Dataset Information

Increases in synthetic cannabinoids-related harms: Results from a longitudinal web-based content analysis.

ABSTRACT: Synthetic Cannabinoid Receptor Agonists (SCRA), also known as "K2" or "Spice," have drawn considerable attention due to their potential of abuse and harmful consequences. More research is needed to understand user experiences of SCRA-related effects. We use semi-automated information processing techniques through eDrugTrends platform to examine SCRA-related effects and their variations through a longitudinal content analysis of web-forum data.English language posts from three drug-focused web-forums were extracted and analyzed between January 1st 2008 and September 30th 2015. Search terms are based on the Drug Use Ontology (DAO) created for this study (189 SCRA-related and 501 effect-related terms). EDrugTrends NLP-based text processing tools were used to extract posts mentioning SCRA and their effects. Generalized linear regression was used to fit restricted cubic spline functions of time to test whether the proportion of drug-related posts that mention SCRA (and no other drug) and the proportion of these "SCRA-only" posts that mention SCRA effects have changed over time, with an adjustment for multiple testing.19,052 SCRA-related posts (Bluelight (n=2782), Forum A (n=3882), and Forum B (n=12,388)) posted by 2543 international users were extracted. The most frequently mentioned effects were "getting high" (44.0%), "hallucinations" (10.8%), and "anxiety" (10.2%). The frequency of SCRA-only posts declined steadily over the study period. The proportions of SCRA-only posts mentioning positive effects (e.g., "High" and "Euphoria") steadily decreased, while the proportions of SCRA-only posts mentioning negative effects (e.g., "Anxiety," 'Nausea," "Overdose") increased over the same period.This study's findings indicate that the proportion of negative effects mentioned in web forum posts and linked to SCRA has increased over time, suggesting that recent generations of SCRA generate more harms. This is also one of the first studies to conduct automated content analysis of web forum data related to illicit drug use.

SUBMITTER: Lamy FR

PROVIDER: S-EPMC5545681 | biostudies-literature | 2017 Jun

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature

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Increases in synthetic cannabinoids-related harms: Results from a longitudinal web-based content analysis.

Lamy Francois R FR Daniulaityte Raminta R Nahhas Ramzi W RW Barratt Monica J MJ Smith Alan G AG Sheth Amit A Martins Silvia S SS Boyer Edward W EW Carlson Robert G RG

The International journal on drug policy 20170601

<h4>Background</h4>Synthetic Cannabinoid Receptor Agonists (SCRA), also known as "K2" or "Spice," have drawn considerable attention due to their potential of abuse and harmful consequences. More research is needed to understand user experiences of SCRA-related effects. We use semi-automated information processing techniques through eDrugTrends platform to examine SCRA-related effects and their variations through a longitudinal content analysis of web-forum data.<h4>Method</h4>English language po ...[more]

PMID: 28578250

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Project description:BackgroundAs inpatient medical rehabilitation serves to promote work ability, vocational reintegration is a crucial outcome. However, previous Web-based trials on coping with work-related stress have been limited to Web-based recruitment of study participants.ObjectiveThe aim of our study was to evaluate the implementation of an empirically supported transdiagnostic psychodynamic Web-based aftercare program GSA (Gesund und Stressfrei am Arbeitsplatz [Healthy and stress-less at the workplace])-Online plus into the clinical routine of inpatient medical rehabilitation, to identify characteristics of patients who have received the recommendation for GSA-Online plus, and to determine helpfulness of the intervention and satisfaction of the participants as well as improvement in quality of life and mental health status of the regular users of GSA-Online plus.MethodsGSA-Online plus was prescribed by physicians at termination of orthopedic psychosomatic inpatient rehabilitation. Participants' use of the program, work-related attitudes, distress, and quality of life were assessed on the Web.ResultsIn 2 rehabilitation centers, 4.4% (112/2562) of rehabilitants got a recommendation for GSA-Online plus during inpatient rehabilitation. Compared with usual person aftercare, the Web-based aftercare program was rarely recommended by physicians. Recommendations were made more frequently in psychosomatic (69/1172, 5.9%) than orthopedic (43/1389, 3.1%) rehabilitation (?21=11.845, P=.001, Cramér V=-0.068) and to younger patients (P=.004, d=0.28) with longer inpatient treatment duration (P<.001, r=-0.12) and extended sick leaves before inpatient medical rehabilitation (P=.004; Cramér V=0.072). Following recommendation, 77% (86/112) of rehabilitants participated in Web-based aftercare. Completers (50/86, 58%) reported statistically significant improvements between discharge of inpatient treatment and the end of the aftercare program for subjective work ability (P=.02, d=0.41), perceived stress (P=.01, d=-0.38), functioning (P=.002, d=-0.60), and life satisfaction (P=.008, d=0.42).ConclusionsPhysicians' recommendations of Web-based aftercare are well accepted by patients who derive considerable benefits from participation. However, a low rate of prescription compared with other usual aftercare options points to barriers among physicians to prescribing Web-based aftercare.

Project description:Websites and phone apps are increasingly used to track weights during weight loss interventions, yet the longitudinal accuracy of these self-reported weights is uncertain.Our goal was to compare the longitudinal accuracy of self-reported weights entered online during the course of a randomized weight loss trial to measurements taken in the clinic. We aimed to determine if accuracy of self-reported weight is associated with weight loss and to determine the extent of misclassification in achieving 5% weight loss when using self-reported compared to clinic weights.This study examined the accuracy of self-reported weights recorded online among intervention participants in the Hopkins Practice-Based Opportunities for Weight Reduction (POWER) trial, a randomized trial examining the effectiveness of two lifestyle-based weight loss interventions compared to a control group among obese adult patients with at least one cardiovascular risk factor. One treatment group was offered telephonic coaching and the other group was offered in-person individual coaching and group sessions. All intervention participants (n=277) received a digital scale and were asked to track their weight weekly on a study website. Research staff used a standard protocol to measure weight in the clinic. Differences (self-reported weight - clinic weight) indicate if self-report under (-) or over (+) estimated clinic weight using the self-reported weight that was closest in time to the clinic weight and was within a window ranging from the day of the clinic visit to 7 days before the 6-month (n=225) and 24-month (n=191) clinic visits. The absolute value of the differences (absolute difference) describes the overall accuracy.Underestimation of self-reported weights increased significantly from 6 months (mean -0.5 kg, SD 1.0 kg) to 24 months (mean -1.1 kg, SD 2.0 kg; P=.002). The average absolute difference also increased from 6 months (mean 0.7 kg, SD 0.8 kg) to 24 months (mean 1.3, SD 1.8 kg; P<.001). Participants who achieved the study weight loss goal at 24 months (based on clinic weights) had lower absolute differences (P=.01) compared to those who did not meet this goal. At 24 months, there was 9% misclassification of weight loss goal success when using self-reported weight compared to clinic weight as an outcome. At 24 months, those with self-reported weights (n=191) had three times the weight loss compared to those (n=73) without self-reported weights (P<.001).Underestimation of weight increased over time and was associated with less weight loss. In addition to intervention adherence, weight loss programs should emphasize accuracy in self-reporting.ClinicalTrials.gov: NCT00783315; http://clinicaltrials.gov/show/NCT00783315 (Archived by WebCite at http://www.webcitation.org/6R4gDAK5K).

Project description:BackgroundThe use of web-based health information (WBHI) is on the rise, serving as a valuable tool for educating the public about health concerns and enhancing treatment adherence. Consequently, evaluating the availability and quality of context-specific WBHI is crucial to tackle disparities in health literacy and advance population health outcomes.ObjectiveThis study aims to explore and assess the quality of the WBHI available and accessible to the public on oral lichen planus (OLP) in Arabic.MethodsThe Arabic translation of the term OLP and its derivatives were searched in three general search platforms, and each platform's first few hundred results were reviewed for inclusion. We excluded content related to cutaneous LP, content not readily accessible to the public (eg, requiring subscription fees or directed to health care providers), and content not created by health care providers or organizations (ie, community forums, blogs, and social media). We assessed the quality of the Arabic WBHI with three standardized and validated tools: DISCERN, Journal of the American Medical Association (JAMA) benchmarks, and Health On the Net (HON).ResultsOf the 911 resources of WBHI reviewed for eligibility, 49 were included in this study. Most WBHI resources were provided by commercial affiliations (n=28, 57.1%), with the remainder from academic or not-for-profit affiliations. WBHI were often presented with visual aids (ie, images; n=33, 67.4%). DISCERN scores were highest for WBHI resources that explicitly stated their aim, while the lowest scores were for providing the effect of OLP (or OLP treatment) on the quality of life. One-quarter of the resources (n=11, 22.4%) met all 4 JAMA benchmarks, indicating the high quality of the WBHI, while the remainder of the WBHI failed to meet one or more of the JAMA benchmarks. HON scores showed that one-third of WBHI sources had scores above 75%, indicating higher reliability and credibility of the WBHI source, while one-fifth of the sources scored below 50%. Only 1 in 7 WBHI resources scored simultaneously high on all three quality instruments. Generally, WBHI from academic affiliations had higher quality scores than content provided by commercial affiliations.ConclusionsThere are considerable variations in the quality of WBHI on OLP in Arabic. Most WBHI resources were deemed to be of moderate quality at best. Providers of WBHI could benefit from increasing collaboration between commercial and academic institutions in creating WBHI and integrating guidance from international quality assessment tools to improve the quality and, hopefully, the utility of these valuable WBHI resources.

Dataset Information

Increases in synthetic cannabinoids-related harms: Results from a longitudinal web-based content analysis.

Publications

Increases in synthetic cannabinoids-related harms: Results from a longitudinal web-based content analysis.

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