Research

Smoking after cardiac transplantation
A study in England found that 27% of heart transplant patients resume smoking following their surgery.  Those who smoked after their operations died, on average, four years earlier than patients who quit smoking.  Many organ transplant centers require patients to quit smoking for six months prior to surgery, but the stress during the transplant surgery and recovery period has the potential to trigger a relapse.  Researchers found that smoking during the six months prior to the transplant was the greatest risk factor for continuing to smoke afterward, emphasizing the importance of cessation counseling and support for heart transplant patients prior to surgery. Click here to read the abstract of the article, which was published in the April 2008 issue of American Journal of Transplantation.

Clinician perceptions of factors influencing referrals to a smoking cessation program
A new research study has described factors that influence whether primary care physicians refer their patients to tobacco quitlines.  Researchers compared physicians with high referral rates to those with low referral rates, and found that doctors with high referral rates were more likely to view quitlines as a resource to assist them in their medical practice.  High-referring physicians also often had stronger personal interest in tobacco cessation.  Feedback reminding physicians to refer their patients to quitlines was found to increase referral rates.  Common barriers to quitline referrals included insufficient time, competing demands, and a lack of financial reimbursement for tobacco counseling. Click here for the abstract of the article, which was published in the March 28 issue of BMC Family Practice.

Sex hormones 'hit smoke success'
While there are many reports that women smoke more heavily during certain times of their menstrual cycles, a recent study clarified the effects of menstrual hormonal fluctuations on women’s cessation efforts.  This randomized study assigned women to begin their tobacco cessation effort during either the follicular phase of their menstrual cycle, which occurs prior to ovulation, or during the luteal phase, the last two weeks of the menstrual cycle.  Women who began their quit attempts during the luteal phase were more successful in remaining smoke-free; 86% of women who quit during the follicular phase had relapsed with at least one cigarette, compared to 66% of the women who stopped smoking during the luteal phase.  The study was published in the May 2008 issue of the journal Addiction. For more information, click here. Click here for the abstract of the article.

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Resources

First national quit smoking campaign readies launch
The “EX” campaign was launched on March 31 to help smokers “re-learn life without cigarettes.” The American Legacy Foundation, along with a coalition of health organizations, has sponsored this 25-30 million dollar national campaign, which features a bilingual website that helps smokers individualize their cessation efforts by identifying their smoking triggers, creating a quit plan, getting support, and tracking their progress.  Fourteen states and eight public health organizations have joined the campaign, and a blitz of advertisements will be featured on various major television networks. For more information about BecomeAnEx.org, click here. Click here for the EX website.

Celebrating Mother’s Day, smokefree
The Campaign for Tobacco-Free Kids is focusing on women, moms, and their opportunity to impact their children’s attitudes on smoking  this Mother’s day with their release of state specific data. Mother’s Day means taking mom out to breakfast, giving her a gift, or just saying thanks.  On this special day for moms, we should also remember that a terrific way to celebrate Mother’s Day might be to pledge to give moms who currently smoke the kind of loving support, encouragement and information that could help them to be tobacco-free before Mother's Day next year. Click here to learn more about smoking rates among mothers in the U.S. Click here for more information on women’s health and smoking and here for tips on how mothers can keep their children tobacco free.

Effort under way to reduce number of smokeless-tobacco users (WV)
At 16.6%, West Virginia has the second-highest rate of smokeless tobacco use in the U.S. among adult men.  When high smokeless tobacco use among high school men is included in the tally, West Virginia moves into first place.  In response to this problem, the state’s Division of Tobacco Prevention is offering ten $5000 mini-grants to local tobacco prevention efforts throughout the state.  The grants are part of the “Save Face—Stop Spit Tobacco” campaign, which aims to raise awareness through community events.  The state also has “Quit Spit Kits” to distribute to smokeless tobacco users attempting to quit.  Click here to read more about this West Virginia prevention program.

Smoking while pregnant: Maternal struggle (OR)
While the national average for pregnant mothers who continue to smoke is 10%, a staggering 24% of pregnant women in Douglas County, Oregon are smokers.  The Douglas County Health Department is responding by implementing the “Baby & Me—Tobacco Free” program to help mothers quit smoking.  Pregnant women are enrolled in a course of four smoking cessation classes, and cheek swabs are tested periodically for carbon monoxide.  Each time women pass the test smoke-free, they are rewarded with gift certificates and are entered in drawings for other prizes.  There is much hope for this program’s success; in a pilot test of a similar program in New York, 100% of the women who were enrolled successfully quit smoking while pregnant, and 87% remained smoke-free at six months postpartum. To learn more about this tobacco cessation program for new mothers, click here.

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