Cochrane

Background Most smokers start smoking before they are 18 years old. Starting smoking earlier in life means a smoker will smoke for more years than someone who starts smoking later, which increases the health risks of smoking. Given the high amount of tobacco use among young people and the poor health outcomes that may result, finding ways to prevent ...

Background Smoking is a modern-day epidemic, and preventing young people from taking up smoking remains a key health priority, since experimentation with smoking starts at an early age. One possible method of achieving this goal is through mass media, which have the potential to reach and modify the attitudes, knowledge and behaviour of a large proportion ...

Review question We reviewed the evidence on the effects of opioid antagonists (naltrexone, naloxone) plus minimal sedation for managing withdrawal in people who are dependent on opioid drugs (for example, heroin or pharmaceutical opiates). Background Managed withdrawal, or detoxification, is a required first step for longer-term treatments of opioid ...

Review question We reviewed the evidence about the effectiveness of supervised dosing strategies in opioid substitution treatment for people dependent on opioid drugs. Background Opioid dependence (OD) is a global clinical and public health problem that is associated with significant burden of disease and drug-related deaths. OD represents a complex ...

Background Tobacco use kills more people worldwide than any other preventable cause of death. The best way to reduce tobacco use is by stopping people from starting to use tobacco and encouraging and helping existing users to stop. This can be done by introducing policies that can reach a wide number of people in a country, together with offering ...

Background Individual counselling is commonly used to help people who are trying to quit smoking. The review looked at trials of counselling by a trained therapist providing one or more face-to-face sessions, separate from medical care. The outcome was being a non smoker at least six months later. Study characteristics We searched for trials in ...

Background One approach to help people who are trying to quit smoking is to offer them group-based support. Participants meet regularly, with a facilitator who is typically trained in smoking cessation counselling. Programme components are varied. A perceived strength of this approach is that participants provide each other with support and encouragement. ...

Review question We reviewed the evidence about the effect of buprenorphine for managing withdrawal in people who are dependent on opioid drugs (for example, heroin or pharmaceutical opiates). Background Managed withdrawal, or detoxification, is a required first step for long-term treatment of opioid dependence. The combination of uncomfortable symptoms ...

What is the issue? Tobacco smoking during pregnancy increases the risk of the mother having complications during pregnancy and the baby being born low birthweight. Nicotine and other contents of cigarettes can have harmful effects on the baby’s growth and development. Why is this important? The number of women smoking in pregnancy is decreasing ...

Background Smoking is a cause of many health problems, including cancers, heart and lung diseases. Health professionals (e.g. doctors, nurses, pharmacists, dentists, etc.) may be able to reduce this harm by helping smokers to quit during a clinic visit. However, it may be difficult for health care providers to recognize smokers. They may also feel ...