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Objective: Vaping, initially a smoking cessation aid, is now a widespread recreational activity sometimes associated with perceived health concerns. This study explored attitudes, harm perceptions and cessation barriers in the context of participants' vaping behaviours, guided by the theoretical lens of fundamental social causes. Design and Setting: The study focused on a subset of 571 current adult vapers from a larger survey investigating vaping attitudes. It analysed open-text survey responses relating to vaping behaviours. To analyse the responses, we employed layered analyses, using deductive conceptual mapping to inform an inductive thematic content analysis. Results: Participants mentioned nuanced vaping risks, citing cancer and respiratory concerns, often comparing them to tobacco's well-known harmful effects. Despite acknowledging vaping's potential harms, participants perceived the practice to be less harmful than smoking, emphasising relative safety. Some viewed vaping positively for former smokers, contingent on regulated products. This complex attitude balance reflected the intricate interplay between health concerns and social dynamics. Recurrent vaping symbolised consistent engagement, with cravings and widespread availability associated with quitting challenges. Conclusions: Participants' nuanced perceptions of health risks reflect a harm duopoly, resembling illicit drug harm tiering. There is a complex interplay between health knowledge and social influences in the context of vaping behaviours. Study findings underscore the need for messaging interventions discouraging vaping among those who do not smoke tobacco to consider these health and social dynamics, leveraging collaborative design. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

BackgroundPre-drinking refers to the consumption of alcohol at home or a private residence prior to attending a subsequent social event. We present the study protocol of an online theory-based intervention to reduce pre-drinking and related harm in pre-drinking undergraduates, using behavior change techniques targeting the motivational and volitional phases of behaviour.DesignA fully randomized 2 (autonomy support: present vs. absent) x 2 (implementation intention: present vs. absent) between-participants design will be used to ascertain the effectiveness of the intervention in reducing pre-drinking alcohol consumption and alcohol-related harm. Participants will complete a range of theory-based measures prior to being allocated to one of the four experimental conditions. Four weeks later, participants will complete a follow-up questionnaire comprised of theoretical and behavioral measures.AnalysesThe main and interactive effects of the intervention components in reducing our primary dependent variables, namely, pre-drinking alcohol consumption and alcohol-related harm at four-week follow-up will be tested. Baseline alcohol consumption and demographic information will be included in the analysis as covariates.DiscussionThis online intervention is the first to be developed to reduce pre-drinking alcohol consumption, a behaviour linked to increased risk of alcohol-related harm. The intervention targets motivational and volitional components of the behaviour change process and is therefore likely to lead to greater reductions in pre-drinking alcohol consumption and experience of alcohol-related harm compared to either approach in isolation. If successful, the intervention can be implemented across various contexts and in populations where pre-drinking is prevalent.Trial registrationACTRN12614001102662 . Registered 16 October 2014.

BackgroundPre-drinking refers to the consumption of alcohol at home or a private residence prior to attending a subsequent social event. We present the study protocol of an online theory-based intervention to reduce pre-drinking and related harm in pre-drinking undergraduates, using behavior change techniques targeting the motivational and volitional phases of behaviour.DesignA fully randomized 2 (autonomy support: present vs. absent) x 2 (implementation intention: present vs. absent) between-participants design will be used to ascertain the effectiveness of the intervention in reducing pre-drinking alcohol consumption and alcohol-related harm. Participants will complete a range of theory-based measures prior to being allocated to one of the four experimental conditions. Four weeks later, participants will complete a follow-up questionnaire comprised of theoretical and behavioral measures.AnalysesThe main and interactive effects of the intervention components in reducing our primary dependent variables, namely, pre-drinking alcohol consumption and alcohol-related harm at four-week follow-up will be tested. Baseline alcohol consumption and demographic information will be included in the analysis as covariates.DiscussionThis online intervention is the first to be developed to reduce pre-drinking alcohol consumption, a behaviour linked to increased risk of alcohol-related harm. The intervention targets motivational and volitional components of the behaviour change process and is therefore likely to lead to greater reductions in pre-drinking alcohol consumption and experience of alcohol-related harm compared to either approach in isolation. If successful, the intervention can be implemented across various contexts and in populations where pre-drinking is prevalent.Trial registrationACTRN12614001102662 . Registered 16 October 2014.

The present study investigated how pre-drinking could be explained using a model based on dual-systems theory, incorporating measures of explicit and implicit constructs. Undergraduate students (N = 144; 44 male; 100 female; [M.sub.age] = 20.1 years), completed an online survey comprising measures of pre-drinking motives, a measure of pre-drinking cost motives, and an alcohol identity implicit association test. Variance-based structural equation modelling revealed that the predictors explained 34.8% of the variance in typical pre-drinking alcohol consumption and 25% of the variance in alcohol-related harm. Cost, interpersonal enhancement, and barriers to consumption motives predicted higher typical pre-drinking alcohol consumption and greater alcohol-related harm. Higher situational control scores predicted lower typical pre-drinking alcohol consumption, and lower alcohol-related harm. Positive implicit alcohol identity predicted alcohol-related harm, but not typical alcohol consumption. Results indicate that a dual-systems approach to pre-drinking has utility in predicting alcohol-related harm and may inform interventions to reduce excessive alcohol consumption and associated harm. Keywords Alcohol * Pre-drinking * Pre-loading * Dual-systems theory * Alcohol-related harm, Introduction Excessive alcohol consumption is particularly prominent in university student populations; students tend to outdrink their non-student peers on drinking occasions (Slutske et al., 2004). A recent web-based study demonstrated [...]

The purpose of this study was to employ a kinematic analysis to determine the extent to which the Wheelchair Fencing Classification (WFC) can reliably predict and classify wheelchair fencers' trunk functional ability, during WFC functional classification assessment condition (without supporting bar) and competition condition (with supporting bar). Participants were 14 world-class wheelchair fencers from Hong Kong, with 9 WFC category A and 5 WFC category B fencers. Participants performed wheelchair fencing actions (i.e., lunge and fast-return) in two conditions (i.e., standard WFC testing condition and wheelchair fencing in competition condition). The maximum trunk velocity and maximum trunk angle (i.e., range of movement) were motion-captured and analyzed by kinematic analysis. The results showed that WFC classification significantly correlated with the trunk functional ability in the WFC testing condition, but not in the competition condition. The functional ability indices were significantly higher in the competition condition than that in the WFC testing condition for fencers of both category A and B. The trunk functional ability of category A fencers was significantly higher than that of category B fencers in a WFC testing condition, but such patterns were not observed in the competition condition. We concluded that the WFC test might not be fair and reliable enough to classify fencers according to the impact of their impairments on wheelchair fencing competitive performance. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The Journal of Behavioral Addictions published an abstract on the 9th International Conference on Behavioral Addictions (ICBA 2024) held in Gibraltar, covering topics such as sports gambling, assessment of behavioral addictions, and the impact of artificial intelligence in addiction research. A study compared the WHO and APA frameworks for diagnosing gaming disorder, revealing differences in psychopathological symptoms and personality traits. Another study explored the experiences of Spanish and Italian women with gambling disorder, highlighting cultural differences in perception and stigma. Research on compulsivity-oriented treatments for behavioral addictions and the clinical profile of patients with GD at risk of self-harming behaviors were also presented. The ICBA2024 conference featured studies on exercise addiction, problematic pornography use, and other addictive behaviors, aiming to enhance understanding and inform therapeutic strategies. [Extracted from the article]