Impact on alcohol selection and online purchasing of changing the proportion of available non-alcoholic versus alcoholic drinks: A randomised controlled trial.

Background: Increasing the availability of non-alcoholic options is a promising population-level intervention to reduce alcohol consumption, currently unassessed in naturalistic settings. This study in an online retail context aimed to estimate the impact of increasing the proportion of non-alcoholic (relative to alcoholic) drinks, on selection and purchasing of alcohol.

Methods And Results: Adults (n = 737) residing in England and Wales who regularly purchased alcohol online were recruited between March and July 2021.

Effect of health warning labels on motivation towards energy-dense snack foods: Two experimental studies.

Health warning labels (HWLs) show promise in reducing motivation towards energy-dense snack foods. Understanding the underlying mechanisms could optimise their effectiveness. In two experimental studies in general population samples (Study 1 n = 90; Study 2 n = 1382), we compared the effects of HWLs and irrelevant aversive labels (IALs) on implicit (approach) motivation towards unhealthy snacks, using an approach-avoidance task (Study 1), and a manikin task (Study 2).

Impact of e-cigarette retail displays on attitudes to smoking and vaping in children: an online experimental study.

Objectives: To estimate the impact of electronic cigarette (e-cigarette) retail display exposure on attitudes to smoking and vaping (susceptibility to tobacco smoking and using e-cigarettes, and perceptions of the harms of smoking and e-cigarette use).

Design: Between-subjects randomised experiment using a 2 (e-cigarette retail display visibility: high vs low)×2 (proportion of e-cigarette images: 75% vs 25%) factorial design.

Setting: Online via the Qualtrics survey platform.

Size and shape of plates and size of wine glasses and bottles: impact on self-serving of food and alcohol.

Background: The physical properties of tableware could influence selection and consumption of food and alcohol. There is considerable uncertainty, however, around the potential effects of different sizes and shapes of tableware on how much food and alcohol people self-serve. These studies aimed to estimate the impact of: 1.

Electronic cigarette and smoking paraphernalia point of sale displays: an observational study in England.

Background: Tobacco point of sale (POS) retail displays are banned in many countries, including in England, due in part to evidence linking them to greater susceptibility to smoking in children. There is no equivalent ban on displays of electronic cigarettes (e-cigarettes) or smoking paraphernalia (eg, cigarette lighters) in England, which are often positioned alongside covered tobacco storage units. This observational study describes the visibility and placement of e-cigarette and smoking paraphernalia POS displays in major tobacco retailers in two cities in England to inform future research examining their possible links to susceptibility to tobacco smoking, particularly in children.

Cigarette pack size and consumption: an adaptive randomised controlled trial.

Background: Observational evidence suggests that cigarette pack size - the number of cigarettes in a single pack - is associated with consumption but experimental evidence of a causal relationship is lacking. The tobacco industry is introducing increasingly large packs, in the absence of maximum cigarette pack size regulation. In Australia, the minimum pack size is 20 but packs of up to 50 cigarettes are available.

Straight-sided beer and cider glasses to reduce alcohol sales for on-site consumption: A randomised crossover trial in bars.

Background: Straight-sided glasses can slow the rate of lager consumption in a laboratory setting compared with curved glasses. Slower drinking rates may lower overall alcohol consumption. Glass shape is therefore a potential target for intervention.

Health warning labels and alcohol selection: a randomised controlled experiment in a naturalistic shopping laboratory.

Background And Aims: Health warning labels (HWLs) on tobacco products reduce smoking. There is an absence of evidence concerning the impact of alcohol HWLs on selection or purchasing in naturalistic settings. Using a commercial-standard naturalistic shopping laboratory, this study aimed to estimate the impact on selection of alcoholic drinks of HWLs describing adverse health consequences of excessive alcohol consumption.

Impact of health warning labels on snack selection: An online experimental study.

Excessive consumption of energy-dense food increases the risk of obesity, which in turn increases the risk of non-communicable diseases, including heart disease, type 2 diabetes and most non-smoking-related cancers. Health warning labels (HWLs) that communicate the adverse health consequences of excess energy consumption could reduce intake of energy-dense foods. The aim of the current study was to estimate the impact on selection of energy-dense snacks of (a) image-and-text HWLs (b) text-only HWLs and (c) calorie information.

The impact on selection of non-alcoholic vs alcoholic drink availability: an online experiment.

Background: Increasing the availability of healthier food increases its selection and consumption. However, there is an absence of evidence related to alcohol. This study aimed to estimate the impact of increasing the absolute and relative availability of non-alcoholic compared to alcoholic drinks on selection.

Impact of health warning labels communicating the risk of cancer on alcohol selection: an online experimental study.

Aims: Evidence from tobacco research suggests that health warning labels (HWLs) depicting the adverse consequences of consumption change smoking behaviours, with image-and-text (also known as 'pictorial' or 'graphic') HWLs most effective. There is an absence of evidence concerning the potential impact of HWLs placed on alcohol products on selection of those products. This study aimed to obtain a preliminary assessment of the possible impact of (i) image-and-text, (ii) text-only, and (iii) image-only HWLs on selection of alcoholic versus non-alcoholic drinks.

Image-and-text health warning labels on alcohol and food: potential effectiveness and acceptability.

Background: Health warning labels (HWLs) using images and text to depict the negative health consequences of tobacco consumption are effective and acceptable for changing smoking-related outcomes. There is currently limited evidence concerning their potential use for reducing consumption of alcoholic drinks and energy-dense foods. The aim of this research was to describe the potential effectiveness and acceptability of image-and-text (also known as pictorial or graphic) HWLs applied to: i.

Tobacco and electronic cigarette cues for smoking and vaping: an online experimental study.

Objective: This study examined whether exposure to smoking and vaping cues the urge to smoke or vape. It extends previous studies on first-generation cigalikes (visually similar to cigarettes) and second-generation devices (visually similar to pens) by including third-generation tank system devices (larger bulky units). In an online experiment, participants were randomly assigned to view one of four videos, which included smoking, vaping (cigalike or tank system), or neutral cues.

Plate size and food consumption: a pre-registered experimental study in a general population sample.

Background: There is considerable uncertainty regarding the impact of tableware size on food consumption. Most existing studies have used small and unrepresentative samples and have not followed recommended procedures for randomised controlled trials, leading to increased risk of bias. In the first pre-registered study to date, we examined the impact on consumption of using larger versus smaller plates for self-served food.

Patterns of follow up and survivorship care for people with colorectal cancer in new South Wales, Australia: a population-based survey.

Background: The incidence and survival rates for colorectal cancer in Australia are among the highest in the world. With population growth and ageing there are increasing numbers of colorectal cancer survivors in the community, yet little is known of their ongoing follow up and survivorship care experiences. This study investigated patterns and predictors of follow up and survivorship care received and recommended for adults with colorectal cancer in New South Wales (NSW), Australia.

Pudendal nerve testing does not contribute to surgical decision making following anorectal testing in patients with faecal incontinence.

Purpose: Faecal incontinence (FI) is a debilitating condition, which affects approximately 2-17 % of the population. Clinical assessment, physiological testing and imaging are usually used to evaluate the pathophysiology and guide management of FI. By analysing patient characteristics, symptoms and investigative findings, the aim of this study was to identify which patient characteristics and investigations influence patient management.

Attitudes and risk of withdrawal in general surgical registrars.

Aims: To determine the risk of withdrawal from training of Australian and New Zealand general surgical registrars, and to investigate factors associated with increased risk.

Methods: An invitation to participate in an online survey was distributed to all Australian and New Zealand general surgical registrars by the Royal Australasian College of Surgeons.

Results: 142 of 550 (26%) participants completed the survey.

Improving Quality of Life for People with Incurable Large-Bowel Obstruction: Randomized Control Trial of Colonic Stent Insertion.

Background: Surgery remains the dominant treatment for large-bowel obstruction, with emerging data on self-expanding metallic stents.

Objective: The aim of this study was to assess whether stent insertion improves quality of life and survival in comparison with surgical decompression.

Design: This study reports on a randomized control trial (registry number ACTRN012606000199516).

Which information source is best? Concordance between patient report, clinician report and medical records of patient co-morbidity and adjuvant therapy health information.

Rationale, Aim And Objectives: Previous studies investigating agreement between data sources for co-morbidity and adjuvant therapy information have suggested agreement varies depending on how the information is collected. The aim of this study was to compare agreement among three data sources: patient report, clinician report and medical record.

Method: Data were collected as part of a nurse-delivered telephone intervention (the CONNECT programme).

Does radiotherapy of the primary rectal cancer affect prognosis after pelvic exenteration for recurrent rectal cancer?

Background: Radiotherapy reduces local recurrence rates but is also capable of short- and long-term toxicity. It may also render treatment of local recurrence more challenging if it develops despite previous radiotherapy.

Objective: This study examined the impact of radiotherapy for the primary rectal cancer on outcomes after pelvic exenteration for local recurrence.

Prognostic factors for supraglottic laryngeal carcinoma: Importance of the unfit patient.

Background: The purpose of this study was to define prognostic factors for supraglottic laryngeal cancer that may influence management.

Methods: This ethics-approved study captured information on patients who presented with supraglottic laryngeal cancer between 1967 and 2008. Endpoints were local/ultimate failure and cancer-specific survival (CSS).

Medulloblastoma: progress over time.

Introduction: Medulloblastoma is the most common central nervous system tumour in children aged 0-4 years, with 75% of cases occurring in patients <16 years, and rare in adults. The intent of this audit is to review a single centre's experience and to compare outcomes with other centres' outcomes.

Methods: This Ethics approved retrospective audit evaluates the paediatric population aged <16 years who received radiotherapy as their initial or salvage treatment at the Prince of Wales Hospital Cancer Centre between 1972 and 2007.