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May 2010 Tobacco Control in the News

World No Tobacco Day is May 31, 2010

The World Health Organization created World No Tobacco Day in 1987 to draw attention to tobacco use, the leading cause of preventable death worldwide, and the need to advocate for effective policies that aid in prevention and cessation. This year’s theme is “gender and tobacco, with an emphasis on marketing to women.” WHO Director-General Margaret Chan noted that “protecting and promoting the health of women is crucial to health and development – not only for the citizens of today but also for those of future generations.”

Smoking Cessation in Schizophrenics

A new study has shown that almost half of patients with schizophrenia achieved smoking cessation when treated with varenicline and cognitive behavioral therapy. Researchers reported on the study at the May 2010 Annual Meeting of the American Psychiatric Association (APA). Read more.

Tobacco Cessation and Mental Illness

Why do people fighting against schizophrenia die so much earlier than the population at large? The answer may surprise you. And it’s related to tobacco cessation. Read more.

Three Effective Ways to Quit Smoking Using Chantix

A randomized trial compared three ways to deliver a behavioral smoking cessation program using varenicline (Chantix®): by phone, Web, or both. Although phone counseling had greater treatment advantage for early cessation and appeared to increase medication adherence, abstinence outcomes did not differ at six months. The findings suggest the three programs are all effective treatment options when combined with varenicline. Read more.

Tobacco Cessation and Tea Filters

After 20 years of research, a group of scientists from State Key Laboratory of Brain and Cognitive Science, Institute of Biophysics, Chinese Academy of Sciences have developed a novel tea filter to treat cigarette addiction and have discovered the molecular mechanism behind the smoking cessation effect. Read more.

Kiosk Acts as a Bilingual Decision Aid for Quitting Smoking

A kiosk located in safety-net clinics and health fairs can aid Hispanic and other smokers in setting a quit date and choosing effective treatments. A study in the May issue of the Journal of Health Care for the Poor and Underserved showed how the kiosk can address language barriers and extend outreach to non-English speaking smokers. Read more.

Incentive to Quit

According to the CDC, men who smoke incur about $16,000 more in lifetime medical expenses and are absent from work four days more per year than men who do not smoke. Women smokers incur about $18,000 more in expenses and are absent two more days than their non-smoking counterparts. If there is one wellness benefit that will save your company the most money, helping smoking employees become non-smokers is it. But is management likely to pay smoking employees directly as an incentive to quit? And, if so, what would it be worth? Read more.

E-Cigarettes and Cessation: Helpful but Unreliable, Study Says

People who have used electronic cigarettes say they were a bit helpful to quit smoking, but the devices were described as unreliable, Swiss researchers say. Read more.

Nicotine Vaccine Research

Researchers at Wake Forest University Baptist Medical Center have received a $2.5 million grant from the National Institutes of Health to study a vaccine for nicotine addiction, which has shown promise in clinical trials. The research, published recently by Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, attempts to learn why some smokers are more addicted to nicotine than others. Read more.

National Working Group for ACTTION

Partnership for Prevention