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Objectives: To examine if baseline stigma predicts psychological distress at 3 and 6 months follow‐up among patients newly diagnosed with lung cancer. Methods: This longitudinal study was nested within a larger randomised controlled trial. Eligible participants were recruited via respiratory and oncology out‐patient clinics in Australia (n = 194). Consenting participants were asked to complete surveys at baseline, 3 and 6 months post‐recruitment. Measures included lung cancer stigma (Cataldo Lung Cancer Stigma Scale) and psychological distress (General Health Questionnaire‐12 [GHQ‐12]). Results: One‐hundred and ninety‐four participants were included for analysis. Most were male (57.7%) with a mean age of 68 years (SD = 8.8). A significant relationship between baseline lung cancer stigma and psychological distress at 6 months was found, where a one unit increase in lung cancer stigma increases psychological distress by 0.044 when adjusting for age, gender, smoking status, baseline GHQ‐12 scores and intervention allocation (as part of the larger trial; p = 0.001; β = 0.044, 95% CI = 0.010, 0.079). Conclusion: Temporal links between lung cancer stigma and psychological distress was found at 6 months, suggesting stigma‐related experiences may have a delayed impact. Development of routine lung cancer stigma assessments is recommended to identify those at risk of psychological distress. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: This study explored help-seeking behaviours, group identification, and perceived legitimacy of discrimination, and its potential relationship with perceived lung cancer stigma.Methods: Consecutive consenting adults (n = 274) with a primary diagnosis of lung cancer within the previous 4 months were recruited at 31 outpatient clinics in Australia. A self-report survey assessed help-seeking, group identification, perceived legitimacy of discrimination, and perceived lung cancer stigma.Results: Services providing assistance from health professionals (69.5%) and informational support (68.5%) were more frequently used than emotional-based support. Only a small proportion (2.6%) of participants were unlikely to seek help from anyone, with the most popular sources of help being the general practitioner (91.0%), and oncologist/treating clinician (81.3%). One-fifth (21.1%) indicated they identified with being a lung cancer patient, and most did not perceive discrimination against lung cancer patients. Higher perceived lung cancer stigma was significantly associated with greater perceived legitimacy of discrimination (P < 0.001), but not help-seeking behaviours or group identification.Conclusions: The relationship between lung cancer stigma and perceived legitimacy of discrimination may guide initiatives to reduce stigma for patients. It is encouraging that perceived stigma did not appear to inhibit help-seeking behaviours. However, further research in this emerging field is needed to investigate patterns of perceived stigma and help-seeking over time to identify how and when to offer support services most appropriate to the needs of lung cancer patients. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In Australia and New Zealand, population groups who experience social disadvantage smoke at much higher rates than the general population. As there are limited data specific to these groups regarding the success of nicotine replacement therapy for smoking cessation, this commentary will provide an overview of the relevant international literature supplemented with observational data relevant to the policy contexts in Australia and New Zealand. [Paul C, Wolfenden L, Tzelepis F, Yoong S, Bowman J, Wye P, Sherwood E, Rose S, Wiggers J. Nicotine replacement therapy as a smoking cessation aid among disadvantaged smokers: What answers do we need? Drug Alcohol Rev 2016;35:785-789]. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Obstructive sleep apnea affects 20% of the adult population. Weight control is considered the best non-medical means of managing the condition, therefore improving nutritional knowledge in individuals may be an appropriate strategy. This study aimed to describe the relationship between nutritional knowledge and: (i) sleep disorder severity; (ii) body mass index; and (iii) demographic characteristics in persons suspected of obstructive sleep apnea. Nutrition knowledge scores were also compared with the general population. Consecutive newly-referred patients attending the sleep laboratory for diagnostic polysomnography were invited to participate. Those who consented ( n = 97) were asked to complete a touchscreen survey. Apnea-hypopnea index to measure sleep disorder severity and anthropometric measurements were obtained from the clinic. A quarter of participants were diagnosed with severe obstructive sleep apnea; and a majority (88%) were classed as being overweight or obese. The overall mean nutrition knowledge score was 58.4 ± 11.6 (out of 93). Nutrition knowledge was not associated with sleep disorder severity, body mass index or gender. The only significant difference detected was in relation to age, with older (≥35 years) participants demonstrating greater knowledge in the 'food choices' domain compared with their younger counterparts (18-34 years; P < 0.030). Knowledge scores were similar to the general population. The findings suggest that nutrition knowledge alone is not an important target for weight control interventions for people with obstructive sleep apnea. However, given the complexities of sleep disorders, it may complement other strategies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]