The Interaction of Smoking Cessation Norms and Nicotine Dependence on Quit Attempts: Gender-Stratified Results for Low-Income Smokers in Baltimore, MD

Approximately 15% of US women currently smoke during pregnancy. An important step toward providing effective smoking cessation interventions during pregnancy is to identify individuals who are more likely to encounter difficulty quitting. Pregnant smokers frequently report smoking in response to intrapersonal factors (e.g., negative emotions), but successful cessation attempts can also be influenced by interpersonal factors (i.e., influence from close others). This study examined the association between emotion regulation difficulties, positive and negative social control (e.g., encouragement, criticism), and smoking cessation-related variables (i.e., smoking quantity, withdrawal symptoms) among pregnant smokers. Data were drawn from the pretreatment wave of a smoking cessation trial enrolling low-income pregnant women who self-reported smoking in response to negative affect (N = 73). Greater emotion regulation difficulties were related to greater smoking urges (b = 0.295, p = .042) and withdrawal symptoms (b = 0.085, p = .003). Additionally, more negative social control from close others was related to fewer smoking days (b = -0.614, p = .042) and higher smoking abstinence self-efficacy (b = 0.017, p = .002). More positive social control from close others interacted with negative affect smoking (b = -0.052, p = .043); the association between negative affect smoking and nicotine dependence (b = 0.812, p < .001) only occurred at low levels of positive social control. Findings suggest that emotion regulation difficulties may contribute to smoking during pregnancy by exacerbating women's negative experiences related to smoking cessation attempts. Negative social control was related to lower smoking frequency and greater confidence in quitting smoking, suggesting that it may assist pregnant smokers' cessation efforts. Positive social control buffered women from the effects of negative affect smoking on nicotine dependence.

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What Happens When GPs Proactively Prescribe NRT Patches in a Disadvantaged Community

Scottish Medical Journal ◽

10.1177/003693300505000208 ◽

2005 ◽

Vol 50 (2) ◽

pp. 64-68 ◽

Cited By ~ 3

Author(s):

L Copeland ◽

R Robertson ◽

R Elton

Keyword(s):

Smoking Cessation ◽

Nicotine Dependence ◽

Low Income ◽

Rank Correlation ◽

Alcohol Problems ◽

Prescription Data ◽

Disadvantaged Community ◽

Disadvantaged Area ◽

Study Results

Background and Aims: The high prevalence of smoking in disadvantaged communities gives serious cause for concern in terms of adverse effects on health and social outcomes. In Scotland, smoking—related lung cancer rates are particularly high and compare less favourably with the rest of the UK and Europe. GPs are increasingly being recognised as having an important role in smoking cessation and are allowed to prescribe NRT to those on a low income. This study aimed to follow up a group patients from a disadvantaged area who had been prescribed nicotine patches by their GP. Methods: An initial self-complete questionnaire gathered details on age, sex, motivation, marital status, employment history, contact with other smokers, concern about weight gain, and nicotine dependence. (Nicotine dependence was assessed by using the Tagerstrom Test). Follow up was carried out at three months after commencing NRT prescription. Data was also gathered from patient case notes as to whether the participant had a smoking-related diagnosis, periods of depression, drug and/or alcohol problems. Outcome was measured in terms of “smoke the same”, “smoke less” and “stopped”. The statistical methods used for testing each factor against smoking were Spearman rank correlation, chi-squared test for trend and Kruskal-Wallis test. Basic descriptive statistics were used to report general outcomes of the study. Results: The study enrolled 120 patients but 19 were lost to follow up. Out of 101 who used their prescription, 35 were smoking the same, 46 were smoking less and 20 had stopped. The variables most strongly affecting outcome were age, with older smokers having more success (p<0.001), and those who had a diagnosis of depression having a worse outcome in terms of smoking cessation (p<0.05). Conclusion: This study's findings indicate that encouraging GPs to take a proactive approach in prescribing NRT is effective, even in an area of socio-economic deprivation, and particularly with older smokers.

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Inequalities in the Impact of National Reimbursement of Smoking Cessation Pharmacotherapy and the Influence of Injunctive Norms: An Explorative Study

Substance Abuse Research and Treatment ◽

10.4137/sart.s32225 ◽

2016 ◽

Vol 10 ◽

pp. SART.S32225

Author(s):

Fiona E. Benson ◽

Gera E. Nagelhout ◽

Vera Nierkens ◽

Marc C. Willemsen ◽

Karien Stronks

Keyword(s):

Smoking Cessation ◽

Low Income ◽

Behavioral Therapy ◽

Low Ses ◽

Injunctive Norm ◽

Injunctive Norms ◽

Lower Socioeconomic ◽

Continuous Survey ◽

Quit Attempts ◽

The Impact

In 2011, the Dutch government reimbursed smoking cessation pharmacotherapy with behavioral therapy for quitting smokers. We investigate whether inequalities in the use of pharmacotherapy change and, if not, whether this is due to a relatively positive injunctive norm in lower socioeconomic status (SES) groups. A total of 75,415 participants aged ≥15 years from the Dutch Continuous Survey of Smoking Habits, 2009–2012, were considered with the following measures: SES (education/income), injunctive norm (mostly acceptable/neutral/mostly unacceptable), period (2011/all other years), and pharmacotherapy use (yes/no). The proportion of low SES smokers compared with high SES smokers making quit attempts with pharmacotherapy did not differ significantly. The injunctive norm of low SES smokers differed significantly from high SES smokers and nonsmokers of all SES levels. Low income smokers with mostly acceptable injunctive norms were significantly less likely to make quit attempts using pharmacotherapy than those with a neutral or less accepting injunctive norm. The significantly lower use of pharmacotherapy in quit attempts in low income smokers with a positive injunctive norm toward smoking may partly underlie the lack of uptake of reimbursed pharmacotherapy in low SES smokers.

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Smokers with and without Epilepsy show Similar Smoking Rate, Dependence Level, Cessation Attempts, and Motives

Translational Behavioral Medicine ◽

10.1093/tbm/ibab002 ◽

2021 ◽

Author(s):

Adrienne L Johnson ◽

Alison C McLeish ◽

Paula K Shear ◽

Michael Privitera ◽

Christina M Luberto

Keyword(s):

Smoking Cessation ◽

Nicotine Dependence ◽

Smoking Behavior ◽

Current Evidence ◽

Smoking Rate ◽

Smoking Onset ◽

Quit Attempts ◽

Evidence Based Treatments ◽

Current Cigarette ◽

Smoking Duration

Abstract Background Individuals with epilepsy are up to twice as likely to be current cigarette smokers compared to those without. Moreover, one study showed current smoking is associated with an increased likelihood of seizures. However, outside of this one study, there is limited data on the presentation of specific smoking-related behaviors and cognitions in people with epilepsy, inhibiting our understanding of the severity of this behavior and our ability to formulate effective treatments for this population. Purpose The current study examined smoking-related behaviors and cognitions among smokers with epilepsy compared to smokers without epilepsy. Methods Participants were 43 smokers with (Mage = 43.4, SD = 11.6) and 43 smokers without (Mage = 45.5, SD = 8.8) epilepsy recruited from an urban, academic setting within the U.S. Separate Analyses of Covariance (ANCOVAs) were conducted to evaluate differences between smokers with and without epilepsy in terms of smoking behavior (i.e., daily smoking rate, nicotine dependence, number of quit attempts, smoking duration, age of smoking onset) and smoking-related cognitive processes (i.e., smoking motives, perceived barriers to smoking cessation, cessation motives) after controlling for race and problematic alcohol use. Results Smokers with epilepsy did not differ from smokers without epilepsy in terms of smoking rate (p = .51, ηp2 = .01), nicotine dependence (p = .12, ηp2 = .03), age of smoking onset (p = .42, ηp2 = .01), number of quit attempts (p = .43, ηp2 = .01), barriers to cessation (p = .30 to .80, ηp2 = .00 to .01), or cessation motives (p = .28 to .60, ηp2 = .00 to .02). Smokers without epilepsy reported higher levels of smoking for sensorimotor manipulation reasons (p = .03, ηp2 = .06) and longer smoking duration (p = .03, ηp2 = .06) than smokers with epilepsy. Conclusions Smokers with epilepsy do not appear to differ significantly from smokers without epilepsy in terms of smoking-related behaviors and cognitions, and may therefore benefit from current evidence-based treatments for smoking cessation that are not contraindicated for epilepsy (i.e., bupropion, varenicline).

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Factors associated with nicotine dependence in a Brazilian rural town

European Journal of Public Health ◽

10.1093/eurpub/ckaa166.444 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 30 (Supplement_5) ◽

Author(s):

K de Lime Gomes ◽

A Coelho ◽

R Pinto de Figueiredo ◽

C H Soares de Morais Freitas ◽

C Santos Martiniano

Keyword(s):

Primary Care ◽

Smoking Cessation ◽

Tobacco Control ◽

Nicotine Dependence ◽

Low Income ◽

Smoking Habits ◽

Related Factors ◽

National Programme ◽

Rural Town ◽

Quit Smoking

Abstract Introduction Nicotine dependence is a serious global health issue. Over a billion people are estimated to smoke in the world. Withdrawing from smoking contributes significantly to reducing morbimortality. Low income, poor education and smoking from a young age are some of the factors that contribute to the prevalence of tobacco use and to smoking cessation. In Brazil, the National Programme of Tobacco Control is responsible for helping smokers undergoing treatment in primary care units. Objective To highlight the association between the results of a nicotine dependence treatment in a Brazilian town, its sociodemographic factors and smoking habits of patients. Methodology A cross-sectional study in Santa Cecília, Paraíba, a town in the northeast of Brazil in 2016, relying on data from the medical history of 85 smokers who received treatment in primary care units. Dropout rates and successful results were both considered. Pearson's chi-squared test with 95% significance level was used to assess the association between variables. Results 51.8% of patients quit smoking while 37.6% abandoned treatment. Around 4.7% of patients smoked fewer cigarettes after treatment and 5.9% did not have a successful result. Among the successful cases, the majority were women (54.4%). Considering smoking habits of those who quit smoking, the following was observed: 29.4% smoked 20 cigarettes per day, 27% were highly dependent on nicotine, 33% spent 20 to 40 years smoking and 18.9% underwent nicotine replacement therapies. Income, marital status and number of cigarettes were variables that showed significant differences (p < 0.001) after treatment. Conclusions Smoking cessation after treatment indicates the effectiveness of the programme. The engagement of healthcare professionals is paramount to successfully implement such treatments in primary health care. Further qualitative research is recommended to investigate other Brazilian cities and to assess patient progress individually. Key messages This work analyses factors related to nicotine dependence in groups of smokers undergoing treatment developed by the National Programme of Tobacco Control in a Brazilian rural town. Analysing the prevalence of smoking cessation and its related factors among patients undergoing treatment by the National Programme of Tobacco Control in a Brazilian rural town.

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High Rates of Menthol Cigarette Use Among Pregnant Smokers: Preliminary Findings and Call for Future Research

Nicotine & Tobacco Research ◽

10.1093/ntr/ntz142 ◽

2019 ◽

Vol 22 (10) ◽

pp. 1711-1717 ◽

Cited By ~ 3

Author(s):

Laura R Stroud ◽

Chrystal Vergara-Lopez ◽

Meaghan McCallum ◽

Allison E Gaffey ◽

Alana Corey ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Smoking Cessation ◽

Pregnant Women ◽

Ethnic Minority ◽

Nicotine Dependence ◽

Low Income ◽

Cigarette Use ◽

Menthol Cigarette ◽

Pregnant Smokers ◽

Racial Ethnic ◽

In Pregnancy

Abstract Introduction Smoking during pregnancy remains widespread and is causally associated with infant morbidity and mortality. Despite links between menthol cigarette use and decreased smoking cessation, little is known regarding rates or characteristics of pregnant menthol cigarette smokers. Methods Participants were drawn from two low-income, racially/ethnically diverse cohorts of pregnant smokers recruited from 2006 to 2015 (N = 166, Mage = 25 ± 5). Demographics, menthol cigarette use, daily cigarette use, quit status, and consecutive weeks quit were assessed by prospective interviews. Nicotine dependence was assessed using the Fagerström Test of Nicotine Dependence. Nicotine levels were assessed via saliva cotinine. Results High rates of menthol use were found in both cohorts (85% and 87%). Across both cohorts, menthol smokers were more likely to identify as racial/ethnic minorities, were less educated, and reported lower income than non-menthol smokers (ps < .03). Menthol smokers also reported fewer continuous weeks quit (8.4 vs. 14.5 weeks quit; p < .03) and a tendency toward decreased likelihood of quitting smoking over pregnancy (29% vs. 48%; p < .08) in unadjusted but not in covariate-adjusted analyses. No differences emerged in cigarettes per day, nicotine dependence or nicotine exposure. Conclusions We found very high rates of menthol cigarette use in pregnant smokers—particularly among racial/ethnic minority and low socioeconomic status smokers—and some evidence for associations with reduced smoking cessation in pregnancy. Consideration of pregnant smokers as a uniquely vulnerable population is warranted in evaluating regulation of menthol in cigarettes. Further research is needed regarding the impact of menthol on smoking persistence in pregnancy and on maternal and infant health outcomes. Implications This study highlights high rates of menthol cigarette use in pregnant women in the Northeast, United States, with evidence for higher rates of menthol use among racial/ethnic minority, less educated and low-income pregnant smokers, and preliminary evidence for associations between menthol cigarette use and reduced smoking cessation. Consideration of the effects of menthol on smoking persistence in pregnant women and on the health of their offspring is warranted in the development of regulations regarding menthol in cigarettes.

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577P Nicotine dependence assessment using Fagerstrom test and Nicotine Replacement therapy (NRT) recommendation techniques for smoking cessation among Paniya tribes

Annals of Oncology ◽

10.1016/s0923-7534(21)00735-3 ◽

2016 ◽

Vol 27 ◽

pp. ix187-ix188

Author(s):

H.P. Rozario

Keyword(s):

Smoking Cessation ◽

Replacement Therapy ◽

Nicotine Replacement Therapy ◽

Nicotine Dependence ◽

Nicotine Replacement

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Facebook Chat Application to Prompt and Assist Smoking Cessation Among Spanish-Speaking Young Adults in South Texas

Health Promotion Practice ◽

10.1177/15248399211026263 ◽

2021 ◽

pp. 152483992110262

Author(s):

Patricia Chalela ◽

Alfred L. McAlister ◽

David Akopian ◽

Edgar Munoz ◽

Cliff Despres ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Social Media ◽

Smoking Cessation ◽

Young Adults ◽

South Texas ◽

Spanish Speaking ◽

Quit Attempt ◽

Quit Attempts ◽

Facebook Advertising

Given how smart phones, internet services, and social media have shown great potential for assisting smoking cessation, we constructed a Facebook chat application based on our previous work with SMS texting services. This report summarizes findings from 2,364 Spanish-speaking young adults recruited through Facebook advertising in South Texas during the 2020 New Year holiday season. Among these service users, 926 (39%) were ready to make a quit attempt, and 26 (3.1%) of those users reported that they were tobacco free 1 month later. There were no responses to a chat question survey 72 days after the dates selected for quitting. Although more research with longer follow up is needed, these findings show that social media chat applications may be helpful for at least prompting quit attempts and short-term cessation among young adult Spanish-speaking smokers. There is no evidence of an impact on long-term cessation, and more research is clearly needed.

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