Naturalistic Topography Assessment in a Randomized Clinical Trial of Smoking Unfiltered Cigarettes: Challenges, Opportunities, and Recommendations.

Smoking topography (ST) is a set of measures profiling the behavioral characteristics of smoking in various settings. The CReSS portable device can measure ST in the natural environment. No standard protocol exists for measuring ST longitudinally with the CReSS. This study examined the utilization of the CReSS to measure ST and highlights challenges and opportunities in a naturalistic setting. This study is part of a randomized cross-over clinical trial of smoking filtered or unfiltered cigarettes. Participants (n = 43) smoked in each study condition for two weeks using the CReSS device for five days in their naturalistic smoking setting. The devices were calibrated and cleaned during the washout period, and data were downloaded every visit. Five test puffs were administered to calibrate each device. Moderate compliance rates (74.1%) were found with device usage, and the issues encountered were overheating/clogging, incorrectly registered date/time-stamped data, and device repair/replacement. Routine inspection/cleaning and training in device usage were instrumental in mitigating device malfunctioning. The CReSS device proved to be a feasible tool to examine naturalistic smoking topography and the potential impact of changes in tobacco product design on smoking unfiltered cigarettes. This is the first study to examine ST variables longitudinally, measured at multiple time points, and using unfiltered cigarettes.

Health Hazards in the Home: An Assessment of a Southern Nevada Community.

As a sub-grantee of a Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) Lead Hazard Control and Healthy Homes Program, the University of Nevada, Las Vegas' Department of Environmental and Occupational Health performed lead and Healthy Homes investigations and collected data regarding conditions in the home environment in Henderson, Nevada. The purpose of this research is to characterize housing conditions in southern Nevada, compare data to census data, and to highlight the health outcomes associated with adverse housing conditions. Visual home assessments were conducted in 106 homes in southern Nevada, and specific hazards were characterized using the Healthy Homes Rating System. The results were then compared, when possible, to American Housing Survey (AHS) data for the Las Vegas metropolitan area. Lead, domestic hygiene, carbon monoxide, damp and mold, excess cold and heat, and structural collapse were the most frequently identified hazards, found in at least 101 (90%) of participant households. Median household income of program participants was half (50%) that of the surrounding zip code, which was expected, as classification as "low-income" by HUD standards was a requirement for participation. Our data indicated that the AHS data may not be representative of very low income housing in southern Nevada and may underreport actual conditions. In-home inspections performed by trained personnel provide a more accurate picture of conditions than the self-report method used by the AHS. In addition, we recommend the development of a standardized Healthy Homes visual assessment tool to allow for the comparison of housing conditions between communities.