Suchergebnisse

INTRODUCTION: The tobacco control community has raised some concerns about whether studies on electronic cigarettes (e-cigarettes) published in scientific journals hide conflicts of interest (COI) and whether such reports are biased. This study assessed potential COI in the e-cigarette scientific literature. METHODS: Cross-sectional study was conducted on e-cigarette publications indexed in PubMed up to August 2014. We extracted information about the authors (affiliations, location, etc.), publication characteristics (type, topic, subject, etc.), results and conclusions, presence of a COI statement, and funding by and/or financial ties to pharmaceutical, tobacco, and/or e-cigarette companies. An algorithm to determine the COI disclosure status was created based on the information in the publication. Prevalence ratios (PRs) and confidence intervals (CIs) were calculated to identify associations with COI disclosure, controlling for several independent variables. RESULTS: Of the 404 publications included in the analysis, 37.1% (n=150) had no COI disclosure statement, 38.6% declared no COI, 13.4% declared potential COI with pharmaceutical companies, 3.0% with tobacco companies, and 10.6% with e-cigarette companies. The conclusions in publications with COI, which were mainly tied to pharmaceutical companies, were more likely to be favourable to e-cigarette use (PR=2.23; 95% CI: 1.43-3.46). Publications that supported the use of e-cigarettes for both harm reduction (PR=1.81; 95%CI: 1.14-2.89) and smoking cessation (PR=2.02; 95% CI: 1.26-3.23) were more likely to have conclusions that were favourable to e-cigarettes. CONCLUSIONS: One-third of the publications reporting studies on e-cigarettes did not have a COI disclosure statement, and this proportion was even higher in news articles, editorials and other types of publications. Papers with conclusions that were favourable to e-cigarette use were more likely to have COI. Journal editors and reviewers should consider evaluating publications, including funding sources, to determine whether the results and conclusions may be biased. ; This study was funded in part by the Sociedad Española de Epidemiología. The Tobacco Control Unit of the Institut Català d'Oncologia is funded by the Government of Catalonia (Directorate of Research and Universities grant 2017SGR319). The funding institutions, had no role in the study design and execution, in the analysis and/or reporting of the results and necessarily do not endorse them. E. Fernández was supported by the Instituto Carlos III, Government of Spain, co-funded by the European Regional Development Fund (FEDER) (INT16/00211 and INT17/00103). Cristina Martínez was supported by the Instituto Carlos III, Government of Spain, co-funded by the European Regional Development Fund (FEDER) (INT17/00116) and the Catalan Government, PERIS (9015-586920/2017). ; Sí

Exposure to secondhand aerosol from electronic cigarettes (e-cigarettes) may pose harms to bystanders, but they are used in many indoor settings. Less evidence exists on e-cigarette use in outdoor settings. This study aims to assess the use of e-cigarettes in outdoor settings in Europe. A cross-sectional study was conducted at the entrances of primary schools (N = 200), children's playgrounds (N = 200), and outdoor hospitality venues (N = 220) during 2017–2018 in major cities of 11 European countries. We performed 30-min observations and recorded e-cigarette use at three-time points: at 0 min, 15 min, and 30 min. We described the number and proportion of settings with e-cigarette use observed at any of the three-time points according to country and other contextual variables. Results showed that there were 22 (11.0%) school entrances, eight (4.0%) playgrounds, and 47 (21.3%) outdoor hospitality venues where e-cigarette use was observed at any time point. School entrances and outdoor hospitality venues with observed e-cigarette use were more frequently found in countries with a higher prevalence (≥1.4%) of e-cigarette use (school entrances: 18.0% vs. 4.0%; p = 0.002, outdoor hospitality venues: 26.7% vs. 15.0%, p = 0.036). In conclusion, the outdoor setting with the highest visibility of e-cigarette use was outdoor areas of hospitality venues. Although still limited, e-cigarettes were also used in outdoor settings frequented by children. Governments should consider measures to restrict e-cigarette use outdoors to protect the health of bystanders, particularly in areas where children may be present.