Preventive medicine
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Preventive medicine · Nov 2016
Some current dimensions of the behavioral economics of health-related behavior change.
Health-related behaviors such as tobacco, alcohol and other substance use, poor diet and physical inactivity, and risky sexual practices are important targets for research and intervention. Health-related behaviors are especially pertinent targets in the United States, which lags behind most other developed nations on common markers of population health. ⋯ Behavioral economics (1) provides novel conceptual systems to inform scientific understanding of health behaviors, (2) translates scientific understanding into practical and effective behavior-change interventions, (3) leverages varied aspects of behavior change beyond increases or decreases in frequency, (4) recognizes and exploits trans-disease processes and interventions, and (5) leverages technology in efforts to maximize efficacy, cost effectiveness, and reach. These dimensions are overviewed and their implications for the future of the field discussed.
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Preventive medicine · Nov 2016
Randomized Controlled TrialCorrelates of nicotine withdrawal severity in smokers during a smoke-free psychiatric hospitalization.
Psychiatric hospitals are increasingly adopting smoke-free policies. Tobacco use is common among persons with mental illness, and nicotine withdrawal (NW), which includes symptoms of depression, anxiety, anger/irritability, and sleep disturbance, may confound psychiatric assessment and treatment in the inpatient setting. This study aimed to characterize NW and correlates of NW severity in a sample of smokers hospitalized for treatment of mental illness in California. ⋯ Those who refused NRT reported milder cigarette dependence and stated no prior use of NRT. Among smokers hospitalized for mental illness, NW severity appears multidetermined, related to cigarette dependence, demographic variables, psychiatric symptom severity, and other substance use. Assessment and treatment of NW in the psychiatric hospital is clinically warranted and with extra attention to groups that may be more vulnerable or naïve to cessation pharmacotherapy.
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Preventive medicine · Nov 2016
Co-occurring risk factors for current cigarette smoking in a U.S. nationally representative sample.
Relatively little has been reported characterizing cumulative risk associated with co-occurring risk factors for cigarette smoking. The purpose of the present study was to address that knowledge gap in a U.S. nationally representative sample. ⋯ These results offer strong evidence that the effects associated with common risk factors for cigarette smoking are independent, cumulative, and generally summative. The results also offer potentially useful insights into national population risk profiles around which U.S. tobacco policies can be developed or refined.
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Preventive medicine · Nov 2016
Association between Florida's smoke-free policy and acute myocardial infarction by race: A time series analysis, 2000-2013.
Racial disparities in acute myocardial infarctions (AMIs) are increasing over time. Previous studies have shown that the implementation of smoke-free policies is associated with reduced AMI rates. The objective of this study was to determine the association between smoke-free policy and AMI hospitalization rates and smoking by race. ⋯ More comprehensive smoke-free and tobacco control policies are needed to further reduce AMI hospitalization rates, particularly among minority populations. Further research is needed to understand and address how the implementation of smoke-free policies affects secondhand smoke exposure among racial and ethnic minorities.
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Preventive medicine · Nov 2016
E-cigarette use among women of reproductive age: Impulsivity, cigarette smoking status, and other risk factors.
The study aim was to examine impulsivity and other risk factors for e-cigarette use among women of reproductive age comparing current daily cigarette smokers to never cigarette smokers. Women of reproductive age are of special interest because of the additional risk that tobacco and nicotine use represents should they become pregnant. ⋯ E-cigarette use among women of reproductive age varies by smoking status, with use among current smokers reflecting attempts to quit smoking whereas among non-smokers use may be a marker of a more impulsive repertoire that includes greater use of alternative tobacco products and illegal drugs.