Public opinion on alcohol policies in the United States: results from a national survey.

We surveyed the U.S. non-institutionalized population age 18+ on opinions regarding 23 alcohol control policies (N = 7,021). The cooperation rate among contacted households was 70% and the overall response rate was 54%. Results showed high levels of public support for most alcohol control policies. Over 80% support restrictions on alcohol use in public places, such as parks, beaches, concert venues, and on college campuses. Eighty-two percent support increased alcohol taxes, provided the funds are used for treatment or prevention programs. Over 60% support alcohol advertising and promotion restrictions, such as banning billboard advertising, banning promotion at sporting events, or banning liquor and beer advertising on television. Multivariate regression analyses indicated significant relationships between alcohol policy opinions and a variety of sociodemographic, political orientation, and behavioral measures. However, the absolute differences in alcohol policy support across groups is small. There is a strong base of support for alcohol control policies in the U.S., and such support is found among whites and ethnics of color, young and old, rich and poor, and conservatives, moderates, and liberals.

Risk factors for late relapse in male and female ex-smokers.

Three hundred twenty-nine ex-smokers (149 males and 180 females) who had maintained abstinence for at least 3 months prior to intake were followed for a period of 1 year to ascertain individual characteristics from cognitive, behavioral, environmental, and health domains that were predictive of later relapse. Multiple logistic regression analysis revealed significant associations between relapse, family history, and stress variables in males and between relapse, family history, stress, pre- and postcessation smoking characteristics, work-related variables, and physical activity in females. Within the predictor sets, both risk and protective factors were identified. The male and female models are discussed separately, compared, and related to previous research. Implications for further model development are specified; most notably, the utility of conceptualizing relapse independent of gender is questioned. Future research efforts could focus on the role played by family smoking history in adult relapse behavior. Smoking cessation interventions may need to tailor their efforts specifically to men and to women. Along with techniques to manage stress both during and after cessation, women may benefit especially from interventions that provide nicotine replacement and counseling for work-related difficulties.

Dynamic models for the maintenance of smoking cessation: event history analysis of late relapse.

This paper presents event history analysis as an approach to examining the dynamic nature of the maintenance of smoking cessation. Data from a 1-year follow-up of 172 adult male and 209 adult female ex-smokers is used to estimate the rate at which individuals relapse and return to abstinence. Results indicate that the rate of relapse in both males and females (3.9 and 3.6% per month, respectively) is roughly half that of the rate of return to abstinence (7.5 and 6.3% per month, respectively). No evidence was found for a "safe point" during the observation interval. Individual characteristics that affect the rate at which ex-smokers relapse and return to abstinence are identified. Characteristics that influenced the rate of return to abstinence were completely different from those affecting the rate of relapse, a finding that suggests covariate asymmetry. Implications of dynamic analysis for conceptualizations of maintenance are discussed.