoking from a plain pack and 27.7% were smoking from a branded pack.

Compared with branded pack smokers, those smoking from plain packs perceived their cigarettes to be lower in quality, tended to perceive their cigarettes as less satisfying than a year ago, were more likely to have thought about quitting at least once a day in the past week and to rate quitting as a higher priority in their lives. Plain pack smokers were more likely to support the policy than branded pack smokers.

Branded and plain pack smokers did not differ on measures of less immediate smoking intentions, frequency of thoughts about harms or perceived exaggeration of harms. Appeal outcomes, but not other outcomes, were sensitive to the extent of roll-out, with responses from branded pack smokers approaching those of plain pack smokers, once 80% of survey respondents were smoking from plain packs 1–2 weeks before the December implementation date.

This is an open access article and is available to read in full text at: http://bmjopen.bmj.com/content/3/7/e003175.full

Wakefield, M., et al. (2013). Introduction effects of the Australian plain packaging policy on adult smokers: A cross-sectional study. BMJ Open, 3:e003175.

To read a Cancer Research UK news item about this research, go to: http://www.cancerresearchuk.org/cancer-info/news/archive/cancernews/2013-07-22-Standardised-cigarette-packaging-makes-smokers-more-likely-to-quit?rss=true

The Growing up in New Zealand study shows nearly all babies received their six week and three month vaccinations, protecting them from childhood diseases like whooping cough.

Growing Up in New Zealand is a longitudinal study that provides an up-to-date picture of what it is like to be a child growing up in New Zealand in the 21st century. 

“Immunisation is one area of the study, including whether or not expectant parents intend to immunise their child and protect them infectious diseases,” says Health Minister Tony Ryall.

“Of the 6172 babies, 95 per cent received their six week vaccinations, 94 per cent received their three month vaccinations and 90 per cent received their five month vaccinations by the time they were nine months of age.

“Prior to the birth of their baby, mothers were asked if they planned on immunising their child. 85 per cent of mothers said they intended on immunising their child, 13 per cent were undecided and only 2 per cent were opposed to childhood immunisation.

“The greatest influences on parents when deciding to immunise their child are midwifes, family doctors, family, and books and magazines.

“First born children were more likely than second or subsequent children to receive each of their scheduled vaccinations. The study found first born children were 60 per cent more likely to receive their six week vaccinations.

“Immunisation is one of the most effective interventions to prevent against infectious diseases. New Zealand has gone from one of the lowest immunisation rates in the developed world to one of the best over the past four years – with 89 per cent of eight-month-olds now fully immunised.

“Increased immunisation is a priority for this National-led government and this information has supported our efforts to further increase immunisation rates,” says Mr Ryall. 

A copy of the Growing up in New Zealand study is available at: www.growingup.co.nz/reports.shtml

Cross-sectional street-intercept surveys were conducted among adult current smokers and recent quitters before and after signage implementation to assess the awareness and impact of the signs.

Available to read in full text at: http://tobaccocontrol.bmj.com/content/22/e1/e51.full

Coady, M.C., et al. (2013). Awareness and impact of New York City's graphic point-of-sale tobacco health warning signs. Tobacco Control, 22:e51-e56

The structured group education programme for six hours was delivered in the community by two trained healthcare professional educators.

This was a multicentre cluster randomised controlled trial in primary care, with randomisation at practice level. The study was set in 207 general practices in 13 primary care sites in the UK, and 731 of the 824 participants in the original trial were eligible for follow-up after three years.

Based on the results, the authors conclude that "... a single programme for people with newly diagnosed type 2 diabetes mellitus showed no difference in biomedical or lifestyle outcomes at three years although there were sustained improvements in some illness beliefs".

Khunti, K., et al. (2012). Effectiveness of a diabetes education and self management programme (DESMOND) for people with newly diagnosed type 2 diabetes mellitus: Three year follow-up of a cluster randomised controlled trial in primary care. BMJ, 344:e2333.

This is an open access article, available to read online at: http://www.bmj.com/content/344/bmj.e2333

Cross-sectional, Internet-based survey from the USA that describes parents' experiences and preferences regarding the use of different communication modes for immunisation reminder/recall messages.

Overall, 31% of parents had "ever" received an immunisation reminder/recall notice, usually by mail. For future immunisation messages, approximately one-third of parents preferred mail or calls to the home telephone, 16% preferred e-mail, and 8% preferred calls to a cell phone. More than one-half of parents had maintained the same home address, home telephone number, cell phone number, or e-mail address for the previous 3 years. More than one-half of parents were willing to register their cell phone numbers with their child's usual immunisation provider.

Clark, S. J., et al. (2011). Parents' experiences with and preferences for immunization reminder/recall technologies. Pediatrics, 128 (5), e1100-e1105. 

To read the full abstract, and for information on how to access the full text, go to: http://pediatrics.aappublications.org/content/128/5/e1100.abstract or contact your local or organisational library for assistance.

The key finding is that clinicians may over rely on chronological age as a proxy for other factors which are often but not necessarily associated with age, such as co-morbidities or frailty. This finding is in contrast to the perceptions of clinicians which is that factors such as comorbidity or frailty are more important than age itself.  Based on this finding, the report has a series of recommendations for health services, the professions, charities, researchers and the pharmaceutical industry.

National Cancer Equality Initiative/Pharmaceutical Oncology Initiative. (2012). The impact of patient age on clinical decision-making in oncology. London: Department of Health.

To access a full text copy of the report, go to: http://www.dh.gov.uk/en/Publicationsandstatistics/Publications/PublicationsPolicyAndGuidance/DH_132796

Hibbard, J. H. & Greene, J. (2011). Who are we reaching through the patient portal: Engaging the already engaged? International Journal of Person Centered Medicine, 1 (4), 788–93.

To read the full abstract, and for information on how to access the full text, go to: http://www.ijpcm.org/index.php/IJPCM/article/view/152 or contact your local or organisational library for assistance.

A qualitative method using interviews was conducted and the data material was analysed according to manifest and latent content analysis. Three categories emerged in the results. Firstly, providing good accessibility to the diabetes nurse practitioner is of importance. Secondly, there is a demand for group activities in which patients have the opportunity to talk with other individuals who have diabetes. Finally, knowledge about self-care means that the patients themselves are able to change the intake of medication, their eating habits, and exercise according to need, as this leads to increased independence and self-management.

The authors conclude that a combination of knowledge about the disease, receiving individual advice, and participation in groups can be beneficial in order to motivate the informants about lifestyle changes and to gain the ability to manage the disease.

Grund, J., & Stomberg, M. W. (2012). Patients’ expectations of the health advice conversation with the diabetes nurse practitioner. Journal of Primary Care and Community Health, Published online 11 Feb 2012, doi: 10.1177/2150131911435263.

To read the full abstract, and for information on how to access the full text, go to: http://jpc.sagepub.com/content/early/2012/02/11/2150131911435263.abstract or contact your local or organisational library for assistance.

Dorman, J. S., et al. (2012). Health beliefs among individuals at increased familial risk for type 2 diabetes: Implications for prevention [Article in press]. Diabetes Research and Clinical Practice, published online 18 January 2012.

To read the full abstract, and for information on how to access the full text, go to: http://www.diabetesresearchclinicalpractice.com/article/S0168-8227%2811%2900699-1/abstract or contact your local or organisational library for assistance.

Young Kyung Do & Ker Yi Wong. (2012). Awareness and acceptability of human papillomavirus vaccine: An application of the instrumental variables bivariate probit model. BMC Public Health, 12 (31), doi:10.1186/1471-2458-12-31.

To read the full abstract, and for access to a free full text version of the article, go to: http://www.biomedcentral.com/1471-2458/12/31/abstract

Steckelberg, A., et al. (2011). Effect of evidence based risk information on “informed choice” in colorectal cancer screening: Randomised controlled trial. BMJ, 342, bmj.d3193.

To read the full abstract, and for access to a free full text version of the article, go to: http://www.bmj.com/content/342/bmj.d3193

Smith, K. J., et al. (2011). Self-rated diabetes control in a Canadian population with type 2 diabetes: Associations with health behaviours and outcomes. Diabetes Research and Clinical Practice, doi:10.1016/j.diabres.2011.10.019.

To read the full abstract, and for information on how to access the full text, go to: http://www.diabetesresearchclinicalpractice.com/article/S0168-8227(11)00561-4/abstract or contact your local or organisational library for asistance.

• explore the general public’s perceptions and behaviour with regard to both their own health and the NHS generally; and
• capture the attitudes and behaviour of those people with a long term health condition with regard to the self treatment of their condition and their use of healthcare services.

Since 2007, when the study commenced, provision of care and support has reportedly increased. People with long term conditions are now more likely to feel that they get some or all of the support they require. More of those who have been in hospital within the past 6 months received a care plan than in previous years and are now also more likely to have received instructions for taking medicines. Even more now feel that they receive support to help them understand the information provided to them.

Ipsos MORI. (2011). Long term health conditions 2011: Research study. London: Department of Health.

To access the full text of the report, go to: http://www.dh.gov.uk/prod_consum_dh/groups/dh_digitalassets/documents/digitalasset/dh_130806.pdf

Researchers found that youngsters would be prepared to go without Christmas presents; give up their pocket money; and even commit to complete their homework every night in order to persuade their parents to kick the habit".

To read the story on the Cancer Research UK site, go to: http://info.cancerresearchuk.org/news/archive/cancernews/2011-11-01-Smokefree-generation-lobbies-parents?rss=true

Heje, H.N., Vedsted, P., & Olesen, F. (2011). General practitioners' experience and benefits from patient evaluations. BMC Family Practice, 12 (116), doi:10.1186/1471-2296-12-116.

To read the full abstract, and for information on how to access the full text, go to: http://www.biomedcentral.com/1471-2296/12/116