Biomedical subjects

Edward M Adlaf

Publications and source records attributed to Edward M Adlaf.

22 records · Page 2Linked to original sources

PubMedDate not supplied

Cigarette use among Canadian undergraduates.

OBJECTIVE: To describe the prevalence of daily cigarette use among Canadian undergraduates. Estimates are also compared to earlier Ontario surveys. METHODS: Data are drawn from the Canadian Campus Survey, a national mail survey, conducted in the fall of 1998, with a random sample of 7,800 students from 16 universities. RESULTS: Overall, 17.1% reported daily cigarette smoking and 10.4% reported occasional smoking. Rates of daily smoking differed significantly by region (with rates above average among those attending university in the Atlantic and below average among those attending university in British Columbia and the Prairies), residence (those residing off campus without family reported the highest prevalence rate), and year of study (those in the final year typically reported lower rate of use). INTERPRETATION: University campuses represent an environment with potential gains to be made by tobacco control policies.

Adult↗

PubMedDate not supplied

The early 1990s cigarette price decrease and trends in youth smoking in Ontario.

BACKGROUND: Youth are especially vulnerable to fluctuations in cigarette price, and both the smuggling increase during the early 1990s and the 1994 tax decrease made purchasing easier for youth. The purpose of this study is to examine the relation between these price decreases, and trends in smoking prevalence and amount smoked among Ontario youth. METHODS: Data from the Ontario Student Drug Use Survey were analyzed for trend using: 1) polynomial regression, and 2) discontinuity regression with an "event time" of 1993 to capture effects of both pre-tax cut smuggling and the tax cut. RESULTS: Overall, smoking prevalence decreased from 1977 to 1993, jumped upward at this time, and decreased after 1993. Among daily smokers, mean number of cigarettes smoked daily showed an increase followed by a decrease over the 24 years, and a negative quadratic trend. Trends for subgroups are also reported. CONCLUSIONS: These findings suggest that the early 1990s cigarette price decrease may have played a role in increasing youth smoking in Ontario.

Adolescent↗

PubMedDate not supplied

Secular trends in self-reported violent activity among Ontario students, 1983-2001.

INTRODUCTION: This paper examines secular trends in violence among Ontario students between 1983 and 2001, and variation by sex. METHODS: Using data from the Ontario Student Drug Use Survey, we examined self-reports of assault, weapon carrying, and gang fighting based on 10 cross-sectional surveys from 1983 to 2001. Respondents were derived from representative samples of Ontario students in grades 7, 9, 11, and 13 (OAC) who completed in-class anonymous self-administered surveys. Data were weighted to account for the complex survey design and analyzed using logit trend analyses. RESULTS: Short-term trends (1991-2001) showed assault, weapon carrying, and gang fighting have been on downward trajectories since the mid-1990s, reaching the lowest prevalence in 2001 among males and females. Long-term trends (1983-2001) among 11th-graders showed assault increased between 1985 and 1999, but declined in 2001. Gang fighting among males increased during the late 1980s and again during the mid-1990s, but declined between 1997 and 2001. Gang fighting among females remained at a stable, low level. DISCUSSION: Future monitoring is necessary to understand whether the decline in self-reported violent behaviour among adolescents is robust.

Adolescent↗

PubMedDate not supplied

Trends in vigorous physical activity participation among Ontario adolescents, 1997-2001.

OBJECTIVE: This paper examines trends in vigorous physical activity participation among students enrolled in grades 7, 9, 11 and 13 in Ontario between 1997 and 2001. Patterns in participation by gender and grade level are also described. METHODS: Data were derived from the Ontario Student Drug Use Survey for 1997, 1999, and 2001. Three outcomes of vigorous physical activity were included in self-report questionnaires completed by more than 5,000 students over a three-year period. They responded to the survey in classroom groups during school time. Estimates were weighted and variance and statistical tests have been corrected for the complex sample design. RESULTS: Comparisons between 1997 and 2001 indicated that, overall, patterns of vigorous physical activity remained stable. However, there were significant declines in vigorous physical activity participation by females and 11th grade students between 1997 and 2001. INTERPRETATION: The trends for females and 11th graders are disturbing, since they indicate that the normal gender and age differences in vigorous physical activity participation, found in numerous previous studies, are compounded by declining levels over time for these groups.

Adolescent↗