Melbourne School of Psychological Sciences - Research Publications
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ItemTobacco product use and smoking frequency among US adults with intellectual and developmental disabilities(WILEY, 2018-08)BACKGROUND: People with intellectual and developmental disabilities (IDD) have been overlooked in tobacco use research although they are likely to experience tobacco-related health disparities. This study examined tobacco product use and smoking frequency and amount among a sample of US Special Olympics athletes with IDD. METHODS: Multiple regression analysis was used to test whether age, gender, body mass index, blood pressure, bone density, eating fruits and vegetables and family member tobacco use were correlated with the number of cigarettes smoked per day. RESULTS: The sample of people with IDD who used tobacco (n = 501) were aged 18-75 (M = 33.37) and 76.4% were male. About 73.6% reported cigarette use only, 10.6% reported dual or poly use of cigarettes and other tobacco products (cigars, pipe, and chewing tobacco) and 15.8% reported using only tobacco products other than cigarettes. Men were more likely than women to use tobacco products other than cigarettes. Of the cigarette smokers, 79.6% were daily smokers, and their mean cigarettes per day was 10.08 (SD = 9.50). Special Olympics athletes who did not have low bone density and those who consumed fruits and vegetables less than daily reported higher numbers of cigarettes per day. CONCLUSIONS: Although people with IDD are less likely to use tobacco than the general population, study results suggest that people with IDD who smoke cigarettes are just as likely as smokers in the general US population to smoke daily. Improving overall health behaviours may be important in helping smokers with IDD to reduce their tobacco use. Research is needed to understand longitudinal patterns of tobacco use and how to prevent tobacco use among people with IDD.
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ItemGenioglossus reflex responses to negative upper airway pressure are altered in people with tetraplegia and obstructive sleep apnoea(WILEY, 2018-07-15)KEY POINTS: Protective reflexes in the throat area (upper airway) are crucial for breathing. Impairment of these reflexes can cause breathing problems during sleep such as obstructive sleep apnoea (OSA). OSA is very common in people with spinal cord injury for unknown reasons. This study shows major changes in protective reflexes that serve to keep the upper airway open in response to suction pressures in people with tetraplegia and OSA. These results help us understand why OSA is so common in people with tetraplegia and provide new insight into how protective upper airway reflexes work more broadly. ABSTRACT: More than 60% of people with tetraplegia have obstructive sleep apnoea (OSA). However, the specific causes are unknown. Genioglossus, the largest upper-airway dilator muscle, is important in maintaining upper-airway patency. Impaired genioglossus muscle function following spinal cord injury may contribute to OSA. This study aimed to determine if genioglossus reflex responses to negative upper-airway pressure are altered in people with OSA and tetraplegia compared to non-neurologically impaired able-bodied individuals with OSA. Genioglossus reflex responses measured via intramuscular electrodes to ∼60 brief (250 ms) pulses of negative upper-airway pressure (∼-15 cmH2 O at the mask) were compared between 13 participants (2 females) with tetraplegia plus OSA and 9 able-bodied controls (2 females) matched for age and OSA severity. The initial short-latency excitatory reflex response was absent in 6/13 people with tetraplegia and 1/9 controls. Genioglossus reflex inhibition in the absence of excitation was observed in three people with tetraplegia and none of the controls. When the excitatory response was present, it was significantly delayed in the tetraplegia group compared to able-bodied controls: excitation onset latency (mean ± SD) was 32 ± 16 vs. 18 ± 9 ms, P = 0.045; peak excitation latency was 48 ± 17 vs. 33 ± 8 ms, P = 0.038. However, when present, amplitude of the excitation response was not different between groups, 195 ± 26 vs. 219 ± 98% at baseline, P = 0.55. There are major differences in genioglossus reflex morphology and timing in response to rapid changes in airway pressure in people with tetraplegia and OSA. Altered genioglossus function may contribute to the increased risk of OSA in people with tetraplegia. The precise mechanisms mediating these differences are unknown.