This study investigated whether noticing cannabis education campaigns was associated with increased cannabis risk perceptions in Canada's three territories following non-medical cannabis legalization. Data were from the Cannabis Policy Study in the Territories, including 2452 participants, age [greater than or equal to]16 years residing in Yukon,…

Background: Skin symptoms (such as itching from mask use) pose public health concerns with potential repercussions, even after the pandemic. Purpose: This study used an extensive literature review to explore the factors of wearing masks that tended to impair skin health during the pandemic and to identify prevention protocols for potential skin…

Objective: The current study examined group differences in college students' views on e-cigarettes in terms of safety, popularity, health risks, social acceptability, efficacy as a cessation aid, and promoting combustible cigarette use. Participants: 337 undergraduates (M[subscript age] = 20.84, SD = 3.79; 72.1% female; 68.5% White) divided into…

The COVID-19 pandemic has forced children to reckon with the causal relations underlying disease transmission. What are children's theories of how COVID-19 is transmitted? And how do they understand the relation between COVID-19 susceptibility and the need for disease-mitigating behavior? We asked these questions in the context of children's…

Violence is a major public health problem globally, with the highest rates in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs) in the Americas and southern Africa. Parenting programmes in high-income countries can diminish risk for violence, by reducing risk factors such as child aggression and harsh parenting, and increasing protective factors such as…

Hazardous/harmful drinking among college students is increasingly becoming a global health concern. Previous studies have mostly paid more attention to the prevalence and risk factors of alcohol use disorder based on the public health approach, and less is understood about psychological mechanisms and protective factors of problem drinking…

How people make perceived message effectiveness (PME) judgments remains mostly unexplored. This study assessed whether people need to spontaneously think about message effectiveness to report the message as effective on rating scales and investigated emotions as precursors to PME. After viewing one of four e-cigarette prevention messages, 1,968…

Purpose: The purpose of this study was to determine the prevalence of self-reported hearing loss and associated risk factors in a representative population-based study of Wisconsin residents. Method: Survey of the Health of Wisconsin participants with data on self-reported hearing loss were included. We reported prevalence of self-reported hearing…

At every stage since the start of the pandemic, decisions across education and childcare have been informed by the scientific and medical evidence -- both on the risks of coronavirus (COVID-19) infection, transmission and illness, and on the known risks to children and young people not attending education settings -- balancing public health and…

Children's play has shifted within the context of the COVID-19 pandemic, particularly with increased time within the family home. This study responds to the following research questions: How did COVID-19 restrictions influence children's play within and outside the home? How did parents describe their role in their children's play during the first…

The VAX-TRUST project addresses vaccine hesitancy in seven European countries with a systematic and evidence-based approach. Interventions, targeting healthcare professionals, draw from behavioural and social theories. A checklist, inspired by the TIDieR (Template for Intervention Description and Replication), ensures a detailed description of…

Background: COVID-19 pandemic has been a global health threat since December 2019. It has brought the world to a standstill. The development of a vaccine has sparked great hope among all the individuals across the globe. Purpose: This study aimed to measure the perceived risks and benefits associated with the COVID-19 vaccines and to develop a…

The purpose of this study was to describe population knowledge and beliefs about COVID-19 and current social media coverage to address a gap in what is known about risk communication during health crises. A survey with 27 questions was developed. Twenty-three percent (N = 1,136) of respondents started the survey. Less than half of the students…

Periods of extremely hot and cold weather can cause significant mortality and morbidity in both temperate and more extreme climates. In the UK, their occurrence prompts the issuing of number and colour coded warnings providing an assessment of the level of risk. These are designed to minimize health impact by prompting timely and appropriate…

Social media platforms are home to large volumes of ambiguous hashtag-based claims about the health, modified-risk, and cessation benefits of electronic cigarette products (e.g., #Vapingsavedmylife). The objective of this study was to qualitatively explore how young adults interpret these hashtags on the popular platform Instagram. Specifically,…