Charis Girvalaki

Current evidence on the associations of breastfeeding, infant formula, and cow's milk introduction with type 1 diabetes mellitus: a systematic review.

Current evidence provides contradictory results in regards to the associations of breastfeeding or early introduction of cows milk and formula with the development of type 1 diabetes (T1D). The aim of this systematic review was to evaluate the type of feeding, duration of breastfeeding, time of introduction of formula or cows milk, and the potential impact on developing T1D. The literature search was conducted based on the standards outlined in the MOOSE Guidelines for Meta-Analyses and Systematic Reviews of Observational Studies and yielded a total of 161 studies, 28 of which were included in this review. Twenty seven of the included studies were case-control and one was a prospective cohort study. Eight of the studies indicated breastfeeding has a protective role against the development of T1D. Seven additional studies emphasized that a short period or absence of breastfeeding could be a risk factor for T1D development. The results of this systematic review indicate a short duration and/or a lack of breastfeeding may constitute a risk factor for the development of T1D later in life.

Relationship of secondhand smoke exposure with sociodemographic factors and smoke-free legislation in the European Union

BACKGROUND To explore whether exposure to secondhand smoke (SHS) among non-smokers in the European Union (EU) showed any association with sociodemographic factors and/or the extent of national tobacco control policies. METHODS A secondary analysis was performed on data from 26 751 individuals ≥15 years old from 27 EU member states (EU MS), collected during the 2012 Special Eurobarometer survey (wave 77.1). Respondents were asked whether they had been exposed to SHS in eating or drinking establishments during the past 6 months, and/or in their workplace. Data on smoke-free policies were extracted from the European Tobacco Control Status Report and the European Tobacco Control Scale (TCS) in 2013. RESULTS In total, 29.0% of non-smoking participants reported being exposed to SHS in indoor areas. Males (vs. females) as well as individuals with difficulties to pay bills (vs. those with no difficulties), had significantly greater odds of being exposed to SHS in bars, restaurants and workplaces. For every unit increase of a countrys score on the Smoke-free Component of the TCS (indicating greater adherence to smoke-free legislations) the odds ratio of reporting exposure to SHS was 0.82 in bars, 0.85 in restaurants and 0.94 in workplaces. CONCLUSIONS Differences in exposure to SHS clearly exist between and within EU MS, despite the fact that they all have signed the Framework Convention on Tobacco Control, with the burden found to disproportionally affect younger people and individuals with financial difficulties. Moreover, enforcement of smoke-free legislation was inversely associated with SHS exposure, highlighting the importance of enforcing comprehensive smoking bans.

Changes in tobacco industry advertising around high schools in Greece following an outdoor advertising ban: a follow-up study

Background As tobacco advertising bans are enacted in accordance with the Framework Convention on Tobacco Control, it is essential to assess enforcement and how the industry may circumvent such measures. Objective design During this longitudinal study, we compared the characteristics of points-of-sale (POS) advertising within 300 m of all high schools in Heraklion, Greece before (n=101 POS and 44 billboards in 2007) and after (n=106 POS in 2011) an outdoor advertising ban was implemented in 2009. Cigarette advertisements in all retailers near all high schools were assessed. Results Following the ban, tobacco industry billboards around schools were eradicated (from 44 to 0). The proportion of POS that had external advertisements dropped from 98% to 66% (p<0.001), more so in regulated convenience stores (from 97% to 35%, p<0.001) than in kiosks (98% to 92%, p=0.192), which were exempt from the ban. The proportion of convenience stores that had advertisements on the door (79.5% to 20.4%, p<0.001), ads that could be seen from the street (92.3% to 22.4%, p<0.001) or illuminated exterior ads (46.2% to 10.2%, p<0.001) was also significantly reduced. Overall, the average number of exterior advertisements per POS fell from 7.4 to 3.9 (p<0.05). This reduction was noted in regulated convenience stores (4.8±3.0 vs 0.9±2.1, p<0.001) and in unregulated kiosks (9.0±6.7 vs 6.5±4.5, p=0.019). Conclusions The outdoor advertising restriction in Greece has led to a reduced number of tobacco advertisements per POS, and the eradication of billboard advertising. Nevertheless, there is a need to regulate kiosks, which were identified as a key vector for tobacco advertising, and to increase compliance among regulated convenience stores.

The Secondhand Smoke Exposure Scale (SHSES): A hair nicotine validated tool for assessing exposure to secondhand smoke among elderly adults in primary care

INTRODUCTION Accurate estimation of exposure to Secondhand Smoke (SHS) is important in both research and clinical practice. We aimed to develop, an easy to implement, biomarker validated scale to provide an estimation of adult exposure to SHS for use within primary health care or epidemiological research. METHODS A pool of 26 baseline questions evaluating exposure to SHS was administered to 178 non-smoking adults (mean age 68.1 years), recruited from both urban and rural primary health care practices in Crete, Greece in November 2011, while concurrent hair samples were collected and nicotine concentrations were measured. To generate scores for each question item, we fitted a backward linear regression using the main predictors of SHS exposure selected from the initial pool of questions, weighted against each individuals biomarker evaluated exposure. RESULTS Among the pool of participants and weighted according to hair nicotine levels, in descending order, the most important sources of SHS exposure were the home (5 points, β=0.37), the family car (3 points, β=0.20), public places (2 points, β=0.15) and the workplace (1 point, β=0.013), the relative weighting of which led to the development of an 11-point scale to assess exposure to SHS. For every unit increase in the score, there was an associated increase in mean hair nicotine concentrations by 1.35 ng/mg (95%CI: 1.25-1.45, p<0.0001) CONCLUSIONS The SHS exposure score (SHSES) may be a useful tool in an estimating the level of the exposure to SHS among elderly adults and investigating the relationship between SHS exposure and potential health outcomes.

Respiratory irritants in e-cigarette refill liquids across nine European countries: a threat to respiratory health?

The rapid expansion of the e-cigarette market across European countries has raised a number of concerns within the scientific community [1, 2]. The most recent data from across the European Union revealed a substantial increase in e-cigarette experimentation, with 15% of European citizens reporting having tried e-cigarettes in 2017, representing a 7.0% increase since 2012 [3]. Annual e-cigarette sales in Europe have reached EUR 1.33 billion, and are projected to reach over EUR 10 billion by 2020 [4]. Respiratory irritants within e-cigarette refill liquids are a cause for concern for respiratory health http://ow.ly/454g30gK09m

Nutritional and Chemical Quality of Traditional Spreads and Pies of Mediterranean Diet of Greece

Nutritional and Chemical Quality of Traditional Spreads and Pies of Mediterranean Diet of Greece The value of the Cretan diet and its important role in health promotion and disease prevention emerged mainly through the “Seven Countries Study”. The term “Mediterranean diet” is widely used to describe a common dietary pattern of the Greek and southern Italian populations, that was first documented in the 1960’s, with adherence to this type of diet and lifestyle, found to lead to long life expectancy and low risk of coronary heart disease.

Trends in metabolic syndrome risk factors among adolescents in rural Crete between 1989 and 2011.

OBJECTIVETo investigate all the important factors contributing to the development of metabolic syndrome (MetS) as well as to explore the changes of these factors, over time, by comparing adolescent populations of rural areas of Heraklion, Crete, for the years 2011 and 1989.DESIGNThis study was carried out within two rural areas of the Heraklion region in Crete, Greece. The 1989 study was conducted in the village of Agia Varvara and the respective 2011 study within the municipality of Minoa Pediados. The study population consisted of 150 high school students (97 girls and 69 boys) in 1989 and 66 (30 girls and 36 boys) elementary (6th grade) and high school students in 2011, aged from 12 to 14 years old. Anthropometric, blood pressure and biochemical information was obtained.RESULTSOf the MetS risk factors studied, only obesity incidence was found higher in 2011 compared to 1989 (obese adolescents 1.3% in 1989 versus 21.2% in 2011, p< 0.001). On the other hand, hypertension levels were higher in 1989 compared to 2011 (46.7% versus 6.3%, respectively, p<0.001). In addition, glucose and LDL-C levels were lower in 2011.CONCLUSIONSThe present study supports the fact that there are significant changes in metabolic risk factors through time in adolescent populations of Crete, mainly due to the rise in obesity levels as well as to the decrease in hypertension, total cholesterol and LDL-cholesterol, as observed from the comparison of the years 1989 and 2011.

Factors associated with rates of tobacco treatment deliveryby General Practitioners in Greece: Missed opportunities forprevention?

INTRODUCTION This study investigates the clinic-, provider- and patient-level factors associated with delivery of 4 (Ask, Advise, Assist, Arrange) elements of the 5As approach to smoking cessation in general practice in Greece. METHODS We conducted a secondary analysis of data derived from a quasi-experimental study (The TiTAN Crete study) among general practitioners (GPs) in Crete, Greece in 2015–2016. Twenty-four GPs and a cross-sectional sample of 1301 smokers from their practices were surveyed. This paper reports on the results of the multi-level modelling conducted to examine predictors of 4As delivery. RESULTS Our analysis found clinic characteristics, including the presence of an electronic medical record, being located in a rural setting, and being in private practice were significantly associated with increased rates of tobacco treatment delivery. Female GPs were more likely than males to arrange follow-up (AOR 3.38, 95%CI 1.11, 10.35). Our analysis found a variety of patient-level factors were positively associated with tobacco treatment delivery, including: longer smoking history; presence of a smoking related illness; readiness to quit smoking; and symptoms or a diagnosis of anxiety, depression or other mental health illness. Other patient-level factors were negatively associated with tobacco treatment delivery, including level of education and reason for visit. Patients seen in clinic for episodic care were less likely to be ‘asked’ (AOR 0.22, 95%CI 0.12, 0.39), ‘advised’ (AOR 0.22, 95%CI 0.13, 0.38), and receive ‘assistance’ (AOR 0.36, 95%CI 0.19, 0.66) compared to patients seen in clinic for a medical examination. CONCLUSIONS Providers are significantly more frequently delivering tobacco treatment to a sub-group of high-risk patients compared to other tobacco users in their clinical practice. This results in missed opportunities for early intervention and disease prevention.

Characteristics and correlates of electronic cigarette productattributes and undesirable events during e-cigarette use in sixcountries of the EUREST-PLUS ITC Europe Surveys

INTRODUCTION This study assessed characteristics and correlates associated with e-cigarette product attributes and identified correlates of experiencing undesirable events during e-cigarette use among adult smokers across six European Union (EU) Members States (MS) prior to the implementation of the Tobacco Products Directive (TPD) in 2016. METHODS We conducted a cross-sectional survey with a nationally representative sample of adult cigarette smokers from six EU MS (Germany, Greece, Hungary, Poland, Romania, Spain) reporting e-cigarette use; randomly selected through a multistage cluster sampling design from June to September 2016. Stepwise logistic regressions were used to identify factors associated with use of flavors, noticing health warnings, mixing e-liquids, experiencing ‘dry puff’, e-liquid leaking during use and e-liquid spilling during refill. RESULTS Current daily or weekly prevalence of e-cigarette use among this sample of adult smokers was 7.5%. The most common attributes of e-cigarettes used included those that are flavored, contain nicotine, and are of tank style. Noticing health warnings on e-cigarette packaging and leaflets, respectively, was low (10.2% and 28%, respectively). Use of e-liquid refill nozzle caps, described as easy for a child to open, was associated with spilling during refill (OR=6.73; 95% CI: 2.02–22.37). Participants who adjusted occasionally or regularly the power (voltage) or temperature of their e-cigarette had greater odds of ever experiencing a ‘dry puff’ (OR=6.01; 95% CI: 2.68–13.46). Mixing different e-liquids was associated with leaking during use (OR=7.78; 95% CI: 2.45–24.73) and spilling during refill (OR=8.54; 95% CI: 2.29–31.88). CONCLUSIONS Ongoing evaluation of factors associated with e-cigarette attributes and of the correlates of experiencing e-cigarette undesirable events during use, related to product design, is crucial to monitoring the impact of the implementing Acts of the EU TPD.

Training General Practitioners in Evidence-Based Tobacco Treatment: An Evaluation of the Tobacco Treatment Training Network in Crete (TiTAN-Crete) Intervention

Background. Rates of tobacco treatment delivery in primary care are suboptimal. Aims. We report on the effectiveness of the TiTAN Crete intervention on rates of patient-reported 4As (ask, advise, assist, arrange) tobacco treatment and general practitioner’s (GP) knowledge, attitudes, self-efficacy, and intentions. Methods. A quasi-experimental pilot study with pre-post evaluation was conducted in Crete, Greece (2015-2016). GPs (n = 24) intervention and control group and a cross-sectional sample of their patients (n = 841) were surveyed before the implementation of the intervention. GPs in the intervention group received training, practice, and patient tools to support the integration of the 4As treatment into clinical routines. Intervention group GPs (n = 14) and a second cross-sectional sample of patients (n = 460) were surveyed 4 months following the intervention to assess changes in outcomes of interest. Multilevel modeling was used to analyze data. Results. Among GPs exposed to the intervention, significant increases in knowledge, self-efficacy, and rates of 4As delivery were documented between the pre- and postassessment and compared with those of the control group. Specifically, the adjusted odds ratios (AORs) and 95% confidence intervals (CIs) for 4As delivery between the pre-and postassessment among GPs exposed to the TiTAN intervention were as follows: Ask AOR 3.66 (95% CI [2.61, 5.14]); Advise AOR 4.21 (95% CI [3.02, 5.87]); Assist AOR 13.10 (95% CI [8.83, 19.42]) and Arrange AOR 4.75 (95% CI [2.67, 8.45]). Conclusion. We found significant increases in rates at which GPs delivered evidence-based tobacco treatment following exposure to the TiTAN intervention. Future research should examine methods for supporting broader dissemination of well-designed training interventions in general practice.