‘Addicted to being cool’: occasional smoking in a western context of tobacco denormalization

Abstract Introduction UK countries implemented smoke-free public places legislation and increased the legal age for tobacco purchase from 16 to 18 years between 2006 and 2008. We evaluated the immediate and long-term impacts of these UK policy changes on youth smoking uptake and inequalities therein. Aims and Methods We studied 74 960 person-years of longitudinal data from 14 992 youths (aged 11–15 years) in annual UK household surveys between 1994 and 2016. Discrete-time event history analyses examined whether changes in rates of youth smoking transitions (initiation, experimentation, and escalation to daily smoking or quitting) or their inequalities (by parental education) were associated with policy implementation. Parallel analyses examined smoke-free legislation and the change in legal age. We interpret the results as a combined effect of the two pieces of legislation as their implementation dates were too close to identify separate effects. Models were adjusted for sex, age, UK country, historical year, tobacco taxation, and e-cigarette prevalence, with multiple imputation for missing data. Results For both policies, smoking initiation reduced following implementation (change in legal age odds ratio [OR]: 0.67; 95% confidence interval [CI]: 0.55 to 0.81; smoke-free legislation OR: 0.68; 95% CI: 0.56 to 0.82), while inequalities in initiation narrowed over subsequent years. The legal age change was associated with annual increases in progression from initiation to occasional smoking (OR: 1.26; 95% CI: 1.07 to 1.50) and a reduction in quitting following implementation (OR: 0.57; 95% CI: 0.35 to 0.94). Similar effects were observed for smoke-free legislation but CIs overlapped the null. Conclusions Policies such as these may be highly effective in preventing and reducing socioeconomic inequalities in youth smoking initiation. Implications UK implementation of smoke-free legislation and an increase in the legal age for tobacco purchase from 16 to 18 years were associated with an immediate reduction in smoking initiation and a narrowing of inequalities in initiation over subsequent years. While the policies were associated with reductions in the initiation, progression to occasional smoking increased and quitting decreased following the legislation.

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Smoking and lung function among adults with newly onset asthma

BMJ Open Respiratory Research ◽

10.1136/bmjresp-2018-000377 ◽

2019 ◽

Vol 6 (1) ◽

pp. e000377 ◽

Cited By ~ 3

Author(s):

Jouni J K Jaakkola ◽

Samu Hernberg ◽

Taina K Lajunen ◽

Penpatra Sripaijboonkij ◽

L Pekka Malmberg ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Lung Function ◽

Response Pattern ◽

Linear Regression Analysis ◽

Multiple Linear Regression Analysis ◽

Population Based ◽

Effect Estimate ◽

Small Airways ◽

Reduce Lung Function ◽

Forced Expiratory Flow ◽

Occasional Smoking

IntroductionSmoking increases the risk of asthma and reduces lung function among subjects with and without asthma. We assessed the effects of smoking on lung function reflecting both central and small airways among adults with newly onset asthma.MethodsIn a population-based study, 521 (response rate 86%) working-aged adults with clinically defined newly diagnosed asthma answered a questionnaire on personal smoking and other factors potentially influencing lung function, and performed spirometry. We applied multiple linear regression analysis to estimate the relations between smoking and lung function adjusting for confounding.ResultsAmong asthmatics, FEV1 level was reduced significantly, on average 208 mL, related to regular smoking (adjusted effect estimate −0.208, 95% CI −0.355 to −0.061) and 245 mL in relation to former smoking, that is, among those who quit less than a year ago (−0.245, 95% CI −0.485 to −0.004). In contrast, FEV1 was not significantly related to occasional smoking or former smoking among those who quit over a year ago. Forced expiratory flow (FEF) levels (L/s) were also significantly reduced among regular smokers (FEF25–75%: −0.372, 95% CI −0.607 to −0.137; FEF50%: −0.476, 95% CI −0.750 to −0.202). An exposure–response pattern related to both daily smoking rate and lifetime cumulative smoking was seen both among men and women.ConclusionsThis study provides new evidence that among working-aged adults with new asthma, regular smoking and former smoking reduce lung function levels with a dose–response pattern. The lung function parameters applied as outcomes reflect both larger and smaller airways.

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The effect of occasional smoking on smoking-related cancers

Cancer Causes & Control ◽

10.1007/s10552-006-0068-9 ◽

2006 ◽

Vol 17 (10) ◽

pp. 1305-1309 ◽

Cited By ~ 22

Author(s):

Bine Kjøller Bjerregaard ◽

Ole Raaschou-Nielsen ◽

Mette Sørensen ◽

Kirsten Frederiksen ◽

Anne Tjønneland ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Occasional Smoking

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Regular and Occasional Smoking by College Students: Personality Attributions of Smokers and Nonsmokers

Psychological Reports ◽

10.2466/pr0.1998.83.3f.1299 ◽

1998 ◽

Vol 83 (3_suppl) ◽

pp. 1299-1306 ◽

Cited By ~ 27

Author(s):

David Hines ◽

Amelia C. Fretz ◽

Nicole L. Nollen

Keyword(s):

College Students ◽

Effect Size ◽

Drinking Alcohol ◽

Apparent Increase ◽

Negative Direction ◽

Recent Increase ◽

Moderate Effect Size ◽

Occasional Smoking ◽

Moderate Effect ◽

Personality Attributions

Recent reports show an increase in smoking among college students and suggest that occasional smoking is now initiated by previously nonsmoking students This study evaluated whether this apparent increase in smoking by students is associated with positive self-images associated with smoking. Regular and occasional smokers rated how smoking “changes the way you feel about yourself” on 18 self-attributes that may be associated with smoking, e.g., from cigarette advertisements. Nonsmokers also rated smokers on the same 18 attributes All three groups rated three attributes in the negative direction with at least a moderate effect size: that being a smoker was less healthy, that smokers were less desirable as a date and that smokers were less attractive while smoking. On only one other attribute regular smokers differed from neutral with at least a moderate effect size: that smoking made them feel less feminine. As hypothesized, the occasional smokers also rated some attributions positively with at least a moderate effect size: that smoking made them feel more daring and more adventurous and did not make them feel like an outcast. The non-smokers rated a number of additional attributes about smokers negatively with at least a moderate effect size: that smokers are less sexy, less feminine less sophisticated, less masculine, and less mature. Thus, the results suggest that smoking shows at best mixed associations with self-attributions of college students who smoke and is viewed negatively by those who do not smoke. Other results suggest that the recent increase in occasional smoking may be related to smoking with friends who smoke and smoking while drinking alcohol.

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