scholarly journals Prevalence and Perceptions of Cigarettes, Vaping, and Waterpipe Among Veterans

Author(s):  

Introduction: Vaping has become an epidemic with serious health concerns. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recently released a national alert on vaping hazards and its associations with a mysterious lung disease. The prevalence of alternative tobacco products such as waterpipe and vaping have been on the rise, with health hazards similar to those of cigarettes. However, the public is less aware of those hazards. Because the literature on alternative tobacco use among Veterans is limited, the purpose of this study is to examine veterans’ use, perceptions, and knowledge of the hazards linked to alternative tobacco products. Materials and Methods: A convenience sample of 200 veterans seeking medical care at the Rocky Mountain Regional VA Medical Center, primary care clinics completed a survey on tobacco use. Results: Cigarettes remain the most prevalent form of tobacco used by veterans. The prevalence of “ever use” of waterpipe and/or vaping was 21% among participants, and almost all of those participants also reported cigarette use, 20.5%. About 42% of participants were unaware of harm levels from waterpipe. Discussion: Veterans are unaware of the risks associated with vaping and other alternative tobacco products and show similar use rates as the general population. Because educational campaigns have proven to be successful in decreasing smoking, the next step is to conduct educational campaigns on the hazards of alternative tobacco products among the veteran population to address myths and misperceptions regarding those products.

Author(s):  
Jyothi Veleshala ◽  
Varun Malhotra

Background: Tobacco use is a major public health problem. The prevalence of tobacco use among men has been reported to be high (generally exceeding 50%) from almost all parts of India. “The Cigarettes and Other Tobacco Products (Prohibition of Advertisement and Regulation of Trade and Commerce, Production, Supply, and Distribution) Act 2003”, which came into effect since 1st May 2004. Information on knowledge, attitudes, and practices of population regarding COTPA is necessary to effectively implement the legislation. Hence the present study was undertaken.Methods: The present study was a cross-sectional community-based survey carried out in urban slums of Nalgonda town. Data was collected using a structured schedule by interviewing 300 participants, aged above 15 years.Results: The current use of any tobacco was reported by 45.7% of the participants. Overall awareness of COTPA was 58.2%. Marital status, type of family, unemployment, Illiterates, lower SES, and age had a significant influence on tobacco use. Television (77.05%) was the major source of awareness regarding COTPA. The majority of smokers were aware of various sections of COTPA (>50%). About 34.8% of the participants had a favorable attitude towards COTPA. The positive attitude was more (53.7%) towards the display of health warnings on tobacco products among smokers. 11.2% had paid penalty for violation of the act and 32.4% have noticed a reduction in their habit to some extent.Conclusions: A concerted effort has to be made to increase the awareness of the act amongst the vulnerable population.


Author(s):  
Dhwanit Thakore ◽  
Mahesh Chavda ◽  
Girish Parmar ◽  
Tejal Sheth

Tobacco use- a major public health issue in India has an enormous effect on the lower SES population. . There is an evident link between tobacco use or consumption and poverty. The widespread use of almost all forms of tobacco among the Indian population can be attributed to the social and cultural acceptance in the country. Cigarette and Other Tobacco Products Act, 2003 (COTPA) is the legislation that regulates tobacco in India. The prime objective of this review is to compile the literature with information about the laws regulating tobacco use and the status of implementation of tobacco control provisions covered under COTPA. Since effective tobacco control measures involve multi-stakeholders i.e public health, law, trade and commerce, industry, consumer, human rights and child development, coordinated efforts are required to successful enforcement. The outcome of the current literature is bridging the gaps to make the tobacco control a very important public health goal and thereby protect the population from the consequent morbidity and mortality due to tobacco use.


Author(s):  
Edward Sutanto ◽  
Connor Miller ◽  
Danielle M. Smith ◽  
Ron Borland ◽  
Andrew Hyland ◽  
...  

Use of heated tobacco products (HTPs) among current smokers is becoming increasingly popular in Japan. This study aims to compare characteristics and tobacco-related behaviors among concurrent users of HTPs and combustible cigarettes (n = 644) with exclusive smokers (n = 3194) or exclusive HTP users (n = 164). The secondary aim was to explore heterogeneity within concurrent use subgroups. Data were from Wave 1 of the ITC Japan Survey, a nationally representative web survey conducted from February to March 2018. Concurrent cigarette-HTP users were younger and wealthier than exclusive smokers. However, there were no difference in the frequency of smoking, number of cigarettes per day, and smoking cessation behaviors between the two groups, suggesting that HTPs reinforce nicotine dependence. Compared to exclusive HTP users, concurrent cigarette-HTP users reported higher frequency of non-daily HTP use, and lower number of tobacco-containing inserts per day. Almost all concurrent cigarette-HTP users smoked every day (93.9%); 48.4% both smoked and used HTPs daily (dual daily users, n = 396), while 45.5% were daily smokers and non-daily HTP users (predominant smokers, n = 213). Concurrent user subgroups differed from each other on age, tobacco use behaviors, and quit intention. Alongside heterogeneity between concurrent and exclusive product users, differences across concurrent use subgroups highlight the importance of considering frequency of use in characterizing poly-tobacco users.


Author(s):  
Adriana Pérez ◽  
Arnold E. Kuk ◽  
Meagan A. Bluestein ◽  
Hui Min Shirlyn Sia ◽  
Baojiang Chen

Earlier exposure to binge drinking and tobacco use is associated with higher odds of substance use disorders. Using national youth data from the PATH study, we prospectively estimate the age of initiating past 30-day use of (1) cigarettes, e-cigarettes, and binge drinking, and (2) cigarettes, cigarillos, and binge drinking. Cox proportional hazard models were used to estimate differences in the age of initiation by sex, race/ethnicity, and previous use of other tobacco products. By age 21, 4.4% (95% CI: 3.7–5.2) and 2.0% (95% CI: 1.2–2.8) of youth reported initiation of past 30-day use outcomes (1) and (2), respectively. After controlling for sex and previous use of other tobacco products, statistically significant differences in the age of initiation by race/ethnicity were found for each outcome: Hispanic and non-Hispanic Black youth were less likely than non-Hispanic White youth to initiate past 30-day use of both outcomes (1) and (2) at earlier ages. Although the initiation of both outcomes remained relatively low by age 21, these incidences represent 1.56 million and 700,000 youth, respectively. This study provides the public with evidence to identify the particular ages at which education campaigns may be most effective to prevent youth from initiating these three substances. Further research is needed to estimate the age of initiation of other dual tobacco use patterns with binge drinking.


2017 ◽  
Vol 23 (6) ◽  
pp. 414-421 ◽  
Author(s):  
Nancy VanDevanter ◽  
Carina Katigbak ◽  
Madeline Naegle ◽  
Sherry Zhou ◽  
Scott Sherman ◽  
...  

BACKGROUND: Tobacco use continues to be the leading cause of preventable death worldwide. OBJECTIVE: To assess perceived tobacco educational preparation of undergraduate and graduate nurses in a large urban university. DESIGN: A cross-sectional web-based survey of all nursing students in an urban college of nursing was conducted to assess perceived tobacco educational content, skills, and self-efficacy for cessation counseling with patients who smoke cigarettes and use alternative tobacco products (e.g., hookah and e-cigarettes). RESULTS: Participants reported the most education about health effects of tobacco use (67%), and less than 6% reported education about alternative tobacco products. While the majority of nurses agreed that advising patients to quit is a priority, less than 40% reported receiving sufficient training in cessation counseling. CONCLUSIONS: There continues to be a compelling need articulated by leaders in tobacco policy and research over the past decade for a more vigorous response by nurses to the tobacco epidemic.


2021 ◽  
Vol 11 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Lijun Wang ◽  
Jianjiu Chen ◽  
Lok Tung Leung ◽  
Sai Yin Ho ◽  
Tai Hing Lam ◽  
...  

AbstractSmoking is a major cause of health inequities. However, sociodemographic differences in adolescent tobacco use are unclear. In a territory-wide school-based anonymous survey in 2018/19, we investigated tobacco use and sociodemographic correlates in 33,991 students (mean age 14.8 ± 1.9 years) in Hong Kong. Tobacco use prevalence and current-ever use ratios by sociodemographic factors were calculated. Generalised linear mixed models were used in association analyses. Current use was highest for cigarettes (3.2%), closely followed by alternative tobacco products (3.0%). Current-ever use ratios were highest for heated tobacco products (HTPs, 0.60), followed by nicotine e-cigarettes (0.52), waterpipe (0.51), and cigarettes (0.35). Use prevalence and current-ever use ratios of all products showed curvilinear relations with perceived family affluence (P values < 0.01), being highest in the richest families. Tobacco use was also associated with more senior grades, the lowest parental education, and boys, but current-ever use ratios of HTPs and waterpipe were higher in girls (P values < 0.05). The results suggested that adolescent ever users of nicotine-containing alternative tobacco products were more likely to keep using them than cigarettes, and the richest adolescents were at the highest risks of tobacco use. Diverse tobacco control measures are needed to improve health equity, especially on alternative tobacco products.


2021 ◽  
pp. 145507252110276
Author(s):  
Simone Gad Kjeld ◽  
Susan Andersen ◽  
Anette Andersen ◽  
Stine Glenstrup ◽  
Lisbeth Lund ◽  
...  

Aims: We examined characteristics (smoking in social relations, binge drinking, and well-being measures) of Danish 13-year-olds in relation to their tobacco use patterns. Ever use of cigarettes exclusively, ever use of alternative tobacco products (ATPs; e-cigarettes, snus, or waterpipe) exclusively, and use of both cigarettes and ATPs were studied. Methods: We used self-reported data from students at 46 Danish schools in 2017 comprising 2,307 students (response rate = 86%). Multi-level logistic regression analyses were used to examine the associations between student characteristics and the odds for having ever used any tobacco products, smoked cigarettes exclusively, used ATPs exclusively, or used both cigarettes and ATPs compared with never use of any tobacco products. Unadjusted estimates and estimates adjusted for gender were reported. Results: A significant minority of youth (13.2%) had used one or more tobacco products. Of these, 2.0% had exclusively smoked cigarettes, 7.2% had exclusively used ATPs, and 4.0% had used both. Findings showed that all included characteristics (families’ and friends’ smoking, binge drinking, and well-being characteristics) were associated with using any tobacco product; however, students with friends who smoked, had been binge drinking, and had low well-being at home had notably higher odds for having both smoked cigarettes and used ATPs compared to the other tobacco use patterns. Conclusion: ATPs were popular among Danish adolescents compared with conventional cigarettes. Thus, prevention efforts among adolescents should not merely focus on the health risks of conventional cigarette smoking but also on ATPs. Students with diverse tobacco use patterns were similar on various characteristics. However, findings indicate that adolescents who had used both conventional cigarettes and ATPs constitute a more risk-averse group in special need of prevention efforts. Gender did not markedly influence the results. These findings may help future strategies aiming at the youngest adolescents at risk of using tobacco products.


Author(s):  
Aija Zobena ◽  

Non-combustible alternative tobacco products such as tobacco-free nicotine pouches, heated tobacco, and electronic cigarettes (e-cigarettes) marketed as less harmful alternatives to cigarettes as smoking cessation aids are becoming increasingly popular among adolescents and young adults. This age group includes individuals still experimenting with and establishing tobacco use. The aim of the study is to investigate student tobacco use behaviours, particularly novel devices, and alternative products to understand how to decrease tobacco initiation and use among adolescents and young adults. In August 2020, two focus group discussions were organized to obtain information on young people's experience of alternative tobacco and nicotine product use. In each of them, high school students (aged over 18) and students took part. The participants of the focus group discussion were chosen by the “snowball” method. Cessation of smoking and replacing cigarettes with alternative tobacco and nicotine products reduce some of the harmful effects but are not harmless and nicotine addiction remains. By replacing cigarette smoking with the use of tobacco-free nicotine pouches, heated tobacco, or e-cigarettes, one form of nicotine use is being replaced by another. According to the study, young people have no understanding of nicotine addiction and the health risks of using alternative tobacco products. Today's adolescents and young adults often see consumption of tobacco and nicotine products as a mean to construct and project their unique identity.


2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Lijun Wang ◽  
Jianjiu Chen ◽  
Lok Tung Leung ◽  
Sai Yin Ho ◽  
Tai Hing Lam ◽  
...  

Abstract Smoking is a major cause of health inequities. However, sociodemographic differences in adolescent tobacco use are unclear, especially for new tobacco products. We investigated tobacco use patterns and sociodemographic correlates in Hong Kong adolescents. In a territory-wide school-based survey, 33 991 students (US grade 7–12) completed an anonymous questionnaire. Tobacco use prevalences and current-ever use ratios by sociodemographic factors were calculated. Generalised linear mixed models were used in association analyses. Current use was highest for cigarettes (3.19%), closely followed by alternative tobacco products (2.96%). Current-ever use ratios were highest for heated tobacco products (HTPs, 0.60), followed by nicotine-containing e-cigarettes (0.52), waterpipe (0.51) and cigarettes (0.35). Student use prevalences and current-ever use ratios of all products showed J-shaped relations with family affluence, being highest in the richest families. Tobacco use was also associated with higher grades, the lowest parental education and boys, but current-ever use ratios of HTP and waterpipe were higher in girls. The results suggested that adolescent ever users of nicotine-containing alternative products were more likely to keep using them than cigarettes, and the richest adolescents were at the highest risks of tobacco use. Diverse tobacco control measures are needed to improve health equity, especially on alternative products.


2011 ◽  
Vol 2 (4) ◽  
pp. 591-599 ◽  
Author(s):  
Alberto Alemanno

A visual display ban on tobacco products, imposed by national legislation of an EEA State, such as the one at issue in the case at hand, constitutes a measure having equivalent effect to a quantitative restriction on imports within the meaning of Article 11 EEA if, in fact, the ban affects the marketing of products imported from other EEA States to a greater degree than that of imported products which were, until recently, produced in Norway. It is for the national court to identify the aims which the legislation at issue is actually intended to pursue and to decide whether the public health objective of reducing tobacco use by the public in general can be achieved by measures less restrictive than a visual display ban on tobacco products (author's headnote).


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