Women and Tobacco Harm Reduction in Appalachia, Ohio

2008 ◽  
Vol 3 (1) ◽  
pp. 40-46
Author(s):  
Amy K. Ferketich ◽  
Phyllis Pirie ◽  
Mary Ellen Wewers ◽  
Dalisa Barquero ◽  
Sheetal Hardikar
Keyword(s):  
Smoking Cessation ◽  
Focus Groups ◽  
Harm Reduction ◽  
Reduction Product ◽  
Appalachian Region ◽  
Tobacco Harm Reduction ◽  
Advantages And Disadvantages ◽  
Quit Smoking ◽  
Disease Risks

AbstractThe purpose of this study was to extend research regarding the perceptions smokers have of the advantages and disadvantages of using potential reduced exposure products (PREPs). Five focus groups with female current smokers were conducted in the Appalachian region of Ohio. The semistructured discussion guide was developed to capture information on reasons why women smoke, why and how they quit smoking, and reasons why women would switch to PREPs. The results suggest that these smokers did not express enthusiasm for using PREPs as an aid to smoking cessation or as a harm reduction product. In general, the concept of harm reduction in the sense of reducing disease risks did not engage the participants. Early in the discussion the women had identified some problems caused by their smoking and later PREPs were viewed as reducing these. The results suggest that PREPs may be attractive to some smokers because they offer benefits that other products lack.

scholarly journals Assessing the Knowledge, Attitude, and Practices of Cigarette Smokers and Use of Alternative Nicotine Delivery Systems in Pakistan: A Cross-Sectional Study

2021 ◽  
Vol 2021 ◽  
pp. 1-11
Author(s):  
Abdul Hameed ◽  
Daud Malik
Keyword(s):  
Smoking Cessation ◽  
Harm Reduction ◽  
Large Scale ◽  
Weak Link ◽  
Principal Component ◽  
Delivery Systems ◽  
Tobacco Harm Reduction ◽  
Cross Sectional ◽  
Quit Smoking ◽  
Nicotine Delivery

Background. This research has been conducted to assess smokers’ knowledge and behavior vis-à-vis combustible smoking cessation, prevalence, and risk, and the use of alternative nicotine delivery systems to quit smoking. Methods. A mixed-method approach utilizing cross section primary survey data and comprising descriptive and s-KAP index analysis has been adopted to ascertain the relationship between dependent and independent s-KAP variables; the principal component analysis methodology has been used to determine the use of alternative nicotine delivery systems. Results. Most of the smokers were aged between 15 and 35 years. A predominant 69.8% of the smokers came from middle-class background. Moreover, 71.3% were unaware of any alternative Tobacco Harm Reduction product. A majority of the respondents (68.2%) were keen to quit smoking. However, when asked why they had not succeeded, 52.9% reported addiction to nicotine as the main impediment. In Pakistan, lack of smoking cessation services is the weak link in the fight against the tobacco epidemic. Smokers are generally unaware of the Tobacco Harm Reduction products available in Pakistan; moreover, only 10.9% of the respondents were willing to spend more than Rs. 4000 per month on Tobacco Harm Reduction products. The average s-KAP score for young adults below the age of 20 was much lower than the national average but improved with the level of education. Interestingly, the score of smokers who had ever tried to quit smoking was slightly higher than that of those who had never tried to quit. Conclusion. There is intent to quit combustible smoking but the policy and infrastructure necessary for successful quitting are missing. Pakistan needs to concentrate on two fronts: a large scale awareness campaign against the use and harms of combustible smoking and simultaneously providing affordable and accessible smoking services across the country. Pakistan should look at the use and regulation of safer nicotine products in the UK. The country should carefully weigh the options of ensuring how to incorporate the use of safer nicotine delivery systems in its tobacco control efforts.

scholarly journals Toxicology of Ngirimbo Samples across Chitipa District

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Vita Mithi ◽  
John F. Kamanula ◽  
Ashok Pandey ◽  
Rebecca S. Dewey
Keyword(s):  
Smoking Cessation ◽  
Harm Reduction ◽  
Smokeless Tobacco ◽  
Atomic Absorption Spectrophotometry ◽  
Gas Chromatography Mass Spectrometry ◽  
Toxic Heavy Metals ◽  
Tobacco Harm Reduction ◽  
Nicotine Content ◽  
Toxicological Studies ◽  
Clinical Consequences

Abstract Introduction: Smokeless tobacco describes a wide variety of tobacco products that do not require combustion, and is typically used either orally or nasally. Ngirimbo is a form of oral smokeless tobacco used by smokers in Malawi for tobacco harm reduction. The aim of this study was to determine the acidity (pH), nicotine content, mineral content (iron, zinc, calcium, magnesium and copper), heavy metal content (lead, chromium and cadmium), and presence of other volatile compounds in ngirimbo across Chitipa District in Malawi . Methods: Atomic absorption spectrophotometry and gas chromatography-mass spectrometry were used to estimate nicotine content, concentration of toxic heavy metals, minerals of potential toxicity and other harmful chemicals in the samples. Results: Samples were found to contain harmful chemicals, high pH and nicotine [2-(1-methyl-2-pyrolidinyl)-pyridine, (S)- and (S)-3-(1-methyl-2-pyrolidinyl)-pyridine] levels. Mineral concentrations were found to be much higher than typical safety limits. Conversely, samples were not found to contain lead, and had low concentrations of chromium and cadmium. Conclusions: These findings suggest that prolonged use of ngirimbo is a significant health risk to people with chronic diseases. Nonetheless, ngirimbo provides a valid method of tobacco harm reduction and a potential smoking cessation tool. Therefore, further analytical toxicological studies are needed to fully characterize variations in the quality of the product. Implications : Consumers of ngirimbo are susceptible to acute toxic effects of oral and dermal exposure to the product, as well as addiction. Some individuals would suffer from convulsions or seizures following ngirimbo use, and other clinical consequences depending on the amount ingested. However, understanding the amount of nicotine, and other volatile constituents, consumed through ngirimbo use will help to generate recommendations for quantity and frequency of use. Further, establishing the threshold of harm for nicotine consumption will contribute to the extraction, isolation, and use of nicotine as a smoking-cessation agent, and for treating psychiatric disorders such as schizophrenia and neurodegenerative diseases such as Alzheimer’s.

scholarly journals New Pharmacological Agents to Aid Smoking Cessation and Tobacco Harm Reduction: What Has Been Investigated, and What Is in the Pipeline?

CNS Drugs ◽  
2016 ◽  
Vol 30 (10) ◽  
pp. 951-983 ◽  
Author(s):  
Emma Beard ◽  
Lion Shahab ◽  
Damian M. Cummings ◽  
Susan Michie ◽  
Robert West
Keyword(s):  
Smoking Cessation ◽  
Harm Reduction ◽  
Tobacco Harm Reduction ◽  
Pharmacological Agents

How to Think—Not Feel—about Tobacco Harm Reduction

2018 ◽  
Vol 21 (10) ◽  
pp. 1299-1309 ◽  
Author(s):  
Kenneth E Warner
Keyword(s):  
Public Health ◽  
Smoking Cessation ◽  
Harm Reduction ◽  
Tobacco Control ◽  
National Survey ◽  
Objective Assessment ◽  
Positive Contribution ◽  
Youth Smoking ◽  
Tobacco Harm Reduction ◽  
Reduced Risk

Abstract Introduction The debate over tobacco harm reduction (THR) has divided the tobacco control community into two camps, one expressing serious reservations about THR whereas the other believes that reduced-risk products like e-cigarettes will disrupt the cigarette market. The often emotional debate would benefit from dispassionate data-based evaluation of evidence. Methods After briefly discussing harm reduction in public health and specifically in tobacco control, this paper identifies major issues concerning e-cigarettes and reviews relevant evidence. Issues include: e-cigarettes’ risks compared to cigarette smoking; the effect of vaping on youth smoking; vaping’s impact on adult smoking cessation; the net long-term public health implications of vaping; and differences in views on policy issues. The intent is to provide a broad overview of issues and evidence, directing readers to more detailed reviews of specific issues. Findings Principal findings include the following: (1) while longitudinal studies suggest that vaping increases never-smoking young people’s odds of trying smoking, national survey data indicate that adolescents’ 30-day smoking prevalence decreased at an unprecedented rate precisely whereas vaping increased. Use of all other tobacco products also declined. (2) Recent population-level studies add evidence that vaping is increasing adult smoking cessation. (3) Vaping is likely to make a positive contribution to public health. Conclusions THR can be a complement to, not a substitute for, evidenced-based tobacco control interventions. Tobacco control professionals need to focus on objective assessment of and discussion about the potential costs and benefits of THR. Implications Participants on both sides of the divisive THR debate need to examine the complicated issues and evidence more objectively. This entails considering both the potential benefits and costs associated with reduced-risk products like e-cigarettes. Furthermore, it requires examining different kinds of evidence when considering specific issues. For example, those concerned by longitudinal study findings that vaping increases students’ trial of cigarettes should consider US national survey evidence that youth smoking has decreased at an unprecedented rate. A review of the major issues suggests that the potential of vaping to assist adult smokers to quit outweighs the potential negatives.

Patients' views on smoking cessation and tobacco harm reduction during drug treatment

2002 ◽  
Vol 4 (4) ◽  
pp. 175-182 ◽  
Author(s):  
Kimber Paschall Richter ◽  
Robert McCool ◽  
Kolawole Okuyemi ◽  
Matthew Mayo ◽  
Jasjit Ahluwalia
Keyword(s):  
Smoking Cessation ◽  
Drug Treatment ◽  
Harm Reduction ◽  
Tobacco Harm Reduction
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