Smoking is a well-established risk factor that exacerbates multiple sclerosis (MS) progression and increases disease activity. Smoking cessation promotion practices of MS clinicians are not meeting the needs of people with MS (pwMS). This study aimed to explore the current practices and barriers faced by MS clinicians in Germany.

A qualitative study design, using semi-structured interviews and thematic analysis.

Interviews with participants were held online, via telephone or face-to-face at our institute in Hamburg, Germany.

We recruited eight neurologists and four MS nurses from hospitals, neurology practices and rehabilitation facilities in Germany via purposive and snowball sampling.

We identified 27 codes across four themes: (1) knowledge: the 12 participants demonstrated a satisfactory general knowledge of the negative impacts of smoking on MS (2) current practice: significant variability was reported in the current practices, with some clinicians providing detailed advice while others merely assessing smoking status without further advice or assistance. (3) Barriers: key barriers identified included limited consultation time, perceived lack of patient motivation and insufficient availability of resources, like information material, for effective smoking cessation support. (4) Needs and wishes: participants wished for specific smoking cessation courses to which they could refer patients, as well as information material to use during patient counselling.

The study reveals considerable gaps in the consistency and comprehensiveness of smoking cessation support provided by MS clinicians in Germany. Addressing these gaps through targeted interventions, and improving the availability of information materials could enhance smoking cessation promotion for pwMS.

Heated tobacco products (HTPs) are electronic devices that heat tobacco instead of burning it to produce an inhalable aerosol. This study aimed to investigate usage patterns, sociodemographic and socioeconomic factors, as well as co-use characteristics of people who use HTPs within the German population to inform interventions and preventive measures.

We conducted analysis with pooled cross-sectional data from the German Study on Tobacco Use (DEBRA) from June 2018 till November 2023. We estimated weighted, descriptive and bimonthly data on current and ever HTP usage and descriptive data on user patterns. To analyse the variance between people who ever versus people who never used HTPs in relation to user characteristics, we performed ² tests and calculated percentages and CIs.

The proportions of both people who currently use and people who ever used HTPs have increased from 2018 (current user: 0.1% [95%CI:

HTP use has increased in Germany, particularly among younger males in urban areas. Public health interventions should target these demographics, focusing on raising awareness about potential health risks. The ban on aroma components in Germany may reduce the appeal for new users. Continuous monitoring is essential to assess the long-term impact of HTPs.

The purpose of this study was to determine how strongly mean systolic blood pressure (mSBP, mm Hg) was related to hypertension control and if an mSBP

mSBP and per cent control to

SPRINT randomised participants with hypertension to two SBP targets:

SPRINT participants with year 2 data. Patients in MAP (had hypertension, were aged≥18 years, had ≥2 healthcare visits from November 2019 through October 2021 and received care from clinicians (n=544) with ≥24 patients.

mSBP and control to

In SPRINT-S (n=4303) and SPRINT-I (n=4323), mSBP values at the last visit were 136.7 and 121.7 with BP

mSBP is strongly related to hypertension control. Moreover, mSBP