Preventive medicine
-
Data from treatment studies tends to show women are less likely to quit smoking than men, but these findings have been disputed, typically based on contradictory evidence from epidemiological investigations. The purpose of this review was to shed light on this conflict. We conducted a qualitative review in January 2016 to examine sources of variation in sex/gender differences for smoking cessation. ⋯ Evidence from efficacy and effectiveness trials, as well as prospective observational studies of relapse, demonstrated that women have more difficulty maintaining long-term abstinence than men. Findings from prospective observational studies and cross-sectional investigations were mixed and demonstrated that bio-psycho-social variation in samples across place and time may determine whether or not women or men are less likely to quit smoking. Based on these findings, we consider whether sex/gender differences in quitting meet criteria for a disparity and outline directions for further research.
-
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.
-
Preventive medicine · Nov 2016
Some context for understanding the place of the general educational development degree in the relationship between educational attainment and smoking prevalence.
Individuals with a General Educational Development (GED) degree have the highest smoking prevalence of any education level, including high school dropouts without a GED. Yet little research has been reported providing a context for understanding the exception that the GED represents in the otherwise graded inverse relationship between educational attainment and smoking prevalence. We investigated whether the GED may be associated with a general riskier profile that includes but is not limited to increased smoking prevalence. ⋯ GED holders exhibit a broad high-risk profile of which smoking is just one component. Future research evaluating additional risk indicators and mechanisms that may underpin this generalized risky repertoire are likely needed for a more complete understanding of GED's place in the important relationship between educational attainment and smoking prevalence.
-
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.
-
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.