Long-term health consequences and costs of changes in alcohol consumption in England during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Background And Aims: The COVID-19 pandemic led to changes in alcohol consumption in England. Evidence suggests that one-fifth to one-third of adults increased their alcohol consumption, while a similar proportion reported consuming less. Heavier drinkers increased their consumption the most and there was a 20% increase in alcohol-specific deaths in England in 2020 compared with 2019, a trend continuing through 2021 and 2022.

Impact of point-of-care birth test-and-treat on clinical outcomes among infants with HIV: A cluster randomized trial in Mozambique and Tanzania.

Background: We assessed the impact of point-of-care (PoC) test-and-treat at birth on clinical outcomes and viral suppression among HIV-positive infants in Mozambique and Tanzania.

Methods: This cluster-randomized trial allocated health facilities to intervention, providing PoC-testing and antiretroviral treatment (ART) at birth and week 4-8, or control, starting these at week 4-8. The primary outcome was proportions of clinical events (mortality, morbidity, retention, virological failure, toxicity) among HIV-positive infants at month-18.

Xpert HIV-1 qual point-of-care testing for HIV early infant diagnosis in Tanzania: experiences and perceptions of health care workers in a 2016 study.

Background: HIV early infant diagnosis (HEID) at the centralized laboratory faces many challenges that impact the cascade of timely HEID. Point of Care (PoC) HEID has shown to reduce test turnaround times, allow for task shifting and has the potential to reduce infant mortality. We aimed at assessing the feasibility of nurse based PoC-HEID in five facilities of Mbeya region.

Alcohol policy changes during the first three-months of the COVID-19 pandemic: Development and application of a classification scheme.

Background: Policy changes in response to the COVID-19 pandemic have impacted on alcohol control. This study describes the development and application of a classification scheme to map alcohol policy changes during the first three-months of the COVID-19 pandemic in five countries and/or subnational jurisdictions.

Method: A pre-registered systematic review of policy decisions from March to May 2020, in Australia/New South Wales, Canada/Ontario, Chile, Italy and the United Kingdom.

Adjunctive Medication Management and Contingency Management to enhance adherence to acamprosate for alcohol dependence: the ADAM trial RCT.

Background: Acamprosate is an effective and cost-effective medication for alcohol relapse prevention but poor adherence can limit its full benefit. Effective interventions to support adherence to acamprosate are therefore needed.

Objectives: To determine the effectiveness of Medication Management, with and without Contingency Management, compared to Standard Support alone in enhancing adherence to acamprosate and the impact of adherence to acamprosate on abstinence and reduced alcohol consumption.

Co-use of cannabis and alcohol before and after Canada legalized nonmedical cannabis: A repeat cross-sectional study.

Background: This study examined changes in population-level co-use of cannabis and alcohol before and 12 months after nonmedical cannabis legalization in Canada, relative to the United States that had previously legalized and not legalized (US legal and illegal states, respectively).

Methods: Data are from waves 1 and 2 of the International Cannabis Policy Study, collected in 2018 (before) and 2019 (12 months after legalization in Canada). Respondents aged 16-65 years from Canada ( = 25,313) and US legal ( = 25,189) and US illegal ( = 19,626) states completed an online survey.

A comparative study of industry responses to government consultations about alcohol and gambling in the UK.

Background: There is growing evidence that common strategies are used across unhealthy commodity industries (UCIs) to influence policy decisions in line with their commercial interests. To date, there have been relatively few studies comparing corporate political activity (CPA) across UCIs, especially comparing the alcohol and gambling industries.

Methods: A comparative and inductive thematic analysis of alcohol and gambling industry submissions to two House of Lords (HoL) inquiries in the UK was conducted.

The COVID-19 hangover: why we need to take harm caused by alcohol seriously as an indirect effect of the pandemic.

In the UK, harm caused by alcohol has worsened since 2020. A recent report from the Institute of Alcohol Studies projecting future rates of major alcohol-related diseases highlights what this means for health and healthcare. The authors argue that this additional burden is not inevitable if effective policies are introduced.

The effects of yoga on mental health in school-aged children: A Systematic Review and Narrative Synthesis of Randomised Control Trials.

It is becoming increasingly common for frontline clinicians to see children and teenagers struggle with their mental health. Since mental health issues have increased over the past ten years in the UK, they are now the leading cause of disability and cost the British economy £105 billion annually. The review discusses the evidence base underpinning the effect of yoga on children's mental health and summarises the results of 21 research papers.

Effectiveness and cost-effectiveness of face-to-face and electronic brief interventions versus screening alone to reduce alcohol consumption among high-risk adolescents presenting to emergency departments: three-arm pragmatic randomized trial (SIPS Junior high risk trial).

Background And Aims: Alcohol use increases throughout adolescence. Emergency department (ED) attendance is an opportunity for alcohol screening and brief intervention (ASBI), which is effective for adults. This trial evaluated the effectiveness and cost-effectiveness of ASBI compared with screening alone (SA) in high-risk adolescents.

Factors Associated with Adolescents' Support for Product Information and Health Messaging on Alcohol Packaging: A Cross-Sectional Study in the United Kingdom.

Aims: Adolescents in the UK are among the heaviest drinkers in Europe. The World Health Organization recommends alcohol product labelling to inform consumers about product information and health risks associated with alcohol use. This study investigates support for product information and health messaging on alcohol packaging among UK adolescents.

Substance Use Disorder: A Model for Integration in Undergraduate Medical Education.

Substance Use Disorder (SUD) is a debilitating chronic illness with significant morbidity and mortality across the United States. The AAMC and LCME have supported the efforts for more effective medical education of SUD to address the existing stigma, knowledge, and treatment gaps. The Coronavirus 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic and associated social, economic, and behavioral impacts have added to this urgency.

Underage Adolescents' Reactions to Adverts for Beer and Spirit Brands and Associations with Higher Risk Drinking and Susceptibility to Drink: A Cross-Sectional Study in the UK.

Aims: In the UK, adolescents under the minimum legal purchasing age (<18 years) are aware of a variety of alcohol marketing activities. It is therefore important to examine how such marketing appeals and how it might shape consumption. This study assessed the relationships between positive reactions to alcohol adverts and susceptibility to drink among never drinkers and higher-risk drinking among current drinkers.

Brief interventions to prevent excessive alcohol use in adolescents at low-risk presenting to Emergency Departments: Three-arm, randomised trial of effectiveness and cost-effectiveness.

Background: Alcohol consumption and related harm increase rapidly from the age of 12 years. We evaluated whether alcohol screening and brief intervention is effective and cost-effective in delaying hazardous or harmful drinking amongst low-risk or abstaining adolescents attending Emergency Departments (EDs).

Methods: This ten-centre, three-arm, parallel-group, single-blind, pragmatic, individually randomised trial screened ED attenders aged between 14 and 17 years for alcohol consumption.

A qualitative account of young people's experiences of alcohol screening and brief interventions in schools: SIPS Jr-HIGH trial findings.

Background: The United Kingdom (UK) has seen a decrease in the number of young people drinking alcohol. However, the UK prevalence of underage drinking still ranks amongst the highest in Western Europe. Whilst there is a wealth of evidence reporting on the effectiveness of both primary, and secondary interventions, there are few reports of the experiences of young people who receive them.

Does cannabis complement or substitute alcohol consumption? A systematic review of human and animal studies.

Background: Whether alcohol and cannabis complement or substitute each other has been studied for over two decades. In the changing cannabis policy landscape, debates are moving rapidly and spill-over effects on other substances are of interest.

Aims: update and extend a previous systematic review, by: (a) identifying new human behavioural studies reporting on substitution and/or complementarity of alcohol and cannabis, and (b) additionally including animal studies.

Associations between interrelated dimensions of socio-economic status, higher risk drinking and mental health in South East London: A cross-sectional study.

Aim: To examine patterns of hazardous, harmful and dependent drinking across different socio-economic groups, and how this relationship may be explained by common mental disorder.

Methods And Findings: Between 2011-2013, 1,052 participants (age range 17-91, 53% female) were interviewed for Phase 2 of the South East London Community Health study. Latent class analysis was used to define six groups based on multiple indicators of socio-economic status in three domains.

Independent Associations Between Different Measures of Socioeconomic Position and Smoking Status: A Cross-Sectional Study of Adults in England.

Introduction: To gain a better understanding of the complex and independent associations between different measures of socioeconomic position (SEP) and smoking in England.

Aims And Methods: Between March 2013 and January 2019 data were collected from 120 496 adults aged 16+ in England taking part in the Smoking Toolkit Study. Of these, 18.

Adolescent perspectives about their participation in alcohol intervention research in emergency care: A qualitative exploration using ethical principles as an analytical framework.

Aims: To explore adolescents' experiences of consenting to, and participating in, alcohol intervention trials when attending for emergency care.

Methods: In-depth semi-structured interviews with 27 adolescents (16 males; aged 14-17 years (Mage = 15.7)) who had taken part in one of two linked brief alcohol intervention trials based in 10 accident and emergency departments in England.