Research

Impact of parental home smoking policies on policy choices of independently living young adults (MA)
Researchers from Boston University, the University of Massachusetts and Massachusetts General Hospital recently published a study in the journal, Tobacco Control, looking at the impact of home smoking policies on future smoke-free living choices. Researchers analyzed data on 693 adolescents that had participated in a four year, prospective study that had a representative sample of Massachusetts youth that were age 12 to 17. The study found that youth who had lived in parental homes that had smoking bans had much higher odds of moving into smoke-free independent living. Moving into a school or college residence and not living with smokers were other factors that were independently associated with living in smoke-free quarters. Click here to read an abstract of the study.

Mom and dad’s tobacco use influences teens’ smoking
A new study published in the February issue of Pediatrics has found that adolescent tobacco initiation is influenced by parental use of tobacco. Adolescents who are raised with parents who smoke are much more likely to become smokers themselves. The likelihood that the adolescents would begin smoking was also increased if the youth had parents who had smoked around them prior to their teen years. Researchers found that this risk was minimized if the parents quit smoking. The study also found that the influence was independent based on the parent. If a mother who smoked influenced the likelihood of sons or daughters picking up the habit equally but a smoking father had a greater effect on sons. A father that did not live with the family had no affect on smoking risk of adolescent children. The study utilized a sample of 559 boys and girls between the ages of 12 to 17. Click here to read more. Click here to read an abstract of the study in the journal Pediatrics.

Perceived accessibility of cigarettes among youth: A prospective cohort study
Actual youth accessibility of tobacco products is difficult to measure due to the various sources that youth can obtain tobacco, but perception of accessibility has been shown to predict future smoking. Researchers examined the determinants of perceived accessibility in a recent longitudinal study. Using data from the second Development and Assessment of Nicotine Dependence in Youth Study, researchers assessed accessibility prospectively. The study had a sample of 1,246 sixth-grade students that were interviewed periodically over a four year time span. At baseline, 85% of the students had never smoked and 21% perceived cigarettes as easily accessible. Over the four year study, perceived accessibility increased with time. Youth who had friends who smoked, were permitted to watch R rated films, or who knew of commercial sources of cigarettes had higher perceived accessibility. Click here to read an abstract of the study in the American Journal of Preventive Medicine.

Statewide anti-smoking campaign takes new approach in curbing teen smoking (AZ)
The Arizona Department of Health Services Bureau of Tobacco Education & Prevention has launched a mass media campaign, “Brought to You by Addiction,” which educates teens about the addictiveness of smoking. The multimedia statewide campaign is funded by a voter-approved tobacco tax. Although the campaign’s $3.5 million budget seems large, it is comparable to the $3.6 million spent each day in Arizona on tobacco-related medical costs. More information is available on the Tobacco Free Arizona website, or at the campaign’s youth website, www.Venomocity.com. Click here to read the full press release.

The latest thing they’re smoking in pipes on college campuses: Tobacco
A new trend among college students is smoking tobacco out of pipes. After years of declining sales, pipe tobacco is suddenly on the rise and some have attributed this to the new popularity of the habit among youth. Pipe tobacco and smokeless tobacco sales have been on the rise, despite a steady decline in cigarette sales. A major concern of public health experts is the apparent belief of youthful pipe smokers that it is less dangerous than smoking cigarettes. Click here to read more.

Social Acceptance 'more important than health' to teen smokers
Teenagers think smoking plays an important role in being accepted by their peers and that being socially accepted is more important than their health, according to a new report. ‘The Voice of Young People - A Report on Teenagers’ Attitudes to Smoking’ incorporates the results of qualitative research conducted with Irish teenagers aged 16 – 18 years in relation to their smoking habits and attitudes to health, smoking and smoking cessation. To read more about this study, click here.

Reports

Cigarette Brand Preference among Middle and High School Students who are Established Smokers—United States, 2004 and 2006
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) analyzed data from the 2004 and 2006 National Youth Tobacco Survey to assess the cigarette brand preferences of middle and high school students who were established smokers. The top preferred brand among middle and high school students was Marlboro (43.3% and 52.3%, respectively) with Newport as the next most preferred brand (26.4% and 21.4%, respectively). Newport preference was significantly higher among black middle school (59.7%) and high school (78.6%) students when compared with other racial/ethnic groups. Information about tobacco brand preference by students can offer insight into tobacco industry marketing strategies. This information is useful to tobacco control professionals when designing counter marketing campaigns. Click here to read the report in the Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report.

New CDC Study shows tobacco marketing influences kids to smoke, underscores need for FDA regulation of tobacco products
Several scientific studies released today provide powerful new evidence that tobacco marketing causes kids to smoke, while anti-tobacco advertising campaigns prevent smoking. These studies send a loud and clear message to the nation's policy makers: We need less tobacco marketing and more tobacco prevention. This study also urges Congress to pass legislation granting the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) authority to regulate tobacco products and marketing, which among other things would crack down on tobacco marketing that appeals to kids and to increase funding for states to provide tobacco prevention and cessation programs to youth. Click here to read more about Campaign for Tobacco Free Kids position statement on the CDC’s latest study, Cigarette Brand Preference among Middle and High School Students who are Established Smokers—United States, 2004 and 2006.

Assessing the impact of the national ‘truth’ antismoking campaign on beliefs, attitudes, and intent to smoke by race/ethnicity
Researchers analyzed data from seven waves of the Legacy Media Tracking Survey (LMTS) to examine differences in associations between exposure to the ‘Truth’ campaign and the attitudes and beliefs about smoking on youth of different racial/ethnic backgrounds. The survey data was from December 1999 through July 2003 and included a sample of 31,758 youth aged 12-17. The LMTS was designed to ensure inclusion of sufficient proportions of racial minorities. Exposure to the ‘Truth’ campaign is positively associated with increased anti-tobacco attitudes and beliefs among youth overall but when assessed by race/ethnicity, there is only a statistically significant association for white and African American youth. Based on their results, the researchers contend that some of individual items used to measure attitudes may be less meaningful for certain non-white youth groups. Click here to read an abstract of the study in the journal Ethnicity and Health.

Children worry about parents’ smoking
Parents who smoke are causing huge emotional distress to their teenage children, a poll for the Department of Health reveals.  The survey was conducted to inform the next wave of advertising targeting parents to quit smoking.  The survey found that kids are feeling increasingly responsible for their parents’ health and as a result their anxiety surrounding their parents’ smoking has also increased.  The results of this survey will help inform the development of a new ad campaign by the National Hospital Systems’ Stop Smoking Services.  To read more, click here.

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