Is it time for a tobacco-free military?

Achieving a tobacco-free military requires rethinking current perceptions of service members' tobacco use and unmasking the forces perpetuating those perceptions. Prohibiting tobacco use would be entirely consistent with other military requirements regarding health.

Epilogue to Special Issue on Tobacco and Other Substance Use Disorders: Links and Implications.

This paper summarizes The American Journal of Drug and Alcohol Abuse special issue and offers suggestions for future steps. People who use alcohol or other addictive substances are much more likely to use tobacco. Yet, clinicians and scientists have long regarded these addiction categories as separate and unrelated. The resultant benign neglect of tobacco use has had disastrous consequences on patients. This special issue is an important step toward remedying that situation. It has reviewed what is known and what more needs to be discovered regarding the co-occurrence of tobacco use disorder (TUD) and other substance use disorders (SUDs). The timing of this special issue occurs at a moment when smoking rates among both adults and youth are at a modern low. But not all segments of the population have benefited from this improvement. In particular, those with a SUD smoke two to four times the rate of the general population and thus suffer disproportionately from the myriad tobacco-induced diseases. The multi-disciplinary contributors to this special issue have reviewed various aspects of the co-occurring disorders. What emerges is a complex portrait. In some categories, the facts are stark, such as the strong association between SUDs and tobacco use and the toll they both extract. In others, such as the emerging new electronic nicotine delivery devices, there are intriguing associations that warrant further investigation. What is clear is that the historic schism between smoking and other addictions needs to be breached in order to improve the health of the public. This special issue should be viewed as a call to action for breaching that schism.

American health improvement depends upon addressing class disparities.

The gap in health status between the United States and other (OECD) developed countries not only persists but has widened over the past decade. This has occurred despite major declines in smoking prevalence. But as with other health problems, such as obesity, gun violence, and teenage pregnancy, progress against smoking has disproportionately benefitted the better off segments of the American population. Thus smoking, as well as other problems, is now concentrated among the vulnerable members of our society: the poor and less educated, as well as disadvantaged groups such as those with mental illness and substance use disorders, the homeless, those who are incarcerated, and the LGBT community. Although this is a national issue, these problems, as well as overall poverty, are especially concentrated in the Southeastern part of the country. Compared with the other OECD countries, the U.S. has much greater inequality of income and wealth. Furthermore, we are unique in leaving substantial portions of our population not covered by health insurance, again most prominently in the southeastern region. This national health disparity is not simply a factor of the multicultural nature of American society, because it persists when the health of the whites only is compared with the more racially homogeneous OECD nations. The complexity of our poor health performance rules out a single intervention. But it is clear that without focusing on the less fortunate members of our society, especially those in the Southeast, our performance will continue to lag, and possibly deteriorate further.

Changes in Smoking Intensity Over Time by Birth Cohort and by Latino National Background, 1997-2014.

INTRODUCTION: The purpose of the study was to describe changes in smoking intensity among US Latinos and non-Latinos from 1997 to 2014. METHODS: National Health Interview Survey data between 1997 and 2014 were used to determine the number of cigarettes smoked per day (CPD) among Latino and non-Latino adults who had smoked at least 100 cigarettes in their lifetime and were currently smoking every day or some days (ie, current smokers). RESULTS: CPD declined steadily throughout the observation period and were consistently lower for Latino than for non-Latino smokers. However, decreases were not equal across birth cohorts, genders, or among Latino national background groups. CPD declined most among Mexican men and least among younger generations, Cuban women, and acculturated Latina women. Additionally, declines in smoking intensity seemed to slow over time among low CPD consumers. CONCLUSIONS: Although smoking intensity has decreased substantially since the late 1990s, CPD data suggest that declines are slowing among younger generations and certain Latina women. Effective tobacco control strategies should be developed to discourage even very light and nondaily smoking. IMPLICATIONS: Few studies have been conducted on how smoking intensity has changed since the late 1990s. Between 2004 and 2011, when the decline in smoking prevalence slowed, it is unknown how smoking intensity (ie, CPD) changed by age. Additionally, no research has assessed differences and changes in smoking intensity over time among Latinos. From this study we learned that smoking intensity declined significantly since the late 1990s, but this decline slowed among younger generations of smokers and certain Latina women. Findings suggest that future patterns of smoking intensity may only marginally decline in the near future.

The effectiveness of tobacco control policies on vulnerable populations in the USA: a review.

Despite population-wide efforts to reduce tobacco use, low-income populations in the USA have much higher rates of tobacco use compared with the general population. The principal components of tobacco control policies in the USA include cigarette taxes, clean indoor air laws and comprehensive interventions to increase access to tobacco cessation services. In this review, we describe the effectiveness of these policies and interventions in reducing tobacco use among vulnerable populations, focusing on persons with mental health disorders and substance use disorders, persons who have experienced incarceration or homelessness, and low-income tenants of public housing. We discuss the challenges that evolving tobacco and nicotine products pose to tobacco control efforts. We conclude by highlighting the clinical implications of treating tobacco dependence in healthcare settings that serve vulnerable populations.

From the sidelines to the frontline: how the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration embraced smoking cessation.

Smoking is a major contributor to premature mortality among people with mental illness and substance abuse. Historically, the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) did not include smoking cessation in its mission. We describe the development of a unique partnership between SAMHSA and the University of California, San Francisco's Smoking Cessation Leadership Center. Starting with an educational summit in Virginia in 2007, it progressed to a jointly sponsored "100 Pioneers for Smoking Cessation" campaign that provided grants and technical assistance to organizations promoting cessation. By 2013, the partnership established 7 "Leadership Academies," state-level multidisciplinary collaboratives of organizations focused on cessation. This academic-public partnership increased tobacco quit attempts, improved collaboration across multiple agencies, and raised awareness about tobacco use in vulnerable populations.

Tobacco education in U.S. respiratory care programs.

INTRODUCTION: Exposure to tobacco smoke impacts the onset or exacerbation of most respiratory disorders, and respiratory therapists are well positioned to identify tobacco use and provide cessation assistance. The purpose of this study was to characterize the level of tobacco cessation education provided to students in U.S. respiratory care training programs. METHODS: A national survey of 387 respiratory care programs assessed the extent to which tobacco is addressed in required coursework, methods of instruction, perceived importance, and adequacy of current levels of tobacco education in curricula and perceived barriers to enhancing the tobacco-related education. RESULTS: A total of 244 surveys (63.0% response) revealed a median of 165 min (IQR, 88-283) of tobacco education throughout the degree program. Pathophysiology of tobacco-related disease (median, 45 min) is the most extensively covered content area followed by aids for cessation (median, 20 min), assisting patients with quitting (median, 15 min), and nicotine pharmacology and principles of addiction (median, 15 min). More than 40% of respondents believed that latter 3 content areas are inadequately covered in the curriculum. Key barriers to enhancing tobacco training are lack of available curriculum time, lack of faculty expertise, and lack of access to comprehensive evidence-based resources. Nearly three-fourths of the respondents expressed interest in participating in a nationwide effort to enhance tobacco cessation training. CONCLUSIONS: Similar to other disciplines, enhanced tobacco cessation education is needed in respiratory care programs to equip graduates with the knowledge and the skills necessary to treat tobacco use and dependence.

An online survey of tobacco use, intentions to quit, and cessation strategies among people living with bipolar disorder.

OBJECTIVES: Tobacco use is prevalent among people living with bipolar disorder. We examined tobacco use, attempts to quit, and tobacco-related attitudes and intentions among 685 individuals with bipolar disorder who smoked ≥ 100 cigarettes in their lifetime. METHODS: Data were collected online through the website of the Depression and Bipolar Support Alliance, a mood disorder peer-support network. RESULTS: The sample was 67% female, 67% aged 26 to 50, and 89% Caucasian; 87% were current smokers; 92% of current smokers smoked daily, averaging 19 cigarettes/day (SD=11). The sample began smoking at a mean age of 17 years (SD=6) and smoked a median of 7 years prior to bipolar disorder diagnosis. Among current smokers, 74% expressed a desire to quit; intent to quit smoking was unrelated to current mental health symptoms [χ(2) (3)=5.50, p=0.139]. Only 33% were advised to quit smoking by a mental health provider, 48% reported smoking to treat their mental illness, and 96% believed being mentally healthy was important for quitting. Ex-smokers (13% of sample) had not smoked for a median of 2.7 years; 48% quit 'cold turkey.' Most ex-smokers (64%) were in poor or fair mental health when they quit smoking. At the time of the survey, however, more ex-smokers described their mental health as in recovery than current smokers [57% versus 40%; χ(2) (3)=11.12, p=0.011]. CONCLUSIONS: Most smokers living with bipolar disorder are interested in quitting. The Internet may be a useful cessation tool for recruiting and potentially treating smokers with bipolar disorder who face special challenges when trying to quit and rarely receive cessation treatment from their mental health providers.

Confronting a neglected epidemic: tobacco cessation for persons with mental illnesses and substance abuse problems.

Tobacco use exerts a huge toll on persons with mental illnesses and substance abuse disorders, accounting for 200,000 of the annual 443,000 annual tobacco-related deaths in the United States. Persons with chronic mental illness die 25 years earlier than the general population does, and smoking is the major contributor to that premature mortality. This population consumes 44% of all cigarettes, reflecting very high prevalence rates plus heavy smoking by users. The pattern reflects a combination of biological, psychosocial, cultural, and tobacco industry-related factors. Although provider and patient perspectives are changing, smoking has been a historically accepted part of behavioral health settings. Additional harm results from the economic burden imposed by purchasing cigarettes and enduring the stigma attached to smoking. Tailored treatment for this population involves standard cessation treatments including counseling, medications, and telephone quitlines. Further progress depends on clinician and patient education, expanded access to treatment, and the resolution of existing knowledge gaps.

National survey of U.S. health professionals' smoking prevalence, cessation practices, and beliefs.

BACKGROUND: Tobacco dependence treatment efforts have focused on primary care physicians (PCPs), but evidence suggests that they are insufficient to help most smokers quit. Other health professionals also frequently encounter smokers, but their smoking prevalence, cessation practices, and beliefs are less well known. METHODS: The study included 2,804 subjects from seven health professional groups: PCPs, emergency medicine physicians, psychiatrists, registered nurses, dentists, dental hygienists, and pharmacists. Outcomes included self-reported smoking status, smoking cessation practices, and beliefs. Multivariate regression was used to examine factors associated with health professionals (except pharmacists) self-reportedly performing the "5 A's": asking, advising, assessing, assisting, or arranging follow-up about tobacco. RESULTS: Health professionals have a low smoking prevalence (<6%), except nurses (13%). Many health professionals report asking (87.3%-99.5%) and advising (65.6%-94.9%) about smoking but much less assessing smokers' interest (38.7%-84.8%), assisting (16.4%-63.7%), and arranging follow-up (1.3%-23.1%). Controlling for health professional and practice demographics, factors positively associated in the multivariate analyses with self-reportedly performing multiple components of the 5 A's include awareness of the Public Health Service guidelines, having had cessation training, and believing that treatment was an important professional responsibility. Negative associations include the health professional being a current smoker, not being a PCP, being uncomfortable asking patients if they smoke, believing counseling was not an appropriate service, and reporting competing priorities. CONCLUSION: U.S. health professionals report not fully performing the 5 A's. The common barriers and facilitators identified may help inform strategies for increasing the involvement of all health professionals in conducting tobacco dependence treatments.