Search

In 2005, the European Union (EU) commissioned a study as part of an EU-wide antismoking campaign. The study was conducted by a consortium of EU companies. Our research reanalyzes the EU data, based on interviews with over 25,000 consumers in 25 countries. This paper focuses on Eastern EU countries and addresses the potential effects of source misattribution. We built a conceptual model linking comprehension of and attitude toward the campaign with outcome measures: responsible thinking toward smoking and intention to quit. Our analysis suggests that source attribution plays a moderating role in the relationship between message comprehension and the two outcome variables. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article focuses on the request of the World Health Organization (WHO) for preemptive ban on smokeless tobacco. A group of experts meeting under the auspices of the organization has called for a ban to prevent the new public health epidemic from a new form of tobacco use. The group declared that smokeless tobacco is being promoted cynically across the globe despite of its known harmful health consequences. WHO working paper studies indicated that beyond any reasonable doubt, smokeless tobacco is a serious health hazard for it caused cancer of the oral cavity and of nicotine addiction. Finally, some measures are recommended by the WHO experts like the prohibition of promotion in the mass media and health warnings on all smokeless tobacco products.

This paper tests the hypothesis that education improves health and increases life expectancy. The analysis of smoking histories shows that after 1950, when information about the dangers of tobacco started to diffuse, the prevalence of smoking declined earlier and most dramatically for college graduates. I construct panels based on smoking histories in an attempt to isolate the causal effect of smoking from the influence of time-invariant unobservable characteristics. The results suggest that, at least among women, college education has a negative effect on smoking prevalence and that more educated individuals responded faster to the diffusion of information on the dangers of smoking. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objectives: Epidemiological surveys make it clear that youth smoking contributes to bath current and future tobacco industry revenue: over 80% of adult smokers reportedly began smoking before age 18. This paper estimates annual and lifetime revenue from youth smoking, and highlights the association between declines in youth smoking and declines in tobacco industry revenue. Main outcome measures: This paper reports the amount of tobacco industry revenue generated by youth smoking at two points in time (1997 and 2002), and describes the distribution of youth generated tobacco income among the major tobacco companies. The authors project the amount of tobacco industry revenue that will be generated by members of two cohorts (the high school senior classes of 1997 and 2002) over the course of their lifetimes. Results: In 1997, youth consumed 890 million cigarette packs, generating $737 million in annual industry revenue. By 2002, consumption dropped to 541 million packs and revenue increased to nearly $1.2 billion. Fifty eight per cent of youth generated revenue goes to Philip Morris USA, 18% to Lorillard, and 12% to RJ Reynolds. The authors project that, over the course of their lives, the 1997 high school senior class will smoke 12.4 billion pecks of cigarettes, generating $27.3 billion in revenue. The 2002 high school senior class is projected to smoke 10.4 billion packs, generating $22.9 billion in revenue over the course of their lives. Conclusions: Cigarette price increases from 1997 to 2002 have resulted in greater revenue for the tobacco industry, despite declines in youth smoking prevalence. However, in the absence of further cigarette price increases, declines in youth smoking are projected to lead ultimately to a loss of approximately $4 billion in future tobacco industry revenue from a single high school cohort. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper examines the causal effect of smoking on body weight in Italy. We take advantage of the discontinuity in smoking habits introduced by the Italian smoking ban in 2005. Our estimates indicate that the ban reduced smoking intensity by half a cigarette per day and smoking participation rate by 2 percentage points. We estimate a significant effect on body weight of about 1 kg. Heterogeneous effects are also found, highlighting a smaller impact on men, employees and overweight and obese people. Most of the weight variations are attributed to quitting smoking, whereas reductions in cigarette consumption are not significant. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Effective mass media campaigns are hard to come by. A delicate blend of art and science is required to ensure content is technically accurate as well as being creatively engaging for the target audience. However, the most expensive component of a media campaign is not its development but its placement at levels that allow smokers to see, engage and respond to its content. This paper uses two examples to illustrate the process of adapting existing effective material to maximise the expenditure of precious resources on the placement of material. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose - Whereas much previous research focuses on the ways consumers strive to gain social approval, consumption that may result in social disapproval must be considered. In order to do so, the purpose of this paper is to explore consumers' self-concepts within a risky consumption context, namely smoking. Self-concept discrepancies and the resulting emotions and coping strategies are identified. Design/methodology/approach - A qualitative methodology based on 30 focus groups conducted across ten European countries is employed. Findings - Findings demonstrate self-concept discrepancies between both the actual self and ought/ideal guiding end states, as well as between the "I" and social selves. Such discrepancies generate negative emotions and result in emotion-focused coping strategies. In addition, the accuracy of smokers' social self-concepts with reference to the actual perceptions of non-smokers is discussed. Practical implications - Important implications for the design of effective anti-smoking advertising are discussed, based on the findings. It is suggested that counter advertising should encourage dialogue between smokers and non-smokers and that message themes should centre on building the self-efficacy of smokers. Originality/value - The reason why the social context should be an integral part of consumer self-concept research is highlighted. Moreover, the importance of moving beyond merely understanding the existence of self-discrepancies, to focus on the emotions that are generated by these discrepancies and the consequent coping strategies employed to resolve them is identified. As such, the potential contributions that may arise by recognising the intersection between two bodies of literature that are often treated separately, namely, consumer coping and the self-concept, are highlighted. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper explores adolescent preferences for the setting, timing, delivery format, provider and key elements of tobacco control programmes. The need for programme sensitivity towards urban/rural, gender and ethnic subgroups is also discussed. Schools were purpo- sively selected from the Southern Cape-Karoo Region, South Africa. Twelve prevention and nine cessation focus group discussions were conducted with Grade 6-8 students and Grade 8-9 smokers and ex-smokers, respectively. Adolescents reported similar preferences for prevention and cessation programmes. Although they were unaware of smoking prevention or cessation programmes, they reported a willingness to participate in such programmes. Programmes should include school-based activities that are supported by out-of-school activities held over weekends and holidays. Non-judgemental and empathetic teachers and peers, as well as ex-smokers were preferred as programme providers. School-based participatory delivery formats should be supported by community- based mass media approaches. Programmes can be jointly presented to boys and girls of diverse ethnic backgrounds with some gender- sensitive sessions. Programme participation and sustainability would be enhanced if it were exciting, fun filled and integrated into their daily lives. School-based programmes must be embedded within comprehensive approaches that involve community- and policy-level interventions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The purpose was 2-fold: first to analyse how compliance with the minimum-age law of 18 for the purchase of tobacco has changed over time, second to determine what factors affect the possibility for adolescents to buy cigarettes. Three series (1996, 1999 and 2002) of test purchases of tobacco were conducted in three regions of Sweden. Altogether, 36 test purchasers carried out 1867 test purchases. In 1996, 93% of all attempted purchases resulted in the purchase of cigarettes. The corresponding figures for 1999 were 80% and for 2002 63%. The results indicate significant regional differences in the test purchasers' opportunities to buy cigarettes. This paper demonstrates that compliance with the minimum-age law has had an effect on the ease with which adolescents purchase cigarettes, and further that such purchase has become more difficult. The study also indicates great potential for local efforts to induce more retailers to comply with the law. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

It is increasingly argued that the effectiveness of health promotion interventions should be measured to inform policy and practice. The randomized controlled trial (RCT) continues to be regarded as the 'gold standard' of health services research but health promotion practitioners have raised concerns about the RCT's appropriateness for evaluating their work. A preferred model is currently the pragmatic trial, measuring effectiveness under 'routine' conditions, incorporating a process evaluation to examine context, implementation and receipt. This model was chosen by A Stop Smoking in Schools Trial (ASSIST) to evaluate an intervention in which influential Year 8 students (12-13 years old) were trained to encourage non-smoking behaviour through informal conversations with their peers. Outcome data show that the intervention was effective in reducing smoking levels in intervention schools compared with control schools. In this paper we describe the extensive process evaluation embedded within the trial and, rather than focusing on resultant data, we consider the potential for such detailed examination of process to affect the intervention's delivery, receipt and outcome evaluation. We describe how some acknowledged challenges were addressed within ASSIST, which have relevance for future similar trials: Hawthorne effects, overlapping roles within the team and distinguishing between the intervention and its evaluation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: The tobacco industry has lobbied successfully to obtain the support of the United States government for opening Asian Markets to American tobacco products. This paper comments on two issues arising from these efforts: the development of an atmosphere of invasion and resistance to invasion in Asia; and the change in the image of the United States in Asian nations from that of a leader in health to that of an exporter of death. The threat of sanctions and the effects of the open market and United States tobacco company advertising in Japan, Taiwan, and South Korea are noted. Parallels are drawn between the opium wars a century and a half ago in China and the current threat of trade sanctions. Reacting to American policy, an Asia-Pacific Association for Control of Tobacco has been formed and linked with the US Coalition Against Smoking. (Am J Public Health 1990;80:659-662.) [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper is a review of published reports, in English, of educational programs designed to change smoking behavior. Attempts to change the smoking behavior of young people have included anti-smoking campaigns, youth-to-youth programs, and a variety of message themes and teaching methods. Instruction has been presented both by teachers who were committed or persuasive and by teachers who were neutral or presented both sides of the issue. Didactic teaching, group discussion, individual study, peer instruction, and mass media have been employed. Health effects of smoking, both short- and long-term effects, have been emphasized. Most methods used with youth have shown little success. Studies of other methods have produced contradictory results. Educational programs for adults have included large scale anti-smoking campaigns, smoking cessation clinics, and a variety of more specific withdrawal methods. These methods have included individual counseling, emotional role playing, aversive conditioning, desensitization, and specific techniques to reduce the likelihood that smoking will occur in situations previously associated with smoking. Some of these techniques have produced poor results while studies of other methods have shown inconsistent results. The two methods showing the most promise are individual counseling and smoking withdrawal clinics. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objectives. Question 1 raised the Massachusetts state tobacco tax to fund tobacco education programs. This paper examines the process of qualifying and passing Question 1. Methods. Information was gathered from internal memoranda, meeting minutes, newspaper articles, internal documents, letters, newsletters, news and press releases, and personal interviews. Data about campaign contributions were obtained from the Massachusetts Office of Campaign and Political Finance. Results. Three factors help explain why Question 1 passed: (1) the policy environment was favorable because of the social unacceptability of smoking; (2) the activists assembled a large coalition of supporters; and (3) the activists countered industry claims that the new tax would hurt small business and lower-income smokers and would be wasted by the legislature. The ballot initiative passed despite the industry's $7 million campaign to defeat it. Conclusions. The apparent influence of the tobacco industry on the legislature was the driving force behind the decision of public health activists to qualify Question 1. Moving policy-making out of the legislature into the public arena widened the scope of conflict and enabled public health activists to win. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Public health policy often involves implementing cost-efficient, large-scale interventions. When mandating or forbidding a specific behaviour is not permissible, public health professionals may draw on behaviour change interventions to achieve socially beneficial policy objectives. Interventions can have two main effects: (i) a direct effect on people initially targeted by the intervention; and (ii) an indirect effect mediated by social influence and by the observation of other people's behaviour. However, people's attitudes and beliefs can differ markedly throughout the population, with the result that these two effects can interact to produce unexpected, unhelpful and counterintuitive consequences. Public health professionals need to understand this interaction better. This paper illustrates the key principles of this interaction by examining two important areas of public health policy: tobacco smoking and vaccination. The example of antismoking campaigns shows when and how public health professionals can amplify the effects of a behaviour change intervention by taking advantage of the indirect pathway. The example of vaccination campaigns illustrates how underlying incentive structures, particularly anticoordination incentives, can interfere with the indirect effect of an intervention and stall efforts to scale up its implementation. Recommendations are presented on how public health professionals can maximize the total effect of behaviour change interventions in heterogeneous populations based on these concepts and examples. Les politiques de sante publique impliquent souvent I'organisation de campagnes rentables a grande echelle. Lorsqu'il est impossible d'imposer ou d'interdire certains comportements, les professionnels de la sante publique ont parfois recours a des actions induisant un changement de comportement afin d'atteindre des objectifs benefiques pour la societe. Ces actions sont susceptibles d'entrainer deux effets: (i) un effet direct sur les personnes initialement visees par la campagne; et (ii) un effet indirect provoque par la pression sociale et l'observation du comportement d'autres personnes. Neanmoins, les attitudes et croyances peuvent considerablement varier au sein de la population; ainsi, ces deux effets peuvent interagir et avoir des consequences imprevues, inefficaces et contre-intuitives. Les professionnels de la sante publique ont besoin de mieux comprendre cette interaction. Le present document en illustre donc les principes majeurs en examinant deux domaines cles des politiques de sante publique: le tabagisme et la vaccination. Lexemple des campagnes antitabac montre quand et comment les acteurs de la sante publique peuvent accentuer l'impact d'une action destinee a faire evoluer les comportements en optant pour l'approche indirecte. L'exemple des campagnes de vaccination met en lumiere la maniere dont les structures d'incitation sous-jacentes, en particulier celles favorisant l'anticoordination, peuvent interferer avec l'effet indirect d'une action et aneantir les efforts deployes pour la mettre en reuvre. Plusieurs recommandations sont formulees afin d'aider les professionnels de la sante publique a amplifier l'effet global des actions de changement comportemental au sein d'une population heterogene, en s'appuyant sur ces concepts et exemples. La politica de salud publica suele incluir la aplicacion de intervenciones rentables y a gran escala. Cuando no es posible imponer o prohibir un comportamiento especifico, los profesionales de la salud publica pueden recurrir a intervenciones de cambio de comportamiento para lograr objetivos politicos que sean favorables para la sociedad. Es posible que las intervenciones generen dos efectos principales: i) un efecto directo sobre las personas a las que en principio se dirige la intervention; y ii) un efecto indirecto mediado por la influencia social y por la observation del comportamiento de otras personas. Sin embargo, las actitudes y creencias de las personas pueden ser muy diferentes en toda la poblacion, por lo que estos dos efectos pueden interactuar y producir consecuencias inesperadas, poco utiles y contraproducentes. Los profesionales de la salud publica deben comprender mejor esta interaccion. Este documento explica los principios clave de esta interaccion al analizar dos areas importantes de la politica de salud publica: el tabaquismo y la vacunacion. El ejemplo de las campanas antitabaco muestra cuando y como los profesionales de la salud publica pueden aumentar los efectos de una intervention de cambio de comportamiento si se aprovecha el procedimiento indirecto. El ejemplo de las campanas de vacunacion explica como las estructuras subyacentes de incentivos, en particular los incentivos de descoordinacion, pueden interferir con el efecto indirecto de una intervention y detener los esfuerzos para ampliar su aplicacion. A partir de estos conceptos y ejemplos, se formulan recomendaciones sobre como los profesionales de la salud publica pueden maximizar el efecto total de las intervenciones de cambio de comportamiento en poblaciones heterogeneas., Introduction Public health policy objectives often conflict with local culture. (1-3) Thus, to avoid a backlash when trying to change people's behaviour, policy-makers may often resist policies that forbid or [...]

Objectives. This paper reexamines the work of Meier and Licari in a previous issue of the Journal. Methods. The impact of excise taxes on cigarette consumption and sales was measured via standard regression analysis. Results. The 1983 federal tax increase is shown to have an anomalous effect on the regression results. When those data are excluded, there is no significant difference between state and federal tax increases. Further investigation suggests that firms raised cigarette prices substantially in the years surrounding the 1983 federal tax increase, which accounts for the relatively large decrease in consumption during this period. Conclusions. Federal excise taxes per se do not appear to be more effective than state excise taxes in terms of reducing cigarette consumption. The reaction of cigarette firms to government policies appears to be an important determinant of the success of antismoking initiatives. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

BACKGROUND: The use of visual methodologies has gained increased prominence among health researchers working with socially marginalised populations, including those studying tobacco and other types of substance use. OBJECTIVES: This article draws from two separate studies combining qualitative and photographic methods to illustrate the unique insights that visual research with smokers can generate for tobacco control. METHODS: A purposeful selection of photographs and captions produced by research participants in a study with (1) 20 new fathers that smoke and, (2) a study with 21 adolescent girls that smoke are analysed and discussed in detail. RESULTS: Images produced by smokers illustrate the roles of gender and social context in shaping smoking status, as well as the private struggles with tobacco use experienced by smokers in their day-to-day lives and relationships. CONCLUSIONS: Photographic methods have the potential to generate information that may assist in developing tobacco control messaging and programming that speaks to smokers' perceptions of their tobacco use. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article presents a study which compared and analyzed the annual prevalence rate of receiving advice to quit smoking from health professionals in Taiwan before and after the increase in funding and the withdrawal of additional funding. Data from the 2004 to 2007 Taiwan Adult Tobacco Survey were analyzed and smoking characteristics were examined. Results showed an increase in rates of receiving quit advice among all smokers during period of increased funding for smoking cessation services.

The article examines how tobacco issues were presented in Missouri's print media leading up to the 2006 election based on an analysis of articles with tobacco content published in 187 Missouri newspapers in the year before the election. Results showed that the proportion of anti-tobacco control articles increased significantly the month before the election and most articles were news stories and pro-tobacco control. The critical role of the media in promoting public health goals is indicated.

The article discusses international issues and concerns in tobacco control as of February 2010. The tobacco industry was defeated in court in Switzerland in November 2009 when it attempted to sue the health advocacy group OxyRomandie. The state of Queensland in Australia has approved legislation to make cars carrying children smoke-free to be implemented in 2010. The Canadian parliament approved legislation to ban flavored cigarettes, little cigars and blunt wraps.

Background: The Australian National Tobacco Campaign (NTC) was an intensive mass media anti-smoking campaign, the first phase of which commenced in 1997, cost around $A9 million, and reduced smoking prevalence by 1.4%. Objective: To assess the cost-effectiveness of phase one of the NTC, which ran from June to November 1997. Design and study population: The quit benefits model (QBM), a Markov-cycle simulation model was used to predict the benefits of smoking cessation for the estimated 190 000 quitters from the time of quitting until death, censored at age 85 years. Measures of effectiveness were cases of lung cancer, acute myocardial infarction (AMI), stroke and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) avoided; deaths prevented, and life-years and quality-adjusted life-years (QALYs) gained. The savings in healthcare costs through prevention of the four specified smoking-associated diseases were estimated. Future costs, life-years and QALYS were discounted at 3% per year. Results: The QBM predicted that the NTC avoided over 32 000 cases of COPD, 11 000 cases of AMI, 10 000 cases of lung cancer, and 2500 cases of stroke. Prevention of around 55 000 deaths, gains of 323 000 life-years and 407 000 QALYs, and healthcare cost savings of $A740.6 million were predicted. The NTC was therefore both cost saving and effective. Conclusions: As well as reducing smoking prevalence, the NTC was unequivocally cost-effective. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: This study assessed whether dramatic funding reductions to the Florida Tobacco Control Program (FOP) influenced trends in recall of the Florida "truth" anti-smoking media campaign, anti-industry attitudes and non-smoking intentions among Florida teens. Methods: We used an interrupted time series technique to test for differences in the rates of change in Florida "truth" recall, anti-industry beliefs and non-smoking intentions before and after the FTCP budget cuts using the Florida Anti-tobacco Media Evaluation (FAME) survey, a repeated cross-sectional telephone survey of Florida teens. Results: Recall of the Florida "truth" anti-smoking campaign, anti-industry attitudes, and non-smoking intentions increased dramatically between April 1998 and May 1999. Florida "truth" recall declined after FTCP budget cuts in June 1999. Anti-industry beliefs and nonsmoking intentions plateaued or began to decline after the budget cuts. The launch of the national "truth" campaign in February 2000 may have offset otherwise deleterious effects of the budget cuts on anti-industry beliefs, but not smoking intentions. Conclusion: Reductions in tobacco control funding have immediate effects on programme exposure and cognitive precursors to smoking initiation. There is a critical need to maintain and enhance funding for state tobacco control programmes to continue nationwide progress in preventing youth from initiating cigarette smoking. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objectives: With the male smoking prevalence near 60% in 1991, Thailand was one of the first Asian nations to implement strict tobacco control policies. However, the success of their efforts has not been well documented. Methods: The role of tobacco control policies are examined using the "SimSmoke" tobacco control model. We first validated the model against survey data on smoking prevalence. We then distinguished the effect of policies implemented between 1991 and 2006 from longterm trends in smoking rates. We also estimated smoking attributable deaths and lives saved as a result of the policies. Results: The model validates well against survey data. The model shows that by the year 2006, policies implemented between 1991 and 2006 had already decreased smoking prevalence by 25% compared to what it would have been in the absence of the policies. Tax increases on cigarettes and advertising bans had the largest impact, followed by media anti-smoking campaigns, clean air laws and health warnings. The model estimates that the policies saved 31 867 lives by 2006 and will have saved 319 456 lives by 2026. Conclusions: The results document the success of Thailand in reducing smoking prevalence and reducing the number of lives lost to smoking, thereby showing the potential of tobacco control policies specifically in a middle-income country. Additional improvements can be realised through higher taxes, stronger clean air policies, comprehensive cessation treatment policies, and targeted media campaigns. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In recent years, tobacco use and its control have become increasingly the focus of attention of policy-makers and researchers due to ill health effects of smoking on both smokers and non-smokers. This paper contributes to a neglected research area by focusing on tobacco use and its regulation in Croatia. In particular, this study uses recent survey information to analyze the tobacco use patterns in Croatia and influence of tobacco campaigns and to compare these patterns to other EU candidate nations and the EU as a whole. Overall the results show that in some aspects of tobacco use and regulation Croatia fares better than other European countries, while in other aspects it is somewhat lagging. For instance, on the positive side, more Croat smokers and ex-smokers were exposed to anti-smoking campaigns than smokers in other countries. However, the effectiveness of such exposure is modest in terms of the percentage of smokers who wanted to quit smoking and the relatively low share of population which claims protection from second-hand smoke. Croatia also has to further strengthen the country's compliance with international tobacco control mandates in terms of enforcement of existing tobacco consumption restrictions. Besides shedding light on the effectiveness of tobacco control policies, the findings of this study have some implications for Croatia's accession to the E.U. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The objective of this study was to assess the relationship between exposure to state-sponsored anti-tobacco advertising and smoking cessation. Cessation rates in 2001 among a cohort of 2061 smokers who participated in the Community Intervention Trial for Smoking Cessation between 1988 and 1993 and completed a follow-up survey in 2001 were merged with 2000-01 television advertising exposure data from Nielsen Media Research. The relative risk for quitting was estimated to be 10% higher for every 5000 units of exposure to state anti-tobacco television advertising over the 2-year period, although this did not quite achieve statistical significance. The association was even larger among those who reported that the level of information in the media about the dangers of smoking had increased 'a lot' between 1993 and 2001 (RR = 1.19, 95% CI = 1.03-1.38). These data are consistent with the finding that increased exposure to state anti-tobacco media increases smoking cessation rates. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objectives: To examine the phenomenon of non-smokers spontaneously taking action to seek help for smokers; to provide profiles of non-smoking helpers by language and ethnic groups. Selling A large, statewide tobacco quitline (California Smokers Helpline) in operation since 1992 in California, providing free cessation services in English, Spanish, Mandarin, Cantonese, Korean, and Vietnamese. Subjects: Callers between August 1992 and September 2005 who identified themselves as either white, black, Hispanic, American Indian, or Asian (n = 349 110). A subset of these were "proxies": callers seeking help for someone else. For more detailed analysis, n = 2143 non-smoking proxies calling from October 2004 through September 2005. Main outcome measures: Proportions of proxies among all callers in each of seven language/ethnic groups; demographics of proxies; and proxies' relationships to smokers on whose behalf they called. Results: Over 22 000 non-smoking proxies called. Proportions differed dramatically across language/ ethnic groups, from mean (±95% confidence interval) 2.7 (0.3)% among English-speaking American Indians through 9.3 (0.3)% among English-speaking Hispanics to 35.3 (0.7)% among Asian-speaking Asians. Beyond the differences in proportion, however, remarkable similarities emerged across all groups. Proxies were primarily women (79.2 (1.7)%), living in the same household as the smokers (65.0 (2.1)%), and having either explicit or implicit understandings with the smokers that calling on their behalf was acceptable (90.0 (1.3)%). Conclusions: The willingness of non-smokers to seek help for smokers holds promise for tobacco cessation and may help address ethnic and language disparities. Non-smoking women in smokers' households may be the first group to target. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objectives: To evaluate the impact and relevance of the national awareness day "No Smoking Day" 22 years after it was launched. Design: Triangulation of data from a variety of sources. Retrospective surveys conducted one week and three months after No Smoking Day, media coverage, website activity, and volume of calls to national smokers' helplines. Main outcome measures: Self reports of awareness and smoking behaviour changes one week and three months after No Smoking Day. Volume of media coverage, visits to No Smoking Day website, and volumes of calls to smokers' helplines. Results: Follow up at one week indicates awareness of No Smoking Day is lower in 2004 than in 1986 but still high at 70% for all smokers. The decline in participation from 18% of aware smokers in 1994 to 7% in 2001 has been reversed and in 2005 19% quit or reduced their smoking on No Smoking Day. Three months after No Smoking Day awareness was 78% in 2004, lower than in previous studies but still high and equivalent to 9 965 000 smokers when applied to the population estimate of UK smokers. Likewise participation has decreased but at 14% in 2004 is equivalent to an estimated 1 840 000 (1 in 7 of UK smokers) claiming to quit or reduce their consumption on the Day. Among those who participated, 11% were still not smoking more than three months after the Day, equivalent to an estimated 85 000 smokers (0.7% of UK smokers). Media volume has increased even though campaign spend has remained relatively constant and calls to national smokers' helplines on No Smoking Day are typically four times those received on an average day. Conclusions: These data suggest that after 22 years No Smoking Day continues to be successful in reaching smokers. With a budget insufficient to pay for advertising, this public awareness campaign supported by local activities appears to be effective in helping smokers to stop. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: To review tobacco company strategies of using youth smoking prevention programmes to counteract the Malaysian government's tobacco control legislation and efforts in conducting research on youth to market to them. Methods: Systematic keyword and opportunistic website searches of formerly private internal industry documents. Search terms included Malay, cmtm, jaycees, YAS, and direct marketing; 195 relevant documents were identified for this paper. Results: Industry internal documents reveal that youth anti-smoking programmes were launched to offset the government's tobacco control legislation. The programme was seen as a strategy to lobby key politicians and bureaucrats for support in preventing the passage of legislation. However, the industry continued to conduct research on youth, targeted them in marketing, and considered the teenage market vital for its survival. Promotional activities targeting youth were also carried out such as sports, notably football and motor racing, and entertainment events and cash prizes. Small, affordable packs of cigarettes were crucial to reach new smokers. Conclusion: The tobacco industry in Malaysia engaged in duplicitous conduct in regard to youth. By buying into the youth smoking issue it sought to move higher on the moral playing field and strengthen its relationship with government, while at the same time continuing to market to youth. There is no evidence that industry youth smoking prevention programmes were effective in reducing smoking; however, they were effective in diluting the government's tobacco control legislation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A survey on brand preference and cigarette advertising recall in 1,195 school children was conducted in Sydney, Australia. Four of the 130 available brands accounted for the cigarettes smoked by 78.7 per cent of smokers. Smokers were nearly twice as likely to correctly identify edited cigarette advertisements and slogans than were non-smokers. Brand preference is considered an important descriptor of smoking profiles. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The present study examined the relationships between exposure to a smoking awareness curriculum, attitudes toward and knowledge about smoking, sociodemographic anti smoking exposure characteristics, and change in smoking starts over three years. During this period, 4.5 per cent of the students decreased their involvement with cigarettes, 56.6 per cent reported no change, and 38.9 per cent reported an increase. Exposure to the curriculum did not bear a significant relationship to change in smoking; however, changes in peer smoking, knowledge, and parental smoking were significant predictors. (Am J Public Health 1981; 71: 1401-1404.) [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The impact of the anti-smoking campaign on the consumption of cigarettes is measured by fitting cigarette demand functions to pre-campaign date, projecting "ahead" as if the campaign had not occurred, and then comparing these predictions with realized consumption. The analysis suggests that major "events" in the campaign (e.g., Surgeon General's Report) caused immediate though transitory decreases of 4 to 5 per cent in annual per capital consumption. However, the cumulative effect of persistent publicity supported by other public policies, has been substantial: in the absence of the campaign, per capita consumption likely would have exceeded its actual 1975 value by 20 to 30 per cent. This is a conservative indication of the effectiveness of the campaign, for it ignores other potentially important and desirable behavior changes, such as the shift to low "tar" and nicotine cigarettes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objectives. The purpose of this study was to examine the relative effects of taxation vs an anti-smoking media campaign on cigarette consumption in California. Methods. Quarterly cigarette sales data reported by the California State Board of Equalization between 1980 and 1992 were used to estimate a time-series model, adjusted for seasonal variations and time trends. Results. The estimated results show that sales of cigarettes were reduced by 819 million packs from the third quarter of 1990 through the fourth quarter of 1992 owing to an additional 25-cent state tax increase, while the anti-smoking media campaign reduced the cigarette sales by 232 million packs during the same period. Conclusions. Both taxation and anti-smoking media campaigns are effective means of reducing cigarette consumption. The strength of those effects, however, is influenced by the magnitude of the taxes and the amount of media campaign expenditures. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article reports on the suggestion of two research studies, pertaining to the best strategy used for reducing risks of smoking. According to a recent publication, smoking as few as one to four cigarettes daily can significantly raise the risk of dying compared with a nonsmoker. Women and men who lightly smoke had close to three times higher risk of dying from ischemic heart disease. Researchers have been continuously finding ways to adopt a strategy of harm reduction through less smoking.

Background: Given the long-term health effects of smoking during adolescence and the substantial role that tobacco-related morbidity and mortality play in the global burden of disease, there is a worldwide need to design and implement effective youth-focused smoking prevention interventions. While smoking prevention interventions that focus on both social competence and social influence have been successful in preventing smoking uptake among adolescents in developed countries, their effectiveness in developing countries has not yet been clearly demonstrated. SKY Girls is a multimedia, empowerment and anti-smoking program aimed at 13-16-year old girls in Accra, Ghana. The program uses school and community-based events, a magazine, movies, a radio program, social media and other promotional activities to stimulate normative and behavioral change.Methods: This study uses pre/post longitudinal data on 2625 girls collected from an interviewer-administered questionnaire. A quasi-experimental matched design was used, incorporating comparison cities with limited or no exposure to SKY Girls (Teshie, Kumasi and Sunyani). Fixed-effects modeling with inverse probability weighting was used to obtain doubly robust estimators and measure the causal influence of SKY Girls on a set of 15 outcome indicators.Results: Results indicate that living and studying in the intervention city was associated with an 11.4 percentage point (pp) (95% CI [2.1, 20.7]) increase in the proportion of girls perceiving support outside their families; an 11.7 pp. decrease (95% CI [- 20.8, - 2.6]) in girls' perception of pressure to smoke cigarettes; a 12.3 pp. increase (95% CI [2.1, 20.7]) in the proportion of girls who had conversations with friends about smoking; an 11.7 pp. increase (95% CI [3.8, 20.8]) in their perceived ability to make choices about what they like and do not like, and 20.3 pp. (95% CI [- 28.4, - 12.2]) and 12.1 pp. (95% CI [- 20.7, - 3.5]) reductions in the proportion agreeing with the idea that peers can justify smoking shisha and cigarettes, respectively. An analysis of the dose-effect associations between exposure to multiple campaign components and desired outcomes was included and discussed.Conclusion: The study demonstrates the effectiveness of a multimedia campaign to increase perceived support, empowerment and improve decision-making among adolescent girls in a developing country. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Campaign success is contingent on adequate exposure; however, exposure opportunities (e.g., ad reach/frequency) are imperfect predictors of message recall. We hypothesized that the exposure-recall relationship would be contingent on message processing. We tested moderation hypotheses using 3 data sets pertinent to "The Real Cost" anti-smoking campaign: past 30-day ad recall from a rolling national survey of adolescents aged 13–17 (n = 5,110); ad-specific target rating points (TRPs), measuring ad reach and frequency; and ad-elicited response in brain regions implicated in social processing and memory encoding, from a separate adolescent sample aged 14–17 (n = 40). Average ad-level brain activation in these regions moderates the relationship between national TRPs and large-scale recall (p <.001), such that the positive exposure-recall relationship is more strongly observed for ads that elicit high levels of social processing and memory encoding in the brain. Findings advance communication theory by demonstrating conditional exposure effects, contingent on social and memory processes in the brain. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: We present the results of a survey conducted to evaluate the impact of a newspaper mediated smoking cessation program conducted in Buffalo. New York in January 1987. Over half of all smokers surveyed reported exposure to the newspaper series: 13 per ¢ reported that the series prompted them to try to quit smoking, and 4 per ¢ stopped smoking for' at least one week. We estimate that over 9,600 smokers in Erie County, New. York stopped smoking for at least one week as a result of the newspaper's smoking cessation program. (Am J Public Health 1987: 77: 1452-1453.) [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

While the de-marketing of smoking among teenagers has received wide attention in the literature, few have examined the issue of whether messages should be uniform across cultures. Globally, the vast majority of anti-smoking messages are based on fear appeals to the negative effects on the (potential) smoker him/herself. This research suggests that such a global strategy may be suboptimal. Specifically, while ads portraying the negative consequences of smoking to oneself may work for teens from individualist cultures, they are less effective in collectivist cultures. In contrast, messages orientated towards the adverse effects on other people are more effective in collectivist environments. Given the astronomical amounts spent on anti-tobacco advertising, this finding offers significant advantages for creating effective anti-smoking messages. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The present research addresses how framing may influence the effectiveness of advertising messages aimed at preventing smoking among adolescents. The research applies regulatory focus theory to explore the effectiveness of message framing in antismoking advertisements. The finding reveals that adolescents demonstrate (1) lower intentions to smoke, (2) lower perceived pharmacological benefits of smoking, and (3) lower perceived psychological benefits of smoking when the fit between the regulatory goal and the antismoking message frame is congruent (versus incongruent). Therefore, antismoking messages for adolescents with a promotion focus should emphasize promotion-related merits of abstaining from smoking, whereas antismoking messages for adolescents with a prevention focus should emphasize prevention-related merits of abstaining from smoking. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article evaluates some papers on operations research and management sciences, published previously in different journals. The paper entitled, "Clearing the Airwaves: The Cigarette Ad Ban Revisited," by Kenneth E. Warner, published in a 1979 issue of the journal "Policy Analysis," presents a re-analysis of data on the ban's impact on cigarette consumption separates long-term and short-term effects. Conventional wisdom says the ban led to increased cigarette consumption because the more effective anti-smoking advertisements also were pushed off the air, but this analysis suggests the other way round. Another paper entitled, "Reducing Injury and Death Rates in Robbery," by Philip J. Cook, published in a 1980 issue of the journal "Policy Analysis," asserts that most casualties in robberies involve no provocation by the victim. The author argues that the rate of casualties may drop if sentences are made more severe for robberies involving injuries.

Background: Physicians in Argentina smoke at rates similar to the general population, and do not have a clear role in tobacco control strategies.Objective: To describe the attitudes and knowledge of medical students and recent graduates towards smoking behavior in Argentina.Design: Cross-sectional self-administered online survey conducted in 2011.Participants: Medical students and recent medical graduates from the University of Buenos Aires.Main Measures: Attitudes and knowledge were evaluated by responses to 16 statements regarding the effects of smoking cigarettes and the role of physicians in tobacco control. Rates of agreement with a full ban on indoor smoking in different public settings were assessed.Key Results: The sample included 1659 participants (response rate: 35.1 %), 453 of whom (27.3 %) were current smokers. Only 52 % of participants agreed that doctors should set an example for their patients by not smoking, 30.9 % thought that medical advice had little effect on patients' cessation behavior, and 19.4 % believed that physicians could decline to care for smoking patients who failed to quit. In adjusted logistic regression models, current smokers had less supportive attitudes about tobacco control and were less likely than non-smokers to agree with a full indoor smoking ban in hospitals (OR: 0.30; 95 % CI 0.16-0.58), universities (OR: 0.55; 95 % CI 0.41-0.73), workplaces (OR: 0.67; 95 % CI 0.50-0.88), restaurants (OR: 0.42; 95 % CI 0.33-0.53), cafes (OR: 0.41; 95 % CI 0.33-0.51), nightclubs (OR: 0.32; 95 % CI 0.25-0.40), and bars (0.35; 95 % CI 0.28-0.45). Recent medical graduates had more accurate knowledge about cessation and were more likely to agree with a full smoking ban in recreational venues.Conclusions: Although most participants reported a strong anti-tobacco attitude, a proportion still failed to recognize the importance of their role as physicians in tobacco control strategies. Current smokers and current students were less likely to support indoor smoking bans. Specific educational curricula could address these factors. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Smoking scenes in movies, exploited by the tobacco industry to circumvent advertisement bans, are linked to adolescent smoking. Recently, a Hong Kong romantic comedy Love in a puff put smoking at centre stage, with numerous smoking scenes and words that glamourise smoking. Although WHO has issued guidelines on reducing the exposure of children to smoking in movies, none is adopted in Hong Kong. Comprehensive tobacco control strategies are urgently needed to protect young people in Hong Kong from cigarette promotion in movies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article provides information on the Louisiana Tobacco Control Program's Research and Evaluation Center (LTCP-REC). The increase of tobacco settlement money has made it possible to address the public health problem of tobacco use. However, that funding is not enough to make comprehensive tobacco control initiatives accessible to all U.S. states. LTCP-REC was created to provide resources to the public, healthcare providers, and state-funded tobacco initiatives. It also offers technical assistance in designing, implementing and evaluating community-based tobacco control efforts. What LTCP-REC does when its budget is not enough to meet its objective, they enter in a partnership.

The CYP2B enzyme is expressed in human and rat brain, and metabolizes many CNS-acting drugs. The gene that encodes human CYP2B6 is highly polymorphic, where the variation in brain enzyme levels could result in altered brain drug levels. CYP2B can metabolize nicotine, the main psychoactive ingredient in cigarettes; if altered brain CYP2B activity can influence nicotine brain levels, it could influence nicotine-mediated behaviors. To investigate this, a mechanism-based inhibitor selective for CYP2B, C8-xanthate (20 μg), was administered intracerebroventricularly (ICV) into the brain of rats, and 22 h later, nicotine levels were measured by in vivo microdialysis following nicotine (150 μg/kg intravenous). Brain nicotine levels from 15 to 30 min and the AUC0-45min were both twofold higher (p<0.05) with C8-xanthate vs vehicle pretreatment; there was no difference in peripheral nicotine levels. Rats were then given ICV pretreatment with C8-xanthate/ASCF and underwent intravenous nicotine self-administration with 3.75-30 μg/kg per infusion dose. C8-xanthate pretreatment increased responding in progressive ratio (15 μg/kg per infusion dose, p<0.05). In a separate cohort, C8-xanthate increased the percentage of rats that acquired self-administration (7.5 μg/kg per infusion dose, p<0.05) from 40% after vehicle pretreatment to 100%, with no difference in peripheral nicotine levels measured at the end of behavior. In a third cohort, C8-xanthate increased the number of sessions required to meet extinction criteria (p<0.05). Together these data demonstrate that the brain CYP2B activity can influence nicotine brain levels and subsequent behaviors independent of hepatic metabolism. This suggests that human smokers with variable CYP2B brain levels could have different nicotine levels and reinforcement, which might have a role in smoking behaviors and dependence. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]