Misquotation and Redundant References in Parna et al's Estonian “”Waterpipe”” and Cigarette Smoking Study
Kamal Chaouachi, Tobacco researcher and consultant (Paris, Middle East)
10 December 2008
To The Editor of BMC Public Health:
Parna and colleagues credit Ward et al for stating that “”waterpipes”” “have been used to smoke tobacco and other substances in Africa and Asia for at least four centuries"[1][2].
In fact, this is not the right source and it was one of the errors to be found in the WHO report on ““waterpipe”” smoking that I had clearly highlighted from the onset in the critique of that document [3]. Let it be quoted again:
“Origins. It is said (page 1) that, according to Chattopadhyay, “waterpipes have been used to smoke tobacco and other substances by the indigenous peoples of Africa and Asia for at least four centuries””[4]
Then, the attention of the authors and readers should also be drawn to two redundant bibliographic references: namely 11 and 28 (corresponding to number 2 in the list below)
Dr Kamal Chaouachi
Tobacco researcher and consultant
http://PublicationsList.org/kamal.chaouachi
_____________
References:
[1] Parna K, Usin J, Ringmets I. Cigarette and waterpipe smoking among adolescents in Estonia: HBSC survey results, 1994-2006. BMC Public Health. 2008 Nov 25;8(1):392. [Epub ahead of print]
http://www.biomedcentral.com/1471-2458/8/392
[2] Ward KD, Vander Weg MW, Relyea G, Debon M, Klesges RC: Waterpipe smoking among American military recruits. Prev Med 2006, 43:92–97.
[3] Chaouachi K. A Critique of the WHO's TobReg "Advisory Note" entitled: "Waterpipe Tobacco Smoking: Health Effects, Research Needs and Recommended Actions by Regulators. Journal of Negative Results in Biomedicine 2006 (17 Nov); 5:17.
http://www.jnrbm.com/content/5/1/17
[4] Chattopadhyay A: Emperor Akbar as a Healer and his Eminent Physicians. Bull Indian Inst Hist Med Hyderabad 2000, 30(2):151-157.
Competing interests
I have no competing interests. I have never received direct or indirect funding neither from pharmaceutical companies (nicotine ‘‘replacement’’ therapies and products) nor from the tobacco industry.
Misquotation and Redundant References in Parna et al's Estonian “”Waterpipe”” and Cigarette Smoking Study
10 December 2008
To The Editor of BMC Public Health:
Parna and colleagues credit Ward et al for stating that “”waterpipes”” “have been used to smoke tobacco and other substances in Africa and Asia for at least four centuries"[1][2].
In fact, this is not the right source and it was one of the errors to be found in the WHO report on ““waterpipe”” smoking that I had clearly highlighted from the onset in the critique of that document [3]. Let it be quoted again:
“Origins. It is said (page 1) that, according to Chattopadhyay, “waterpipes have been used to smoke tobacco and other substances by the indigenous peoples of Africa and Asia for at least four centuries””[4]
Then, the attention of the authors and readers should also be drawn to two redundant bibliographic references: namely 11 and 28 (corresponding to number 2 in the list below)
Dr Kamal Chaouachi
Tobacco researcher and consultant
http://PublicationsList.org/kamal.chaouachi
_____________
References:
[1] Parna K, Usin J, Ringmets I. Cigarette and waterpipe smoking among adolescents in Estonia: HBSC survey results, 1994-2006. BMC Public Health. 2008 Nov 25;8(1):392. [Epub ahead of print]
http://www.biomedcentral.com/1471-2458/8/392
[2] Ward KD, Vander Weg MW, Relyea G, Debon M, Klesges RC: Waterpipe smoking among American military recruits. Prev Med 2006, 43:92–97.
[3] Chaouachi K. A Critique of the WHO's TobReg "Advisory Note" entitled: "Waterpipe Tobacco Smoking: Health Effects, Research Needs and Recommended Actions by Regulators. Journal of Negative Results in Biomedicine 2006 (17 Nov); 5:17.
http://www.jnrbm.com/content/5/1/17
[4] Chattopadhyay A: Emperor Akbar as a Healer and his Eminent Physicians. Bull Indian Inst Hist Med Hyderabad 2000, 30(2):151-157.
Competing interests
I have no competing interests. I have never received direct or indirect funding neither from pharmaceutical companies (nicotine ‘‘replacement’’ therapies and products) nor from the tobacco industry.