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Tobacco Cessation in the News

Making Smoking-Cessation Counseling a “Norm” for Oral Care Professionals

July 29, 2010 - The Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Office of Continuing Medical Education (CME), and North American Center for Continuing Medical Education (NACCME) are taking action after a survey of U.S. dentists on smoking cessation counseling produced far from ideal outcomes. Read more.

Thoracic Surgeons Use “Teachable Moments” to Help Smokers Quit

July 27, 2010 - A smoking cessation intervention performed by University of Virginia Health System thoracic surgeons has resulted in impressive quit rates. Patient visits to the hospital before and after smoking-related surgery serve as a “teachable moment” for encouraging smokers to quit. Yet, few thoracic surgeons, who often treat smokers for smoking-related illnesses such as lung cancer, emphysema, and coronary artery disease, actually engage in these interventions. At the University of Virginia, thoracic surgeons were trained in smoking cessation counseling and used this training to provide interventions, or “teachable moments,” during pre- and post-surgery office visits. Read more.

A Culturally Tailored Tobacco Cessation Program: Helping LGBT Members “Call It Quits”

July 22, 2010 - Members of the lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT) community typically have much higher smoking rates than non-LGBT people, with LGBT individuals having a 40 to 70 percent greater risk of smoking. However, many smoking cessation programs fail to address the various cultural and social factors that contribute to the higher smoking prevalence among the LGBT community, such as “higher levels of stress and discrimination, frequent patronage of bars and clubs, and higher rates of drug and alcohol use.” The Blue Cross Blue Shield of Minnesota’s Stop-Smoking Program has been working to address these issues by providing culturally tailored tobacco cessation support to the LGBT community of Minnesota, where 41 percent of adult LGBT members smoke compared to the state rate of 17.6 percent. Read more.

Saving Lives and Money - Helping People on Medicaid Quit Tobacco

July 16, 2010 - Partnership for Prevention’s ActionToQuit program has released a comprehensive state-by-state analysis of Medicaid coverage of tobacco cessation. Prepared in collaboration with the American Lung Association, Saving Lives and Money – Helping People on Medicaid Quit Tobacco provides clear guidance to states on necessary steps to provide a comprehensive cessation benefit in accordance with recommendations of the United States Public Health Service. With the recent passage of health reform (Affordable Care Act) which requires that all state Medicaid programs provide comprehensive tobacco cessation care to pregnant women, this is a unique opportunity for states to go farther and expand coverage for the entire Medicaid population. Read more.

Electronic Health Records

July 15, 2010 - In 2009, the Obama administration and Congress passed the Health Information Technology for Economic and Clinical Health Act (HITECH) to increase the use of Electronic Health Records (EHR’s). Read more.

Raising Prices May Increase Youth Smoking Cessation

July 9, 2010 - Results from a recently published study in Health Policy, “State-Level Tobacco Control Policies and Youth Smoking Cessation Measures,” found evidence to suggest that increasing cigarette pricing encourages smoking cessation-related behaviors among youth smokers. Such evidence has major implications for future health policy, suggesting that tax increases on tobacco products should play a major role in our tobacco control policy since these both decrease smoking prevalence and increase smoking cessation among youth. Read more.

Study Debunks Claim that Smoking is an Effective Stress Management Tool

July 8, 2010 - Many smokers claim that smoking helps relieve them of stress and fear that quitting will increase their stress level by eliminating this source of stress relief. “The Effect of Stopping Smoking on Perceived Stress Level,” which was a study recently published in Addiction, supports that using smoking as a stress management tool may not be as effective as many smokers perceive it to be. Read more.

Surgery: A Unique Opportunity to Stop Smoking

July 8, 2010 - Smoking increases the risk of postoperative complications, making smokers more susceptible to infections and difficulties with healing. Given these serious health effects, surgery acts as a major driving force for smoking cessation efforts. A recent study published in the Cochrane Library, “Interventions for Preoperative Smoking Cessation,” researched preoperative smoking interventions and assessed their effect on smoking cessation and postoperative complications. Read more.

Promotion of Smokeless Tobacco: Is This an Effective Harm Reduction Strategy?

July 7, 2010 - Snus is a form of smokeless tobacco which contains pasteurized tobacco within a small pouch that is placed between the upper lip and gum for extended periods of time so the consumer can enjoy the tobacco flavor. While this form of smokeless tobacco still contains nicotine, it does not produce tar since the product is not burned and is considered to be less dangerous than smoking cigarettes. As such, some health professionals contend that snus should be promoted as a “healthier” alternative to cigarettes and used as part of a harm reduction strategy. Read more.

On the Horizon: Personalized Smoking Cessation

July 7, 2010 - A recently published study in the July-August issue of Molecular Medicine, “Personalized Smoking Cessation: Interactions between Nicotine Dose, Dependence and Quit-Success Genotype Score,” highlights new research which could be used to tailor smoking cessation strategies based on personal levels of nicotine dependence, genotype scores, and CO monitoring. Read more.

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Tobacco Cessation in the News

Making Smoking-Cessation Counseling a “Norm” for Oral Care Professionals

Thoracic Surgeons Use “Teachable Moments” to Help Smokers Quit

A Culturally Tailored Tobacco Cessation Program: Helping LGBT Members “Call It Quits”

Saving Lives and Money - Helping People on Medicaid Quit Tobacco

Electronic Health Records

Raising Prices May Increase Youth Smoking Cessation

Study Debunks Claim that Smoking is an Effective Stress Management Tool

Surgery: A Unique Opportunity to Stop Smoking

Promotion of Smokeless Tobacco: Is This an Effective Harm Reduction Strategy?

On the Horizon: Personalized Smoking Cessation

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