Research

Cigarette additives may make it rougher to quit
A recent study helps to elucidate the effects of the nearly 600 additives that might be found in cigarettes. Researchers at the University of California, Los Angeles examined a list of cigarette additives provided by the tobacco industry in 1994. While it remains unclear how many of these additives are included in cigarettes on the market today, the researchers concluded that 100 out of the 599 analyzed are potentially harmful. Their effects include facilitating nicotine delivery to the lungs, numbing the lungs to reduce the need for smokers to cough, increasing the potency of the nicotine already found in cigarettes, and disguising the secondhand smoke released by cigarettes. To read more about the study, which will be published in the September edition of the American Journal of Public Health, click here.

Smokeless tobacco: Unsafe alternative
A recent study provides additional evidence that switching to smokeless tobacco as a way to minimize the health effects of tobacco is a risky strategy. Researchers combined data from six studies, which included 420 smokers and 182 smokeless tobacco users, all of whom were trying to decrease their tobacco use. They compared the levels of various carcinogens in participants’ urine samples, and found that the smokeless tobacco users had equal or higher amounts of these particular carcinogens. Click here to read more or click here to view the abstract of the study, which is published in the August edition of Cancer Epidemiology, Biomarkers & Prevention.

Quitting on impulse may be smokers’ best bet
Recent research has demonstrated that smokers who quit spontaneously had a greater likelihood of success than those who planned a quit attempt. Researchers compared the experiences of 918 smokers who had made at least one quit attempt with those of 996 former smokers. They found that almost half of smokers reported that their most recent quit attempt was spontaneous, and that the odds of quitting successfully for at least six months were higher for unplanned attempts. The authors suggest that understanding these seemingly contradictory results lies with considering differences in motivation and the tension that may build up prior to a quit attempt. Click here to read more about the study, which was recently published in British Medical Journal.

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Resources

GWU smoking cessation kit wins American Public Health Association contest
“The X-Pack: A Smoking Cessation Kit,” developed by Dr. Lorien Abroms at the George Washington University, was one of two winners of the American Public Health Association’s materials contest. The X-Pack is a smoking cessation kit designed for smokers between the ages of 18 and 24 and features a variety of self-help materials, including a quitting booklet that has reasons to quit smoking and strategies to plan a quit day, quit cards, chewing gum, toothpicks and a container of putty to help relieve stress. In a recent randomized trial sponsored by the National Institutes of Health, the X-Pack was rated more favorably by participants and, in conjunction with e-mail counseling, resulted in more consecutive quit days at three and six months than standard treatment. To read more about the kit and the contest, click here.

National Tobacco Cessation Collaborative announces website and newsletter
The National Tobacco Cessation Collaborative (NTCC) – a group including the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, federal agencies, national tobacco control organizations, and others in cessation research and related fields – is working to increase collaboration among members and promote successful cessation among tobacco users in the United States and Canada. To that end, NTCC offers a website that includes a working bibliography of a broad range of cessation-related documents, information on tobacco policies that influence cessation, and links to helpful cessation resources. The collaborative is also proud to disseminate the monthly newsletter NTCC News, which features recent research findings, funding opportunities, calls for papers, and upcoming conferences and trainings. Please click here to access the website, where you can also sign up to receive NTCC News.

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Projects

Hawaii: Tobacco-free group urges firms to snuff out smoking
The Coalition for a Tobacco-Free Hawaii has launched a $50,000 initiative entitled “Make It Your Business.” The initiative encourages employers to either fund smoking cessation services or ensure that they are covered by insurance plans in an attempt to reduce the impact of tobacco in the workplace. Click here to read more.

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