Research

Wearing patch for 6 months may help smokers quit
A new study has found that the use of a nicotine patch for up to six months (about three times longer than the current recommendations suggest) may increase smokers’ chances of abstaining from smoking. The placebo-controlled randomized trial involved 568 adult smokers who wore nicotine patches for eight weeks, after which half continued to wear the patch for sixteen more weeks, while the other half wore placebo patches. Participants who wore the nicotine patch for the full 24 weeks were more successful than the placebo group at refraining from smoking, and were more likely to try to quit again if not successful the first time. However, there was no significant difference between the two groups long term, with 86% from either group reporting having smoked a cigarette in the past week after one year. Click here and here to read more about the study, published in Annals of Internal Medicine, or read the abstract here.

Using the postpartum hospital stay to address mothers' and fathers' smoking: The NEWS Study
Enrolling new parents into tobacco cessation services during postpartum hospitalization may help stimulate quit attempts, according to a new study. A total of 101 parents who were current smokers or recent quitters were enrolled in the study, with 48 assigned to the intervention group to receive the cessation services, and 53 in the control group that would receive no contact after an initial survey. Those in the intervention group received in-person counseling during the hospital stay and an invitation to join a telephone counseling program. Self-reported quit attempts lasting 24 hours were higher in the intervention group (64% versus 18%), although there were no significant differences in seven-day abstinence rates between the groups. Read the abstract of the study, or click here to read an article summarizing the findings.

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Reports

Webinar recording: Barriers to Delivering Tobacco Dependence Interventions across Mental Health Care Settings
SAMHSA and the Smoking Cessation Leadership Center (SCLC) held a webinar in February on tobacco dependence interventions in mental health care settings. In this webinar, Daryl Sharp, PhD, APRN, BC, and Susan Blaakman, MS, APRN, BC, faculty members at the University of Rochester School of Nursing, discuss strategies for working through barriers clinicians often face when addressing tobacco dependence among persons with mental illnesses. Click here to listen to the recording and access the presenters’ slides from the webinar.

Participant recruitment for MyLastDip cessation program
MyLastDip is a free resource to help young (14-25 years) smokeless tobacco users quit. It is funded by the National Cancer Institute, and is being conducted by Oregon Research Institute. More than 885 participants have been enrolled to date, and the researchers hope to eventually recruit 1,500. A nationwide participant recruitment campaign is focusing on four goals: 1) Reaching youthful chewers directly, 2) advertising in media outlets (newspapers, radio), and 3) engaging the assistance of professionals in tobacco control agencies, high schools and colleges. Click here for more information and to receive promotional materials.
 
More Iowans ask for help to quit smoking (IA)
In late December and January, 5,284 calls were made to Quitline Iowa, exceeding last year’s total from the same time period by 36%. The numbers are surprising to public health officials, as there has been a 22% drop in smoking in the state since 2006. During a January campaign callers were offered a four-week supply of nicotine patches, gum, or lozenges. A two-week supply is now being offered to callers. A new public wellness grant will help support Quitline Iowa, with over $635,000 being used for expansion and media promotion of the service. An additional $600,000 will be used to promote state policy supporting obesity control and tobacco use reduction. Click here to read more, or visit Quitline Iowa’s website.

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International

NZ hosts World Health Organization meeting (New Zealand)
New Zealand hosted a four-day World Health Organization (WHO) meeting in February with the goal of encouraging people to quit smoking in the 168 countries that have ratified the Framework Convention on Tobacco Control. Representatives from about sixty countries attended the meeting in order to develop scientifically-based guidelines to promote and support smoking cessation. Click here to read more.

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