Verified Document

Broms Et Al. 2010 Found That Evening Essay

¶ … Broms et al. (2010) found that evening type people were more likely to become smokers, and less likely to cease their nicotine addiction. The study was a cohort design that used random-effects model regressions over a longitudinal period of time in order to study the comparison of attraction to smoking and tendency to remain addicted between diurnal and non-diurnal participants.

A sample of 23289 same-sex adult twin individuals from Finland was used. Nicotine dependence was studied on a sub-sample of 676 individual twins. The subjects were split into four groups: morning type, somewhat morning type, somewhat evening type, and evening type. Past and present smoking patterns were assessed. The DSM-IV and Fagerstrom Test for Nicotine Dependence (FTND) were both used to assess nicotine dependence.

Researchers found that of the four categories, it was diurnal types who were most likely to be past and current nicotine smokers and addicted to smoking, as well as less likely to relinquish the addiction. Even adjusting for potential confounders did not change these results.

The researchers concluded by suggesting that investigation should be conducted into discovering the causes for this association.

Analysis of statistics used and their significance

What statistical procedures are mentioned in the study?

The researchers gained their information from a longitudinal data set (gathered over a 15-year period), and, therefore, they used random-effects model regressions for repeated data. The 'random effects' model was used since the researchers randomly chose a subset of twins. They realized that they were dealing with a small subset of all possible values (i.e. twins as a category). The regressions model was used in order to assess association between inclination to smoking and diurnal type groups.

The researchers also conducted a cross-sectional analyses of the smoking statuses (amount of cigarettes smoked) in the three surveys that...

This was in order to extract possible differences between the three groups (participants of the three surveys)
What conclusions did the study reach? Are the conclusions appropriate? Why or why not?

Researchers found that of the four categories, it was diurnal types who were most likely to be past and current nicotine smokers and addicted to smoking, as well as less likely to relinquish the addiction. Even adjusting for potential confounders did not change these results.

The statistical tests accurately reflect the situation. Only a segment of twins was chosen therefore 'random effects' model was used.

The employed instruments were reliable; the only problem seems to be whether one can accept self-report of amount of cigarettes used. Either way, the statistical tests accurately reflected the situation with logistic regression being used in order to test for an association between diurnal type and nicotine dependence / smoking cessation. Diurnal type was the independent variable and nicotine dependence or smoking cessation the dependent variable since researchers were testing to see whether a certain part of the day prompted more tendencies to smoke. "Linear regression was used when the dependent variable was continuous FTND." (FTND: Fagerstrom Test for Nicotine Dependence). This was also the correct model to use since only one dependent variable is in question here (namely FTND) and researchers wanted to assess where possible association existed between diurnal type and FTND.

Because reporters were working with clustered rather than individual data (i.e. they were working with twins), they used the 'cluster' option in their statistical software which was Stata 9.0. This enabled them to be more correct in their standard errors and p-values.

Are the findings statistically significant? Why or why not? Describe the process you used to make this determination and provide the level of significance.

According to Tables 3…

Sources used in this document:
References

Broms, U. et al. (2010) Evening types are more often current smokers and nicotine dependent - a study of Finnish adult twins Addiction. 106(1): 170 -- 177.

Creative Research Systems Significance in Statistics & Surveys

http://www.surveysystem.com/signif.htm

Twisk JWR. (2003). Applied Longitudinal Data Analysis for Epidemiology: A Practical Guide. Cambridge University Press; Cambridge, UK; New York:
Cite this Document:
Copy Bibliography Citation

Related Documents

Nicotine Regarded Extremely Addictive, Nicotine Happens to
Words: 1012 Length: 3 Document Type: Essay

Nicotine Regarded extremely addictive, nicotine happens to be one of the most widely used drugs by virtue of being contained in tobacco. In this text, I discuss this psychoactive drug. In so doing, I amongst other things highlight the drug's street names, typical users as well as the effect the same has on users. Further, I discuss the drug's cultural aspects and medicinal usage. Nicotine: General Information According to Coon and Mitterer (2010),

Nicotine & Caffeine Compare and
Words: 1400 Length: 5 Document Type: Term Paper

Caffeinism describes the symptoms which occur when individuals who regularly drink large amounts of caffeine suddenly stop. While generally mild, symptoms have been reported to include muscle twitching and heart palpitations. In the DSM-IV, there are several disorders listed specifically associated with the use of caffeine. Pregnant women are usually recommended to reduce their intake of caffeine, although the precise amount differs from study to study. In a study performed

Nicotine Acts at the Neuromuscular Junction to Stimulate Muscles
Words: 1633 Length: 5 Document Type: Term Paper

Health Nicotine acts at the neuro-muscular junction to stimulate muscles. Paradoxically, smokers report that it relaxes them. Explain. One of the paradoxes about nicotine addiction is that smokers report feeling relaxed after using, in spite of the fact that nicotine is a biological stimulant. The phenomenon is known in the literature as Nesbitt's Paradox or simply the nicotine paradox. Early research into Nesbitt's Paradox revealed that there are a number of potential

Nicotine on the Body's Systems
Words: 1519 Length: 6 Document Type: Term Paper

It also has promising medical uses, such as preventing Alzheimer's disease. However, nicotine is also a poison. It causes high blood pressure, respiratory distress, gastrointestinal distress, and can even cause death by overdoes. Furthermore, nicotine is an addictive drug with and its effects on some systems vary from person to person. While withdrawal from nicotine is difficult, the negative effects of nicotine use indicate that it should not be

Caffeine and Nicotine What They Do to the Body and Mind
Words: 2364 Length: 8 Document Type: Research Paper

Caffeine and Nicotine: What They Do to the Body and Mind Over the last several years, there has been continuing debate about the long-term impact of caffeine and tobacco consumption. This is because most people are consuming either one or both of these products on a regular basis. Various forms of research are showing that this will have an adverse impact on the underlying levels of health for the individual. To

Positive Reinforcement and Nicotine
Words: 991 Length: 3 Document Type: Literature Review

Aversive Control Punishment can be defined as a way to reduce a given behavior by attaching a consequence to behaving a certain way or doing a particular thing. Some of the consequences that denote positive punishment include loud noise, electric shock and a reprimand. The consequences that denote negative punishment include money, access to a given social environment and food. Several studies have discussed the effects and implications of aversive control.

Sign Up for Unlimited Study Help

Our semester plans gives you unlimited, unrestricted access to our entire library of resources —writing tools, guides, example essays, tutorials, class notes, and more.

Get Started Now