Research

Integrating tobacco cessation into mental health care for posttraumatic stress disorder
A new study indicates that integrating smoking cessation treatment into mental health care may increase smoking abstinence among people with military-related posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD). Researchers evaluated twelve-month abstinence and seven and thirty-day point prevalence abstinence at three month intervals among 943 smokers with military-related PTSD who were randomized to either receive integrated care (PTSD mental health care with smoking cessation treatment) or referral to smoking a cessation clinic. They found that those receiving integrated care were 2.26 times more likely to have prolonged abstinence. Compared to individuals who received referrals, those receiving integrated care had higher point prevalence abstinence at six months (7.2% vs. 16.5%) and 18 months (10.8% v. 18.2%). Click here to read the abstract of the study, published in The Journal of the American Medical Association.

Smoking restrictions in bars and bartender smoking in the U.S., 1992–2007
A new study published in Tobacco Control indicates that the implementation of state clean indoor air laws (SCIALs) that prohibit smoking in bars is related to a reduction in the proportion of bartenders who smoke. Demographic and smoking history data from 1,380 bartenders who completed the 1992-2007 Current Population Survey and information about the restrictiveness of SCIALs (coded 0-3 from least to most restrictive) were used to determine what impact SCIALs had on the smoking status of bartenders in states with laws that applied to bars. The researchers found that with each 1-point increase in restrictiveness coding, there was a 5.3% reduction in the odds of bartender smoking in that state. Furthermore, SCIALs that include bars were associated with increased odds that a bartender would report never being a smoker; however, there was no association between smoke-free bar laws and former smoking. These results suggest that SCIALs covering bars may reduce smoking among bartenders mostly by changing the composition of the workforce (i.e. from smokers to nonsmokers) rather than by decreasing smoking among already employed bartenders. Click here to read the study abstract.

Time-varying smoking abstinence predicts lower depressive symptoms following smoking cessation treatment
Researchers have found that being abstinent from tobacco use after a planned quit attempt improves, rather than worsens, depressive symptoms. Depressive symptoms and tobacco abstinence were assessed at one week prior and at 2, 8, 16, and 26 weeks after a set quit date among 236 participants in a clinical trial testing the effectiveness of incorporating an alcohol intervention into smoking cessation treatment. Analysis indicated that abstaining from smoking cigarettes in a particular week was associated with reductions in depressive symptoms, and that depressive symptoms increased only among participants that never abstained. While the results cannot be generalized and a causal inference cannot be made, they do suggest that successful smoking cessation is associated with improvement in psychological health. Click here to read the abstract of the study, presented in Nicotine and Tobacco Research.

Motivational interviewing for smoking cessation: A meta-analytic review
In a recently-published meta-analysis, researchers concluded that while motivational interviewing is an effective treatment for smoking cessation, it may not be an ideal approach. The study, published in the Journal of Consulting and Clinical Psychology, included 31 controlled trials in which smoking abstinence was an outcome variable. For nonpregnant smokers, motivational interviewing significantly increased long-term abstinence rates by a modest 2.3% over the comparison groups. In studies where the impacts of moderating participant, intervention, and study design characteristics on cessation were examined, the effects of motivational interviewing were not significant; however, motivational interviewing did have a significant effect among certain subgroups. The researcher notes that motivational interviewing may be less effective among smokers than alcohol or drug abusers because smokers are more likely to be motivated to quit; 80% of smokers have attempted to quit in the past, and about half of smokers are actively trying to quit at any given time. Click here for more information, or click here to read the abstract of the article.

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Reports

ActionToQuit launches podcast series
ActionToQuit has launched a new tobacco cessation podcast series. The first installment, dated November 17, 2010, is now available for online viewing. It is a short interview with Donna Warner, MA, MBA, Managing Partner, Multi-State Collaborative for Health Systems Change and Thomas Land, PhD, Director, Massachusetts Tobacco Cessation and Prevention Program discussing the Multi-State Collaborative’s successful tobacco cessation policy conference last month. Click here to access ActionToQuit podcasts and webinars.

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