Research

Federal stimulus grant supports crucial study of anti-nicotine vaccine
The National Institutes on Drug Abuse (NIDA) awarded Nabi Biopharmaceuticals a $10 million grant to develop a vaccine to prevent tobacco addiction. The American Recovery and Reinvestment Act grant will help fund the first phase III trial of the injectable vaccine NicVAX, which works by generating antibodies to nicotine that bind the molecule and thus limit nicotine’s ability to enter the brain. The vaccine is intended to help people quit smoking without relapse, and may eventually be used in smoking prevention. Click here for the press release issued by the National Institutes of Health. Update: Nabi, Glaxo sign nicotine-addiction vaccine deal GlaxoSmithKline has signed a licensing agreement for Nabi’s vaccine, giving Glaxo the option to license it globally and develop follow-up nicotine vaccines. Click here to read more about the licensing agreement.

Motivation to quit smoking among parents of urban children with asthma
Parents who believe that their child’s asthma is not under good control and think that their child’s asthma symptoms would decrease if they stopped smoking have higher motivation to quit than those that do not hold these beliefs, a new study reports. Asthma symptoms, children’s cotinine levels, and parental smoking behaviors were measured in School-Based Asthma Therapy trial participants to identify factors associated with motivation to quit smoking. The findings suggest that raising awareness about the effects of smoking on children’s asthma may encourage parents to quit smoking. Click here for the abstract of the article, published in Patient Education and Counseling.

A randomized placebo-controlled clinical trial of 5 smoking cessation pharmacotherapies
A randomized, double-blind, placebo controlled trial conducted by researchers at the University of Wisconsin compared the efficacies of five smoking cessation treatments versus a placebo to provide evidence to clinicians and smokers on which therapies to recommend or select. The interventions included nicotine lozenge, nicotine patch, sustained-release bupropion, nicotine patch plus nicotine lozenge, and bupropion plus nicotine lozenge. The nicotine patch plus lozenge condition resulted in the highest rates of one-day initial abstinence, highest rates of cessation six months post-quit, and most positive outcomes regarding relapse. Click here to read the study, published in JAMA’s Archives of General Psychiatry.

Switching to “lighter” cigarettes and quitting smoking
Smokers that switched to light cigarettes were found to be 46% less likely to quit smoking than smokers who did not change their cigarette of choice, according to a study conducted at the University of Pittsburgh. Switching to lighter cigarettes was associated with a 51% higher chance of making a quit attempt, but 60% lower odds of actually quitting, with smokers who switched for the purpose of quitting being the most likely to attempt, but least likely to succeed. Click here for the abstract published in Tobacco Control.

Consumer electronics can help improve patient health
A new review of the scientific literature suggests that electronic tools and technology can help improve healthcare processes and promote health. Among nineteen technological smoking cessation interventions that were reviewed, 58% showed a statistically significant positive impact on at least one intermediate health outcome. The smoking cessation interventions that were reviewed included internet-based programs, a CD-ROM, computer-tailored materials, and text messaging. Click here to read a summary of the findings, or click here to download the full report (the findings on smoking cessation can be found on page 41).

Interventions for preventing weight gain after smoking cessation
A new review of the scientific literature indicates that smokers who are given cessation treatment in conjunction with weight control treatment can avoid weight gain after quitting. Individualized behavioral interventions, very low calorie diets, and cognitive behavioral therapy may be effective in controlling weight while not interfering with abstinence from smoking. Smoking cessation drugs bupropion, fluoxetine, and nicotine replacement therapy also helped limit post-cessation weight gain. Exercise interventions did not decrease weight gain at the end of treatment, but there was evidence of an effect at one year post-quit. The review concludes that more data is needed in order to make strong clinical recommendations. Click here to read the abstract of the updated article in The Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews.

top

Reports

Helping smokers quit: State cessation coverage
The American Lung Association has released a report finding that many smokers do not have access to support and treatments that could help them quit. The report details smoking cessation services and treatments offered through public and private health care plans in each state. According to the report, only six states provide comprehensive coverage of the seven medications and three types of counseling currently recommended by the U.S. Public Health Service. The report concludes that state and federal governments could make smoking cessation treatment more accessible by offering more comprehensive coverage. The American Lung Association recommends that policymakers require this coverage in the healthcare reform process. Click here to read more or click here to view the full report. Click here to read a related report on Medicaid coverage for tobacco cessation, published in the CDC’s MMWR Weekly.

Nearly half of U.S. residents want e-cigarettes available as a smoking cessation device; 28% undecided
According to a report from the University of Maryland Center for Substance Abuse Research (CESAR), 47% of U.S. adults believe e-cigarettes should be available to smokers to encourage smoking cessation. Nearly one third (28%) were undecided, while 25% said that e-cigarettes should not be on the market. These results were from an online survey of 4,611 adults conducted in August 2009 by Zogby International. Click here to read the report.

Survey finds many smokers make last minute plans to quit
A recent American Cancer Society (ACS) survey found that while a majority of smokers want to quit, many delay making a plan to quit until the last minute, a factor that may contribute to relapse or inability to quit. The survey, conducted on the Great American Smokeout website, also found that most smokers were interested in customized websites to help them quit (70.2%), many were interested in receiving tailored e-mails about quitting (59%), most did not know they could receive free help from a toll-free quitline (76%), and a good amount were not interested in using prescription medications to stop smoking (33%). The findings indicate that there is substantial work to be done to educate smokers about effective quitting methods. Click here to read more. Visit the Great American Smokeout site: www.cancer.org/GreatAmericans.

top

International

Predictors of smoking relapse by duration of abstinence: Findings from the International Tobacco Control (ITC) Four Country Survey
Ex-smokers in Australia, Canada, United Kingdom, and United States were recruited to the International Tobacco Control (ITC) Four Country Survey to determine predictors of smoking relapse and describe how they vary according to duration of abstinence. The results show that perceived costs of smoking and benefits of quitting were not related to relapse, but lower abstinence self-efficacy and higher frequency of smoking urges were associated with relapse for the first month of quitting. Cravings occurred more often in those reminded of smoking, even through smoking cessation advertisements. Relapse was also related to the perceived benefits of smoking. The authors suggest that changing smokers’ perceived benefits of smoking after the first month of abstinence from smoking may be most effective in increasing abstinence self-efficacy and decreasing frequency of smoking urges to reduce relapse risk. Read more here. Click here for the abstract of the article, published in Addiction.

Crushing virtual cigarettes reduces tobacco addiction and treatment discontinuation (Canada)
A recent study found that crushing cigarettes in a virtual environment may help reduce smokers’ addiction to nicotine and set the stage for smoking cessation. The act of crushing cigarettes significantly reduced nicotine addiction, increased abstinence from smoking, and improved retention in a twelve-week psychosocial treatment program, as compared to a control group that grasped a computer-simulated ball. This virtual reality treatment shows promise, but further studies are needed to assess the mechanism causing the impact on smoking cessation outcomes. Click here to download the full text of the study, which was published in the journal CyberPsychology & Behavior.

The effects of acute exercise on attentional bias towards smoking-related stimuli during temporarily abstinence from smoking (UK)
After quitting smoking, individuals may become more aware of smoking cues, and this often leads to relapses. Previous research has shown that exercise reduces cigarette cravings and the desire to smoke during temporary abstinence from smoking. This UK study is the first to determine that exercise also influences attentional biases towards cigarettes, reducing the ability of smoking cues to capture the smokers’ attention, thus attenuating cravings. Click here for the abstract in Addiction.

top

Back to Table of Contents