News by Subject Social & Behavior

UNC Lineberger Comprehensive Cancer Center researchers surveyed 2,664 young adults who were current users, never users, or past users of little cigars and cigarillos, finding cigarillo packs with colors and containing a flavor descriptor were rated more positively for taste and smell, and health warnings didn't fully mitigate the draw of the packaging.

When compared with nondrinkers, men and women who had one or more alcoholic drinks per day had an overabundance of oral bacteria linked to gum disease, some cancers, and heart disease. By contrast, drinkers had fewer bacteria known to check the growth of other, harmful germs.

New research shows that online ads encouraging pregnant women to take up stop smoking support could be more effective than advice delivered in a clinical setting. The new study shows that commercial online advertising about cessation support could engage large numbers of women earlier in their pregnancies, and at a lower cost.

Smell and taste are vital senses that bring pleasure to daily life, inform us about our environment, and guide fundamental behaviors in humans and animals. This month, about 500 scientists and clinicians will gather for the nation's leading forum on smell and taste research, the annual meeting of the Association for Chemoreception Sciences (AChemS). AChemS will feature over 260 presentations on the roles of smell and taste in both human and animal health.

Examining more than 20 years of national data for US adolescents, a research team led by Andrew Subica at the University of California, Riverside reports that adolescents have high prevalence of alcohol, cigarette, and marijuana use, and concerning rates of suicide-related thoughts and behaviors. The data show that among U.S. adolescents in ninth to 12th grades, 75 percent had used alcohol, 58 percent had used cigarettes, and 41 percent tried marijuana.

Higher cigarette prices would save millions of people from extreme poverty and poor health around the world, while also cutting health treatment costs for families across the globe, suggests a comprehensive study published today in The BMJ.