Research

Cigarettes are enlisted to test ways of quitting
The National Institutes of Health (NIH) is overseeing research on the public health impacts of changing the nicotine content in cigarettes. The National Institute on Drug Abuse, a department within the NIH, has purchased tens of thousands of cartons of cigarettes with varying nicotine levels, which will be made available free of charge to researchers determining whether lowering nicotine levels in cigarettes can help smokers become less addicted and quit smoking. In the past, similar studies have been limited or ended by fluctuations in supplies of low-nicotine cigarettes from tobacco companies. The findings from the research will provide scientific evidence to guide the Food and Drug Administration's efforts to regulate the manufacturing of tobacco products. Although FDA is prohibited under federal law from banning nicotine from cigarettes altogether, it does have the authority to limit the amount of nicotine delivered by cigarettes if there is a proven benefit to the public's health. Read more here.

New report from CDC: Quitting smoking among adults–United States, 2001-2010
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has published a new report that summarizes trends in smoking cessation from the past decade. Researchers analyzed 2010 National Health Interview Survey (NHIS) data to describe U.S. adult smokers’ interest in quitting, quit attempts in the past year, successful recent smoking cessation, and use of evidence-based cessation treatments and services by demographic characteristics. This report describes the results of that analysis, which found that 68.8% of current smokers want to completely stop smoking, 52.4% of smokers had made a quit attempt in the past year, and 6.2% of smokers had successfully quit within the past year. Further findings indicate that 48.3% of smokers who saw a healthcare professional in the past year recalled getting advice to quit and 31.7% of smokers used counseling and/or FDA-approved medications when they tried to quit. This report, which can be read here, was published in the November 11, 2011 Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report.

Study links Chantix to suicide risk, but FDA disagrees
Although the FDA has not found any evidence of an increased risk of serious psychiatric problems in users of the smoking cessation medication Chantix, another recent study has found an increased risk of suicide among Chantix users. The FDA study examined hospitalizations for psychiatric reasons in users of Chantix and nicotine replacement therapies (NRT), and found no increased hospital risks for Chantix users versus users of NRTs. The new study searched an FDA database for reports of suicides and depression among users of smoking cessation medications, and found that 90% of adverse event reports were among users of Chantix, compared to 7% for bupropion users, and 3% among those on NRTs. A new clinical trial currently being conducted by Pfizer, the maker of Chantix, under the direction of the FDA might provide more solid answers with regard to psychiatric outcomes among Chantix users. Data from the Pfizer study will be made public in 2017. Click here to read more. Read the FDA’s report here, or click here to view the newly-published study in PLoS One.

top

Reports

Arkansas launches Systems Training and Outreach Program (STOP) to involve healthcare providers in smoking cessation (AR)
The Arkansas Tobacco Prevention and Cessation Program (TPCP) has developed an outreach program to work with healthcare providers serving populations within their practices or areas of influence. The Systems Training Outreach Program (STOP) currently uses outreach specialists located in the central and northeast Arkansas regions to provide education and support to providers. Increasing the capacity and efficiency of care systems by asking, documenting tobacco use and advising patients to stop, the outreach specialists make sure that healthcare providers are aware of available and accessible cessation treatment interventions. In particular, the specialists help providers systematically identify patients who are tobacco users, provide guidance to quit and connect them to available resources to successfully quit. STOP provides access to online educational health care provider focused tools and resources. These tools and resources are available for any healthcare provider in the state. The program will aim to decrease statewide prevalence of tobacco use in patients to improve the overall health of Arkansas residents. Click here for more information on STOP, or click here to view a press release from the Arkansas TPCP.

North Dakota Quitline calls double over past 2 years (ND)
The North Dakota Department of Health’s Quitline received 13,000 calls between 2009 and 2011, marking a 200% increase from 2007-2009, when the line received 6,334 calls. Michelle Walker, the director of the North Dakota Department of Health’s Tobacco Prevention and Control Program, believes the Quitline’s increased numbers can be linked to cities’ enactment of comprehensive tobacco control policies, the 2010 increase in the federal tobacco tax, continued education about cessation and the Quitline’s services, and healthcare providers’ referrals of patients to the Quitline. Click here to read more.

New guide for hospitals to implement the Joint Commission tobacco measures
The Partnership for Prevention’s ActionToQuit initiative has released a tobacco cessation implementation guide for hospitals. Healthcare providers and hospital leaders can use this tool to implement a comprehensive tobacco cessation program for patients. The guide contains an overview of the new hospital performance measures for tobacco dependence treatment, steps for successful implementation of tobacco use cessation programs, case studies of hospitals that have carried out tobacco cessation programs successfully, as well as sample resources. According to the guide, hospitalization provides an opportunity to urge tobacco users to quit and assist them in their attempts, as all accredited hospitals are smoke-free environments. Click here for the guide.

top

Back to Table of Contents