Research

Smokers light up after pain
A recent study has found that smokers are more likely to smoke when they experience physical pain. Previous studies have shown that the smoking rate for people who have chronic pain conditions is double the rate of the general population. The University of South Florida researchers studied how pain affects a smoker’s urge to smoke. Smokers who were exposed to a painful stimulus during the study experienced a stronger desire to smoke than before the pain. They also had stronger urges to smoke than a control group that did not experience pain during the study procedure. Thus, it would appear that smoking is a way to ease suffering when a painful situation arises. Click here to find out more. The study was published in the May 2008 issue of the Journal of Abnormal Psychology.

Low-income households opt for cigarettes over food
A study of families living at or below 200% of the Federal poverty line revealed that smoking prevalence was higher among households that were “food insecure” and did not have consistent and dependable access to nutritious foods, than those who were “food secure”. On average, the low-income families in the study purchased ten packs of cigarettes a week, amounting to approximately $33.70 that could otherwise be spent on food. Considering the large amount of income low-income families spend on tobacco that would be better directed to food purchases, the researchers suggest that food assistance programs could be coupled with tobacco control efforts to decrease the financial burden of smoking for low-income households. Click here to find out more. Click here for the abstract of the article, which was published in the July/August American Journal of Health Promotion.

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