Medicine
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This repository contains the published and unpublished research of the Faculty of Medicine by the staff members of the faculty
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Item The Alcohol marketing policy environment and adolescent drinking in Sri Lanka: A qualitative exploration of stakeholder perspectives(Wiley-Blackwell, 2022) Athauda, L.; Peiris-John, R.; McCool, J.; Wickremasinghe, R.; Ameratunga, S.ABSTRACT: Adolescents continue to be exposed to alcohol marketing, despite the existence of alcohol control policies in Sri Lanka. National-level policies restrict all forms of alcohol advertising, promotions, and sponsorship and sale to minors. The act calls for the need to protect children and adolescents from exposure to the harm of alcohol. This article investigates stakeholders' perceptions of the alcohol marketing policy environment in Sri Lanka, with a specific focus on policies designed to prevent or curtail adolescent drinking. Between May and July 2019, in-depth interviews were conducted with policy stakeholders in Colombo, Sri Lanka. Thematic analysis was conducted on the audio-recorded interviews that were transcribed and translated and imported to NVivo12. Fifteen policy stakeholders from government and nongovernment organizations participated in this study. The overarching theme identified a lukewarm alcohol marketing policy environment. This situation was facilitated by the alcohol industry acting as the vector, an amber light approach towards public health programs, and other factors contributing to the perceived ineffectiveness of the alcohol marketing policy environment. A unified public health approach supported by policy and political commitment may pave the way for better alcohol control in Sri Lanka.Item Coconut consumption and cardiovascular disease incidence, is there an association? a case control study in Sri Lankan population(Royal Society of Chemistry, 2015) Athauda, L.; Kasturiratne, A.; Wickremasinghe, A.R.INTRODUCTION & OBJECTIVES: Consumption of coconut and its products is reported to be associated with an increased risk of cardiovascular disease (CVD). This study was conducted to determine if there is an association between coconut consumption (oil and coconuts) and CVD incidence among Sri Lankans who are known to consume a large amount of coconut-based products. METHODS: A hospital based case control study was conducted at the Colombo North Teaching Hospital, Ragama, Sri Lanka comprising 176 cases and 148 controls. Previously healthy patients admitted with a first incident Acute Coronary Syndrome (ACS) or a Cerebrovascular Event (stroke) were recruited as cases and patients with no previous history of CVD or diabetes mellitus were recruited from surgical wards as controls. There were 136 ACS and 40 Stroke patients as cases. An interviewer-administered questionnaire was used to estimate the average consumption of coconut (nuts and oil) and to obtain information on risk factors of CVD. Descriptive analysis and multiple logistic regression analysis were conducted using SPSS. RESULTS: The mean (+SD) age of cases and controls were 57.68 +8.91 and 56.05 +10.02, respectively (p=0.192). Mean (+SD) coconut nut consumption per person per week was 1.97 +0.81 in cases and 2.11 +1.01 nuts in controls (P=0.66). Coconut oil use for cooking was 88.44 +61.6 ml/person/week in cases and 81.4 +51.52 ml/person/week in controls (p=0.175). 91.5% cases and 98% controls used coconut oil for cooking. Coconut oil use was protective for cases (OR:0.197, 95% CI:0.052-0.744) while number of sedentary hours per day (OR:1.11, 95% CI: 1.044-1.188) and family history of IHD (OR:2.293, 95%CI:1.318-3.991) and stroke (OR:2.275, 95%CI:1.268-4.082) were significant risk factors after adjusting for each other and for the amount of oil used per person per week, number of coconuts used per person per week, family history of NCD, being current smokers and consumers of alcohol. CONCLUSION: There was no evidence of an association between coconut consumption and incidence of cardiovascular disease or stroke. Use of coconut oil had a protective effect on the incidence of cardiovascular disease.