Research

Smoking-attributable mortality, years of potential life lost, and productivity losses --- United States, 2000—2004
A recent article in the CDC’s Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report describes the impact of smoking-related disabilities and deaths between 2000 and 2004. It is estimated that smoking caused 443,000 deaths each year from 2000-2004--up from 438,000 per year between 1997 and 2001. The economic burden of smoking in healthcare costs and productivity losses is estimated at $193 billion per year for this time period. Smoking causes 30% of cancer deaths and nearly 80% of deaths to chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), according to the CDC. Although the prevalence of smoking has decreased dramatically since the 1960’s, smoking-related deaths have remained consistent. The health risks of smoking have not changed over time, so the unchanged death rate is attributed to the growth of the U.S. population and the fact that Americans are living longer. An accompanying editorial note recommends that states invest in evidence-based prevention and cessation programs to mitigate the continued health burden and economic costs of smoking. Click here to read the MMWR article.

Effective anti-tobacco ads should either scare or disgust viewers, MU study reveals
Antismoking advertisements are often designed to elicit emotions of fear or disgust in order to turn viewers off from smoking. A University of Missouri study showed that when advertisements cause a very intense visceral response, viewers may be less likely to recall the content of the ad. Research subjects were shown tobacco advertisements, and their emotional and physiological responses to the ads were measured. After viewing the advertisements, their recall of the ads was checked with a visual recognition test to determine whether subjects recognized one-second clips from the ads they had seen. The findings showed that viewers paid attention to advertisements that evoke either fear or disgust, but ads combining fear and disgust actually decreased viewers’ attention and memory. The researchers theorize that ads combining fear and disgust may be overkill for some viewers, defeating the purpose of the ads. Read more here. This research will be published in the journal Health Communication.

Living with smokers may be associated with inadequate access to food
A recent study published in the Archives of Pediatrics & Adolescent Medicine suggests that children and adults who live in households with smokers are less likely to have reliable access to food, compared to people living in homes with nonsmokers. Food insecurity is defined by the researchers as, “The inability to access enough food in a socially acceptable way for every day of the year.” Food insecurity can result in disruptions in food supply and eating patterns, and has been previously linked to low household income. Nearly 9,000 households with children under 18 were studied to determine whether living with adult smokers affected food security. Among children in homes with smokers, 17% were food insecure, compared to 8.7% of those in households without smokers. In addition, the proportion of low-income households with at least one smoker was 32%, compared to 15% of higher-income households. In an accompanying editorial note, it is suggested that smoking takes away from the economic resources for low-income households, and that smoking cessation programs can play a role in alleviating the economic burden of smoking. For more information, click here. Click here to read the abstract of the research.

Cigarette smoking may worsen premenstrual woes
A University of Massachusetts study found that women who smoke are more likely to experience moderate to severe premenstrual syndrome (PMS) than nonsmokers. By analyzing data from the Nurses' Health Study II on a group of women aged 27-44 who had no PMS symptoms early on in the study, the researchers compared 1057 women who later developed PMS to 1968 women who did not. Those who were current smokers were approximately twice as likely to report PMS. The effect was stronger among women who had begun smoking earlier in life and among heavier smokers. Previous studies have indicated that smoking can affect levels of hormones involved in the development of PMS, and this study supports findings from other studies that have linked PMS to smoking. Click here to read more. This study was published in the October 15 issue of the American Journal of Epidemiology. Click here to read the abstract of the article.

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International

Three quarters of deaths in developing world will be caused by heart and lung diseases by 2030
The World Health Organization (WHO) recently published a report on global deaths, diseases, and injuries during 2004. The report compares the burden of disease by region, age, sex, and country income. The top ten causes of death and over 130 causes of disease and injury are discussed. In high-income countries, the top causes of death in 2004 were chronic diseases, including heart disease, stroke, and lung cancer. In the developing world, the number of chronic disease deaths is expected to rise. The projected top worldwide causes of death in 2030 are ischemic heart disease, stroke, chronic obstructive pulmonary diseases (COPD), and lower respiratory infections. Globally, deaths due to tobacco use are expected to increase from 5.4 million in 2004 to a staggering 8.3 million in 2030. Click here to read a summary of the findings from the British Medical Journal. Click here to visit the WHO website, which offers the full disease report, The global burden of disease: 2004 update, along with summaries and fact sheets.

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