Background:

In Ghana, substance use among adolescents poses significant risks to their health, wellbeing, and development. However, little is known about the outlets and reasons for substance use among Ghanaian adolescents. This study examined the prevalence, correlates, reasons for substance use, and outlets of these substances among adolescents aged 10–17 in Ghana.

Methods:

Data were obtained from the Department of Children, Ministry of Gender, Children, and Social Protection, Ghana, which employed a cross-sectional convergent parallel mixed-methods technique to collect quantitative and...

INTRODUCTION:

A recent survey of alcohol use in the Czech Republic representative for the adult online population presented some worrying findings about the use of alcohol during and in the last stages of the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic among young adults. The goal of this study is to gain insight into the behavioural drivers of alcohol use among young adults in the Czech Republic, including the enduring effects of COVID-19 pandemic, and use these insight to make recommendations for policies, programmes and interventions promoting more healthy drinking patterns among young adults and mitigating...

The goal of the present handbook is to offer encouragement, examples, rationales and concrete advice on how to increase youth participation in substance use prevention, harnessing the insights of young people on the most important target group in prevention efforts: their peers. It is designed to enable all decision makers to capitalise on the power of youth participation, exploring the full potential of young people as a force for change. The guidance is aimed at leaders in charge of substance use prevention and health promotion efforts at the local, regional, national and international...

Tobacco harm reduction is a public health strategy aimed at lessening the health impact of cigarette smoking. This approach involves using non-combustible alternatives to cigarettes, such as electronic cigarettes (e-cigarettes), which deliver nicotine without combustion. Unlike traditional cigarettes, e-cigarettes produce an aerosol without burning, resulting in lower levels of harmful or potentially harmful chemicals.

This narrative review delves into existing literature examining the chemistry of e-cigarette aerosols, associated toxicology in cell culture and animal models, and clinical...

Background

Harmful alcohol use is more prevalent among sexual and gender minorities (SGMs) than their cisgender/heterosexual counterparts. The reasons for this are complex, incorporating alcohol’s normalization and availability in social settings, its importance to identity construction, and drinking to cope with stigma and discrimination. However, commercial determinants have been underexplored, particularly how alcohol is marketed to SGM communities.

Methods

Scoping review methodology was employed. Searches were conducted in MEDLINE, Web of Science, Google Scholar, CINAHL, ASSIA, PsycInfo...