Publications by authors named "Ute Mons"

Background: Chronic ischemic heart disease (IHD) is one of the leading causes of morbidity and mortality. Physical activity (PA) is an effective secondary preventive strategy in IHD management. The German treatment guideline recommends that general practitioners (GPs) deliver PA advice to patients.

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Introduction: Electronic cigarettes (e-cigarettes) are considered a potential aid for smoking cessation. This study investigates the neurobiological mechanisms underlying the motivational properties of e-cigarettes compared to tobacco cigarettes and provides insights into their addictive potential and implications for smoking cessation.

Methods: The study included 47 daily e-cigarette users, the majority of whom were former smokers (n=43), and 28 nicotine-naïve participants as controls.

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Background: Numerous studies have shown that e-cigarettes are addictive. For example, we previously showed that users of e-cigarette online forums discuss experiences of addiction in a netnographic analysis. However, it is unclear what makes e-cigarettes addictive apart from nicotine.

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Background: This study aimed to investigate whether perceived vaping addiction is a predictor of quitting nicotine vaping product (NVP) use among adults who have ever smoked and currently vape exclusively or predominantly in four countries: Australia, Canada, the US, and England.

Method: Data analysed (n = 574) came from participants (aged 18 + ) who completed the International Tobacco Control (ITC) Four Country Smoking and Vaping survey in 2018 and again in 2020. Baseline inclusion criteria were: (1) currently not smoking or non-daily smoking; and (2) using NVPs daily/weekly for a period of at least 4 months.

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Background: To reduce smoking uptake in adolescents, the medical students' network Education Against Tobacco (EAT) has developed a school-based intervention involving a face-aging mobile app (Smokerface).

Methods: A two-arm cluster-randomized controlled trial was conducted, evaluating the 2016 EAT intervention, which employed the mobile app Smokerface and which was delivered by medical students. Schools were randomized to intervention or control group.

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Since the first recommendation for HPV vaccination in Germany (2007), a rising number of projects aiming to increase HPV vaccination coverage in Germany have been conducted. From October 2019 to February 2020, we systematically searched for data (project description, evaluation reports) on projects in Germany that aimed to increase HPV vaccination rates. The aim was to provide a comprehensive overview of these projects (duration, implementing organisation, target group/addressees, setting, strategies, reach) and to gain insights for optimising future projects.

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Background: Subjective cognitive complaints (SCC) have been mostly studied in the context of Alzheimer's disease in memory clinic settings. The potential of combining SCC with genetic information and blood biomarkers of neurodegenerative diseases for risk assessment of dementia and depression in the absence of dementia among community-dwelling older adults has so far not been explored.

Methods: Data were based on a population-based cohort of 6357 participants with a 17-year follow-up (ESTHER study) and a clinic-based cohort of 422 patients.

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Article Synopsis
  • The study investigates support for a ban on slim cigarettes in six European countries, using data from the 2018 ITC EUREST-PLUS project with 5,592 adult smokers.
  • Support for the ban varied, with Romania showing the highest support (33.8%) and Greece the lowest (18.0%).
  • Key factors influencing lower support included being female, a daily smoker, using menthol cigarettes, and not planning to quit smoking soon, alongside a prevalent belief that slim cigarettes are less harmful than regular ones.*
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Background: This study aimed to describe the characteristics and mortality of two cohorts of patients with chronic coronary syndrome (CCS) recruited with identical study designs in the same rehabilitation clinics but approximately 10 years apart.

Methods: The KAROLA cohorts included patients with CCS participating in an inpatient cardiac rehabilitation programme in Germany (KAROLA-I: years 1999/2000, KAROLA-II: 2009-2011). Blood samples and information on sociodemographic factors, lifestyle, and medical treatment were collected at baseline, at the end of rehabilitation, and after one year of follow-up.

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Background: According to the International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC), there is sufficient evidence for the carcinogenicity of processed meat consumption in humans, specifically regarding colorectal cancer (CRC) risk. Evidence for the carcinogenicity of red meat consumption is more limited but points in the same direction.

Methods: A macro-simulation approach was used to calculate age- and sex-specific potential impact fractions in a 30-year period (2020-2050).

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Background And Aims: The addictive potential of electronic cigarettes (e-cigarettes) remains to be fully understood. We identified patterns and correlates of perceived addiction to e-cigarettes and perceived addictiveness of e-cigarettes relative to tobacco cigarettes (relative addictiveness) in dual users as well as exclusive e-cigarette users.

Design, Setting And Participants: Observational study using cross-sectional survey data from England (2016) from the International Tobacco Control Project (ITC) Four Country Smoking and Vaping (4CV) survey.

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Introduction: This study assessed whether in a population with comorbidity of neurodegenerative and cerebrovascular disease (mixed pathology) the association of glial fibrillary acidic protein (GFAP), neurofilament light chain (NfL), and phosphorylated tau181 (p-tau181) with dementia risk varied depending on levels of total cholesterol and apolipoprotein E (APOE) ε4 genotype.

Methods: Plasma biomarkers were measured using Simoa technology in 768 participants of a nested case-control study embedded within an ongoing population-based cohort. Logistic and spline regression models, and receiver operating characteristic curves were calculated.

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Background: While e-cigarettes usually contain nicotine, their addictive potential is not yet fully understood. We hypothesized that if e-cigarettes are addictive, users will experience typical symptoms of addiction.

Objective: The aim of our study was to investigate whether and how e-cigarette users report signs of addiction.

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Objective: Smoke-free policies are effective in preventing secondhand smoke (SHS) exposure, but their adoption at home remains largely voluntary. This study aimed to quantify SHS exposure in homes with residents who smoke in Europe according to households' characteristics, tobacco consumption habits, and national contextual factors.

Methods: Cross-sectional study (March 2017-September 2018) based on measurements of air nicotine inside 162 homes with residents who smoke from nine European countries.

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Background: Effectiveness of tobacco taxation can be undermined through smokers applying price-minimizing behaviours rather than quitting or reducing consumption. Common price-minimizing strategies are buying cheaper tobacco [discount brands or roll-your-own (RYO) tobacco], bulk buying and cross-border purchasing. This study analyses trends in and factors associated with such behaviours in four European countries from 2006 to 2020.

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Introduction: In addition to the prevention of tobacco consumption, the establishment and assurance of high-quality treatment for harmful use and dependence on tobacco products remains an important health-related task in Germany. Regular updating of the Association of the Scientific Medical Societies (AWMF) S3 guideline "Smoking and Tobacco Dependence: Screening, Diagnosis, and Treatment" (Tobacco Guideline) offers a sustainable and reputable source of knowledge on smoking cessation.

Methods: Under the auspices of the German Society for Psychiatry, Psychotherapy, Psychosomatics, and Neurology (DGPPN) and the German Society for Addiction Research and Addiction Therapy (DG-Sucht), the Tobacco Guideline was revised in 2019-2020 by 63 experts, who were involved in the development process of the text, in 11 working groups.

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Background: A large body of evidence supports a link between type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) and cognitive function, including dementia. However, longitudinal studies on the association between T2DM and decline of cognitive function are scarce and reported mixed results, and we hence set out to investigate the cross-sectional and longitudinal association between T2DM and global as well as domain-specific cognitive performance.

Methods: We used multivariable regression models to assess associations of T2DM with cognitive performance and cognitive decline in a subsample of a population-based prospective cohort study (ESTHER).

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Background: Meta-analyses of randomized controlled trials have shown that vitamin D supplementation reduces cancer mortality by 13%. Vitamin D fortification of foods may increase vitamin D levels in a similar manner as vitamin D supplementation and could achieve similar reductions in cancer mortality. Whereas some European countries already implemented widespread fortification of foods with vitamin D, in other countries only few or no foods are fortified.

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Background: In Germany, the prevalence of infections with the human papilloma virus (HPV) among women and men is high. High-risk HPV types can lead to certain types of cancer (e. g.

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We discuss progress made with respect to reducing the burden of disease caused by tobacco use within the WHO European Region and outline major issues and challenges regarding ongoing implementation of tobacco control policy. Although 50 of 53 countries in the WHO European Region are parties to the WHO Framework Convention for Tobacco Control (FCTC), smoking prevalence varies tremendously between European countries. While smoking rates are decreasing slowly, faster declines among smokers with a higher socioeconomic status are leading to growing inequalities in tobacco use.

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Background: Excess body weight and physical inactivity are key cancer risk factors contributing substantially to the cancer burden in Germany. We aimed to estimate the numbers and proportions of future cancer cases prevented under different scenarios of reducing the prevalence of excess body weight and physical inactivity in Germany.

Methods: Based on a macro-simulation approach calculating age-, sex-, and cancer-site specific potential impact fractions, we estimated for a 30-year study period (2020-2050) numbers and proportions of cancer cases prevented under different scenarios of reducing excess body weight (overweight and obesity) and increasing levels of physical activity in the German population.

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Meta-analyses of randomized controlled trials (RCTs) have estimated a 13% reduction of cancer mortality by vitamin D supplementation among older adults. We evaluated if and to what extent similar effects might be expected from vitamin D fortification of foods. We reviewed the literature on RCTs assessing the impact of vitamin D supplementation on cancer mortality, on increases of vitamin D levels by either supplementation or food fortification, and on costs of supplementation or fortification.

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Background: Tobacco use is the largest preventable cause of diseases and deaths; reducing tobacco intake is, therefore, an urgent public health goal. In recent years, e-cigarettes have been marketed as a 'healthier' alternative to tobacco smoking, whilst product features have evolved tremendously in the meantime. A lively scientific debate has developed regarding the potential benefits and risks of e-cigarettes although, surprisingly, there are few studies investigating the addictive potential of nicotine-containing e-cigarettes.

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