Tobacco use is prevalent among People living with HIV (PLWH), negatively affecting their Health-Related Quality of Life (HRQoL). Despite false perceptions of being less harmful and socially acceptable, little is known about Waterpipe Tobacco Smoking (WTS) uptake and its link to HRQoL among PLWH in Nigeria. In this study, we aimed to examine WTS use, associated factors, and its relationship with HRQoL in Nigerian PLWH. A cross-sectional study utilizing an interviewer-administered questionnaire was conducted among 761 respondents receiving care at five Anti-Retroviral Therapy centers in Lagos, Nigeria. The WTS Scale was used to measure participants’ use patterns, and the World Health Organization QOL-BREF questionnaire to evaluate HRQoL. Multivariable regression analyses explored factors associated with WTS use and HRQoL. Respondents were predominantly male (63.6
Identification of adolescent e-cigarette use could inform prevention and intervention programming and reduce associated consequences. One way to predict those engaging in use is by examining social media profiles and metrics. Most studies examining substance use content on social media employ self-report or human coding that have methodological limitations. Thus, the current study developed a supervised machine learning algorithm to classify participants into e-cigarette use categories based on Instagram metrics. Participants (n = 67, Mage = 18.27; 64.2
Per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) are persistent and mobile contaminants of growing concern in groundwater systems, yet multi-year assessments in large metropolitan areas remain limited. This study investigates PFAS occurrence, spatial distribution, and associated health risks in Miami-Dade County, Florida, using 1600 samples collected from monitoring wells, raw water, and point-of-exit (POE) locations between 2019 and 2023. PFOA and PFOS were detected in over 90
ABSTRACT Background Postpartum weight retention is a key concern due to the risk of escalating overweight/obesity, as well as the risk of diabetes, hypertension, and cardiovascular disease. Self‐weighing may be a helpful strategy for reducing weight retention; however, the ideal frequency of self‐weighing is not known. Methods The objective of this secondary analysis (N = 263) examined the role of self‐weighing during the 6‐month postpartum period, with a focus on substantial postpartum weight retention (i.e., ≥ 5 kg). All participants received e‐scales at randomization, which captured daily self‐weighing data over the postpartum period (6 weeks postpartum to 6 months postpartum). Multivariable logistic and linear regression models were applied to determine the association between self‐weighing frequency and postpartum weight retention while controlling for covariates. Results Most participants had overweight or obesity (68.7%), were nulliparous (47.5%), and identified as White (67.3%). The mean self‐weighing frequency was 2.45 ± 1.86 days per week. Each additional day of self‐weighing per week was associated with 34% lower odds of substantial postpartum weight retention, relative to < 0.5 kg weight retention (OR: 0.66, 95th CI: 0.54,0.84, p = 0.001). Self‐weighing ≥ 4 days per week was associated with 3.3 kg lower weight retention, compared to participants who weighed less frequently (β = −2.89, 95th CI: −4.51,−1.27, p = 0.001). Conclusions Thus, self‐weighing ≥ 4 days per week could be tested as a goal for postpartum weight management. These findings may inform future postpartum weight management programs, as self‐weighing is an easily disseminated strategy. Trial Registration The trial is registered on clinicaltrials.gov (NCT 03057808)
Legal psychologists sometimes provide expert witness testimony about eyewitness memory in court. In their testimony, they regularly rely on scientific findings that decision-makers (i.e., jurors, judges) likely assume are practically relevant. However, it is not yet known which effect sizes are large enough to be deemed practically relevant for the courtroom, also known as the smallest effect size of interest (SESOI). One way to estimate the SESOI is to engage stakeholders. In two studies, we recruited 97 legal professionals (e.g., defense lawyers, prosecution lawyers, judges) from the Netherlands and Belgium and presented them with hypothetical scenarios about an unarmed robbery wherein an eyewitness made different types of memory errors (e.g., misremembering a black gun). Then, legal professionals were asked how many of such memory errors they would allow before taking certain legal actions. The majority of legal professionals viewed 1–3 memory errors as practically relevant for legal decisions or actions, but this depended on the type of memory error. A nontrivial number of participants indicated that they would never undertake legal actions after a witness made memory errors. The current studies can guide the challenging task of estimating the SESOI in forensic psychological contexts that may assist future researchers.
