Via NDSIS:

Some recent studies of interest…

1. Project leads to reduction in Indigenous binge drinking

A community initiated binge drinking awareness campaign in Indigenous communities is working, according to new results released this week by researchers at the National Drug and Alcohol Research Centre (NDARC) at the University of NSW James Cook University’s Cairns Institute and the University of Newcastle. The ‘Beat da Binge’ initiative, developed by Gindaja Treatment and Healing Indigenous Corporation in partnership with other local community organisations, focuses on binge drinking as a key concern in the North Queensland Indigenous community of Yarrabah. The two year $250,000 project, funded through the Federal Government’s National Binge Drinking Strategy, targets greater involvement of young Indigenous people in gaining evidence about binge drinking behaviours, and analysing and influencing the possible causes of binge drinking.

2. Early cannabis use and link to early onset psychosis – for more on this Australian study, click here.

3. Smoking increases risk of infection and delays healing of fractures

Research has long shown the negative effects cigarette smoking has on cardiovascular health. But now, a new study from the Department of Orthopaedic Surgery at the Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania corroborates early evidence showing that cigarette smoking leads to longer healing times and an increased rate of post-operative complication and infection for patients sustaining fractures or traumatic injuries to their bone. The full results of the study are being presented this week at the 2013 AmericanAcademy of Orthopaedic Surgeons annual meeting in Chicago….

4. New app shows the effects of smoking on your beauty

A NEW smartphone app that shows smokers how much cigarettes will destroy their looks has been developed to encourage people to quit while they’re young. Developed by the United Kingdom’s National Health Service (NHS), the “Smoking Time Machine” can age the face by up to 20 years to show much havoc the 4000 chemicals found in cigarettes can wreak on the skin. It is hoped the app will give young people the necessary reality check to give up before it’s too late.

5. Tap and go: smart cards could change the culture of booze

In 2008, an electronic system was introduced in Japan to help regulate the sale of tobacco products. The TASPO card is an smart card card similar to Melboune’s or London’s Oyster system and it acts as a proof-of-age card for the purchase of tobacco products from vending machines. The roll out of TASPO was largely trouble-free and it has been widely taken up in Japan. By combining these two technologies, and making some simple, yet fundamental changes to the way alcohol is sold in Australia, it would be possible to create a national smart card system that could provide consumers with detailed information about their own levels of consumption and help individuals reduce their alcohol intake.