Racial/ethnic minority females smoke more cigarettes after social interaction with others who smoke.

The present study investigated the effects of social interaction with others who smoke on daily cigarette use among diverse females via ecological momentary assessment methods. Ninety-eight premenopausal females (29.6% White, 70.4% racial/ethnic minority) who smoke daily reported their social interactions and cigarette use over 35-days. Greater than usual levels of social interaction with others who smoke was associated with increased cigarette use that day among racial/ethnic minority females. Future smoking cessation interventions targeting racial/ethnic minority females should consider the impact of social environments on smoking behaviors, such as the frequency of peer interactions with others who smoke.

Effects of cannabis use on cigarette smoking cessation in LGBTQ+ individuals.

OBJECTIVE: Sexual and gender minority individuals are more likely to use tobacco and cannabis and have lower cigarette cessation. This study examined cannabis use associations with daily cigarettes smoked in sexual and gender minority individuals before and during a quit attempt. METHOD: Participants included dual smoking same-sex/gender couples from California that were willing to make a quit attempt (individual n = 205, 68.3% female sex). Participants reported baseline past 30-day cannabis use and number of cigarettes smoked and cannabis use (yes/no) during 35 nightly surveys. Individuals with current cannabis use reported baseline cannabis use and/or nightly survey cannabis use. Multilevel linear models predicted number of cigarettes smoked by cannabis use. RESULTS: Number of cigarettes decreased from before to during a quit attempt, but this decrease was smaller in individuals with current cannabis use compared to no current cannabis use (p < .001). In individuals with current cannabis use, number of cigarettes smoked was greater on days with cannabis use (p < .001). Furthermore, cannabis use that day increased overall number of cigarettes in those with relatively high overall cannabis use but only during a quit attempt in those with relatively low cannabis use (Within-Subject Cannabis Use × Between-Subject Cannabis Use × Quit Attempt interaction; p < .001). CONCLUSIONS: Sexual and gender minority individuals with cannabis and cigarette use may have a harder time quitting smoking than those who do not use cannabis. For those with cannabis use, guidance on not using cannabis during a quit attempt may improve cigarette cessation outcomes. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2024 APA, all rights reserved).

Assessing the public discourse on Twitter: Reactions to the JUUL e-cigarettes ban in the United States.

INTRODUCTION: JUUL is a high-nicotine pod-based vaping device that is popular among adolescents and young adults. On 23 June 2022, the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) denied authorization to market JUUL, and ordered JUUL Labs to remove products from the US market. The next day, a US federal appeals court temporarily suspended the ban. The mixed public discourse surrounding the FDA ban warrants further investigation. METHODS: This study examined Twitter data to describe public reaction to these announcements. Posts containing terms 'JUUL' and/or '#JUUL' (N=97548 unique tweets) were collected from 23 June to 3 July 2022, from Twitter's Streaming Application Programming Interface (API). After removing retweets, we used an inductive approach to become familiar with the data, generated a codebook, and conducted a content analysis on a random sample of n=4000 tweets. RESULTS: A total of 2755 (68.9%) tweets discussed JUUL in the context of the FDA ban. News (n=1425/2755; 51.7%) about the JUUL ban, government distrust (n=588; 21.3%), and individual rights (n=253; 9.2%) were the most prevalent themes. Less commonly discussed themes included inconsistencies between policies (n=174; 6.3%), mentions of switching to other products (n=162; 5.9%), smoking cessation (n=99; 3.6%), and craving for JUUL (n=94; 3.4%). Sentiment analysis of JUUL ban-related posts (n=2755) demonstrated that 1989 (72.2%) tweets were categorized as neutral, while anti-ban posts (n=566; 20.5%) were more prevalent than pro-ban posts (n=200; 7.3%). CONCLUSIONS: Besides straightforward announcements of the JUUL ban and its suspension, Twitter posts discussed government distrust, individual rights, and policy inconsistencies. While most posts conveyed neutral sentiments, anti-ban posts were almost three times more prevalent than pro-ban posts. Our findings suggest that text-based social media platforms like Twitter may be an effective instrument to understand opinions, attitudes, and beliefs regarding the FDA's JUUL ban.

Characterizing Opioid Withdrawal Experiences and Consequences Among a Community Sample of People Who Use Opioids.

BACKGROUND: Opioid withdrawal symptoms are a highly salient and consequential health condition experienced by people who use opioids (PWUO). This study utilized qualitative interviews to explore opioid withdrawal experiences and consequences among PWUO in Los Angeles County, USA. METHODS: Semi-structured qualitative interviews were conducted with 22 PWUO (aged 27-63 years) between May 2021 and May 2022. Participants self-reported opioid and injection drug use in the last 30 days. We employed an inductive thematic approach to systematically code and synthesize textual interview data. RESULTS: Participants experienced withdrawal symptoms frequently, with many going to great lengths to avoid them. Withdrawal pain was described as incapacitating and interfered with PWUO's ability to sustain regular employment and ensure stable housing. Avoiding withdrawal was described as influential in driving decisions to continue using opioids. Mechanisms for managing withdrawal included using other substances to the point of sedation. PWUO who transitioned from heroin to fentanyl use revealed more frequent, painful, and faster onset of withdrawal symptoms. Adverse withdrawal experiences and fear of precipitated withdrawal from buprenorphine were barriers to treatment initiation and continuation. CONCLUSION: Withdrawal symptoms among PWUO increase health risk. Improved strategies to treat opioid withdrawal are urgently needed. Solutions such as safe supply and intentional opioid withdrawal interventions (educational trainings, withdrawal comfort kits) are needed to improve withdrawal management and reduce opioid-related harm.

Oral Nicotine Gum Discussions on Twitter: Content Analysis.

BACKGROUND: Oral nicotine gum such as LUCY, which comes in colorful packaging, mimicking traditional chewing gum, is becoming popular. Many brands of gum have not been approved by the FDA for smoking cessation. This study examined public discourse about, including sentiment toward, oral nicotine gum on Twitter. METHODS: We used Twitter's Streaming Application Programming Interface to collect data from January 1, 2021, to December 21, 2021, using "nicotine gum" and/or "#nicotinegum" search terms (N = 19 171 unique tweets were collected). We used an inductive approach to become familiar with the data, generated a codebook, and conducted a content analysis on (n = 2152) tweets. RESULTS: Cessation (n = 716, 33.3%), personal experience (n = 370, 17.2%), and addiction to gum (n = 135, 6.3%) were the most prevalent themes. Cessation tweets primarily discussed cigarette smoking cessation (n = 418, 58.4% of cessation tweets) and successful cessation experiences (n = 155, 21.6%). Other identified themes pertained to using nicotine gum for cognitive enhancement or catching a "buzz" (n = 102, 4.7%), marketing (n = 98, 4.6%), using nicotine gum with other substances (n = 90, 4.2%), and adverse effects (n = 63, 2.9%). Sentiment analysis results revealed that 675 (44.2%) tweets were categorized as neutral, 605 (39.6%) tweets were classified as positive, and 248 tweets (16.2%) were negative. CONCLUSIONS: About one-third of tweets in our corpus mentioned nicotine gum in the context of smoking cessation. Most nicotine gum-related posts conveyed positive and neutral sentiments. Future studies should consider adding novel nicotine gum-specific search terms as well as exploring other social media platforms to gain more insights about these products. IMPLICATIONS: Our findings suggest that Twitter has the potential to track and facilitate conversations between those seeking cigarette cessation advice and those who have successfully quit tobacco by using nicotine gum. Monitoring of promotional content from nicotine gum companies is needed to ensure these products are not appealing to youth and nonusers of tobacco.

Effect of a mindfulness training app on a cigarette quit attempt: an investigator-blinded, 58-county randomized controlled trial.

BACKGROUND: Cigarette smoking is the leading cause of preventable cancers. A majority of the 34 million people who currently smoke report wanting to quit. Mindfulness training apps offer a guided telehealth intervention to foster individuals' behavioral meditation practice. We present the main outcomes of a parallel-group randomized controlled trial that tested app-based mindfulness training vs attention control on smoking behavior. METHODS: We enrolled adult residents from across California who smoked daily and were willing to make a quit attempt (N = 213). Participants completed daily sessions in 10-minute segments for 14 consecutive days. Participants then started a quit attempt and reported daily smoking for 28 days following the quit date using the timeline follow-back measure. RESULTS: Seven-day point-prevalence abstinence for each week during the 4-week quit period ranged from 21.8% to 27.7% for app-based mindfulness training and 17.9% to 19.6% for controls. The intention-to-treat sample revealed that app-based mindfulness training outperformed controls on the proportion of abstinence days during the quit period (odds ratio = 2.00, 95% confidence interval = 1.03 to 3.87, P = .041). Although the 7-day point prevalence abstinence for week 4 favored app-based mindfulness training, significance was not reached (odds ratio = 1.65, 95% confidence interval = 0.84 to 3.23, P = .148). The mean number of cigarettes smoked per day among smokers was 4.95 for app-based mindfulness training vs 5.69 for controls (odds ratio = 0.81, 95% confidence interval = 0.71 to 0.92, P = .002), suggesting harm reduction in continued smokers. CONCLUSION: A mindfulness training app prescribed for 2 weeks leading up to a quit date showed an advantage over controls for total abstinence days and fewer cigarettes smoked in a diverse sample consisting of urban and rural residents. These findings yield implications for the use of apps to reduce exposure to the carcinogenic properties of cigarette smoke.

Nicotine deprivation amplifies attentional bias toward racial discrimination stimuli in African American adults who smoke cigarettes.

High smoking prevalence and low quit smoking rates among African American adults are well-documented, but poorly understood. We tested a transdisciplinary theoretical model of psychopharmacological-social mechanisms underlying smoking among African American adults. This model proposes that nicotine's acute attention-filtering effects may enhance smoking's addictiveness in populations unduly exposed to discrimination, like African American adults, because nicotine reduces the extent to which discrimination-related stimuli capture attention, and in turn, generate distress. During nicotine deprivation, attentional biases toward discrimination may be unmasked and exacerbated, which may induce distress and perpetuate smoking. To test this model, this within-subject laboratory experiment determined whether attentional bias toward racial discrimination stimuli was amplified by nicotine deprivation in African American adults who smoked daily. Participants (N = 344) completed a computerized modified Stroop task assessing attentional interference from racial discrimination-related words during two counterbalanced sessions (nicotine sated vs. overnight nicotine deprived). The task required participants to quickly name the color of discrimination and matched neutral words. Word Type (Discrimination vs. Neutral) × Pharmacological State (Nicotine Deprived vs. Sated) effects on color naming reaction times were examined. Attentional bias toward racial discrimination-related stimuli was amplified in nicotine deprived (reaction time to discrimination minus neutral stimuli: M [95%CI] = 34.69 [29.62, 39.76] ms; d = 0.15) compared to sated (M [95%CI] = 24.88 [19.84, 29.91] ms; d = 0.11) conditions (Word Type × Pharmacological State, p < .0001). The impact of nicotine deprivation on attentional processes in the context of adverse societal conditions merit consideration in future science and intervention addressing smoking in African American adults. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2023 APA, all rights reserved).

Associations of DHEA(S) with negative and positive affect in people who smoke daily with elevated and low depression symptoms: A pilot laboratory study.

BACKGROUND: Individuals with depression symptoms have a harder time quitting smoking. High negative affect and low positive affect are core depression symptoms and arise following cigarette abstinence. Investigating associations of biological markers with negative and positive affect may provide valuable information about factors relevant to smoking cessation in individuals with elevated depression symptoms. METHODS: Depression symptoms were measured at a baseline session. Participants then completed two counterbalanced experimental sessions (non-abstinent, abstinent) and completed measures of positive and negative affect, and provided saliva samples. Saliva samples were assayed at the Salimetrics' SalivaLab (Carlsbad, CA) using the Salimetrics Salivary Dehydroepiandrosterone (DHEA) Assay Kit (Cat. No. 1-1202) and Dehydroepiandrosterone-sulfate (DHEA-S) Assay Kit (Cat. No. 1-1252). RESULTS: There were no main or interactive associations of DHEA with negative affect. However, there were significant DHEAS × experimental session and DHEAS × experimental session × depression symptom level interactions with negative affect. In the high depression symptom group, DHEAS positively associated with negative affect during the non-abstinent experimental session, but DHEAS negatively associated with negative affect during the abstinent experimental session. There were no associations of DHEA or DHEAS with positive affect. CONCLUSION: This study found that DHEAS negatively associated with negative affect during cigarette abstinence in individuals with elevated depression symptoms. This is important as high negative affect during cigarette abstinence may result in a return to smoking.

Emotion regulation expectancies and smoking cessation factors: A daily diary study of California adults who smoke cigarettes during a practice quit attempt.

SIGNIFICANCE: Cross-sectional studies have shown that greater cigarette smoking-related emotion regulation expectancies were associated with retrospectively reported withdrawal during prior quit attempts and greater barriers to cessation. Few studies have investigated the relationship of within-person daily emotion regulation expectancies to factors related to initiating and maintaining a brief quit attempt. METHODS: People living in California who smoked cigarettes daily (n = 220, 50 % female; 48.5 % white, 14.6 % Hispanic, 16.7 % Black or African American, 9.6 % Asian, 7.6 % Multi-race, 3.0 % other race; mean age=43.71 years old) completed a practice quit attempt and 28-days of daily diary surveys. In the morning, participants reported non-smoking and smoking emotion regulation expectancies based on the Affective Processing Questionnaire, daily abstinence plan, abstinence self-efficacy, and cigarettes smoked. Successful abstinence plans were calculated as days with an abstinence plan and no cigarettes smoked. Multilevel models investigated whether within-person emotion regulation expectancies were associated with abstinence plan, self-efficacy, and successful abstinence plan. RESULTS: Greater within-person non-smoking emotion regulation expectancies were associated with increased odds of having an abstinence plan, higher self-efficacy, and a successful abstinence plan on a given day (ps < .05). Greater within-person smoking emotion regulation expectancies were associated with lower odds of having an abstinence plan and lower self-efficacy (ps < .001) but did not significantly associate with a successful abstinence plan. CONCLUSIONS: These findings show that within-person levels of expectations in emotion regulation abilities may contribute to factors relevant to initiating and achieving daily abstinence during a practice attempt.

Cartoon marketing exposure decreases perceived risks of e-cigarette use in adolescents.

e-Cigarette companies use cartoon images to market their products, and exposure to this marketing strategy may lead to increased risk for adolescent e-cigarette use. This study examined the effects of cartoon marketing image exposure on perceived expectations of benefits and risks of e-cigarette use, and willingness to buy e-cigarette-related products in the future, among adolescents with and without a history of e-cigarette use. To accomplish this, participants completed an online survey experiment, during which they were randomly assigned to view pictures of e-cigarette products with cartoon or noncartoon packaging, followed by questionnaires about wanting to buy e-cigarettes, and perceived benefits and risks of e-cigarette use. Participants, a sample of Southern California high school students (ninth to 11th grade; N = 1,376), completed the study from September 2021 to November 2021. Overall, 27% of participants had used an e-cigarette or other tobacco product at least once in their lifetime (ever user). Thirty-six percent of participants never used e-cigarettes or other tobacco products but were considered to be susceptible to using e-cigarettes in the future (susceptible-never user). Thirty-seven percent of participants never used e-cigarettes or other tobacco products and were considered insusceptible to using e-cigarettes in the future (insusceptible-never user). There were no significant differences between image exposure groups (cartoon, no cartoon) on demographic variables (age, gender, race/ethnicity), lifetime e-cigarette use, or susceptibility to use in the future. Exposure to e-cigarette-related cartoon-based marketing produced lower perceived e-cigarette-related risks in insusceptible-never users. Exposure to e-cigarette marketing with cartoon images decreases the perceived harmfulness of e-cigarettes, which can increase adolescents' intentions to try e-cigarettes. Curbing adolescent e-cigarette use is a national public health priority. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2023 APA, all rights reserved).

Interactive associations between abstinence plans and romantic partner conflict and support with cigarette smoking.

BACKGROUND: While most individuals who smoke cigarettes desire to quit, quit motivation can change daily and sustained abstinence is rarely achieved in quit attempts. Assessment of psychosocial factors that moderate associations between daily abstinence intentions and smoking behavior is necessary to inform effective cessation efforts. METHODS: A secondary analysis was conducted using data from a 28-day ecological momentary assessment study among individuals who smoke and who were not actively planning a long-term quit attempt (N = 81 individuals; N = 1585 days). We examined main effect and interaction associations between primary predictors (daily abstinence plans and within- and between-person estimates of perceived romantic relationship conflict and support) and daily number of cigarettes smoked, as well as baseline emotion regulation difficulties as a moderator of these associations. RESULTS: Smoking was reduced on days with an abstinence plan (ß=-0.57,p<.001), especially among individuals with lower average levels of conflict (plan × between-person conflict interaction: ß=0.98, p < .001), and higher average levels of support (plan × between-person support interaction: ß=0.26, p < .001). Additionally, smoking was increased on days when participants had higher levels of conflict than usual (ß=0.07, p < .01), but only on days when participants did not have a plan (plan × within-person conflict interaction:ß=-0.10, p < .05). Emotion regulation difficulties did not moderate any associations. CONCLUSION: This study adds to the literature on the influence of negative aspects of social experience on smoking behavior. Further, the present study underlines the importance of assessing the influence of both positive and negative aspects of - and within- and between-person differences in - social experiences.

Ice Flavor-Related Discussions on Twitter: Content Analysis.

BACKGROUND: The US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) recently restricted characterizing flavors in tobacco products. As a result, ice hybrid-flavored e-cigarettes, which combine a cooling flavor with fruit or other flavors (eg, banana ice), emerged on the market. Like menthol, ice-flavored e-cigarettes produce a cooling sensory experience. It is unclear if ice hybrid-flavored e-cigarettes should be considered characterizing flavors or menthol, limiting regulatory action. Monitoring the public's conversations about ice-flavored e-cigarettes on Twitter may help inform the tobacco control community about these products and contribute to the US FDA policy targets in the future. OBJECTIVE: This study documented the themes pertaining to vaping and ice flavor-related conversations on Twitter. Our goal was to identify key conversation trends and ascertain users' recent experiences with ice-flavored e-cigarette products. METHODS: Posts containing vaping-related (eg, "vape," "ecig," "e-juice," or "e-cigarette") and ice-related (ie, "Ice," "Cool," "Frost," and "Arctic") terms were collected from Twitter's streaming application programming interface from January 1 to July 21, 2021. After removing retweets, a random sample of posts (N=2001) was selected, with 590 posts included in the content analysis. Themes were developed through an inductive approach. Theme co-occurrence was also examined. RESULTS: Many of the 590 posts were marked as (or consisted of) marketing material (n=306, 51.9%), contained positive personal testimonials (n=180, 30.5%), and mentioned disposable pods (n=117, 19.8%). Other themes had relatively low prevalence in the sample: neutral personal testimonials (n=45, 7.6%), cannabidiol products (n=41, 7%), negative personal testimonials (n=41, 7%), "official" flavor description (n=37, 6.3%), ice-flavored JUUL (n=19, 3.2%), information seeking (n=14, 2.4%), and comparison to combustible tobacco (n=10, 1.7%). The most common co-occurring themes in a single tweet were related to marketing and disposable pods (n=73, 12.4%). CONCLUSIONS: Our findings offer insight into the public's experience with and understanding of ice-flavored e-cigarette products. Ice-flavored e-cigarette products are actively marketed on Twitter, and the messages about them are positive. Public health education campaigns on the harms of flavored e-cigarettes may help to reduce positive social norms about ice-flavored products. Future studies should evaluate the relationship between exposure to personal testimonials of ice-flavored vaping products and curiosity, harm perceptions, and experimentation with these products among priority populations.

Interactions between daily abstinence plans and approach/avoidance motivation on cigarette smoking in pre-quit smokers.

Enhancing motivation to quit among smokers who are not ready for cessation is a key component of several interventions. However, there is a dearth of empirical data about motivational factors and smoking behavior among pre-quit smokers. Here, we examined interactions between approach/avoidance goal motivations and daily abstinence plan (i.e., plans to either continue or abstain from smoking) on daily cigarette use. Current smokers (n = 82; M = 11.4 cigs/day; 46% Female) completed a baseline assessment, including a measure of approach/avoidance motivation [Behavioral Inhibition and Behavioral Activation Scales (BIS/BAS)], followed by 28-days of Ecological Momentary Assessment (EMA). EMA included a morning assessment of abstinence plan, and evening assessment of cigarettes smoked. Multilevel linear models tested interactions between BIS/BAS and abstinence plan on cigarette smoking (defined as percent change from within-subject mean). There was a significant abstinence plan × BIS interaction, F(1, 637) = 6.567, p = .011, and abstinence plan × BAS interaction, F(1, 637) = 6.553, p = .011, on cigarette smoking. High BIS and low BAS were each associated with reduced smoking on abstinence days and increased smoking on non-abstinence days. Modest rates of smoking cessation may be due to the unassisted, spontaneous nature of most quit attempts. Among pre-quit smokers, high behavioral inhibition and low behavioral activation may underlie the ability to intentionally vary smoking levels according to individuals' daily abstinence plans. Future studies should examine how motivational factors during the pre-quit stage may predict long-term smoking cessation in the future. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2022 APA, all rights reserved).

Effects of cigarette abstinence on negative and positive affect by depression symptom levels: A lab study.

BACKGROUND: High negative affect and low positive affect are key depression-related states that may be greater following acute tobacco abstinence. This study aimed to test associations between depression symptom levels and acute tobacco abstinence with negative affect and positive affect. METHODS: Following a baseline session, participants attended two counterbalanced laboratory sessions (non-abstinent, abstinent) and completed measures of positive and negative affect at rest (i.e., when not completing a task) and during a film clip task. RESULTS: Individuals with elevated depression symptoms had higher negative affect and lower positive affect at rest and during the film clip task compared to individuals with low depression symptoms. There was no interaction of depression symptom levels and abstinence on negative and positive affect at rest. There was an interaction of depression symptom level and abstinence on negative and positive affect during the film clip task. Individuals with elevated depression showed significant differences in positive and negative affect between the abstinent and non-abstinent session, but no significant abstinence effects were noted in individuals with low depression symptoms. LIMITATIONS: The study included a non-treatment seeking sample and experimentally induced acute cigarette abstinence. We excluded for the use of smoking cessation medications that are also used to treat depression, classified depression levels using dichotomized CES-D scores, and used self-report measures of affect. CONCLUSIONS: Results of this study suggest individuals with elevated depression symptoms who smoke experience elevated negative affect and lower positive affect and cigarette abstinence may uniquely alter affective reactivity in individuals with elevated depression symptoms.

Recognition of cartoon-based e-cigarette-related marketing is associated with e-cigarette use among adolescents.

INTRODUCTION: Recent research has shown that e-cigarette companies use cartoon-based marketing. Recognition of this cartoon-based marketing has been associated with increased risk for e-cigarette use in young adults, however it is unclear if this generalizes to adolescents. This study examined the associations between recognition of e-liquid packaging with cartoons and e-cigarette use, susceptibility to use, and expectations of benefits and risks of use in adolescents. METHODS: A cross-sectional sample of adolescents drawn from three Southern California high schools (n = 1,734; 55% female; Mean [SD] age = 15.2[0.9]) completed online surveys assessing e-cigarette use, susceptibility to use, expectations about benefits and risks of use, and tobacco marketing exposure. To assess recognition of cartoon images, participants were presented with 40 images of e-liquid packages (20 with and 20 without cartoons) and asked to endorse whether they recognized the products. The primary predictor was relative cartoon recognition (i.e., percentage of cartoons recognized out of the total images recognized). RESULTS: Relative recognition of cartoon images was positively associated with e-cigarette use, susceptibility to use, and a perceived social benefit of use. CONCLUSIONS: Adolescents recognize e-cigarette-related cartoon marketing, and these adolescents are using e-cigarettes. The restriction of cartoon-based marketing of e-cigarettes may affect e-cigarette uptake among adolescents.

Association of depression symptom level with smoking urges, cigarette withdrawal, and smoking reinstatement: A preliminary laboratory study.

BACKGROUND: Cigarette smoking urges, withdrawal, and smoking reinstatement may be especially relevant to people with elevated depression symptoms who smoke. This laboratory study aimed to assess relations between depression symptom level and smoking urges for reward and relief, cigarette withdrawal, and smoking reinstatement in people who smoke cigarettes daily during acute abstinence and while smoking as usual. METHODS: Participants with low (n = 51) or elevated (n = 29) baseline depression symptoms underwent two counterbalanced laboratory sessions (i.e., abstinent, non-abstinent). At each session, they completed subjective measures of smoking urges for reward and relief, and withdrawal. They also completed a laboratory smoking reinstatement task measuring whether they would delay smoking and the number of cigarettes smoked. RESULTS: The elevated depression symptom group reported significantly higher withdrawal (p = .01) and smoked more cigarettes than the low depression symptoms group during the smoking reinstatement task self-administration period at the abstinent session (p = .04). Smoking urges for reward and relief were not significantly different by depression symptom group. There were no significant interactions of depression and abstinence with any outcomes. CONCLUSIONS: As outcomes were measured at both an abstinent and non-abstinent session, findings identify factors for people with elevated depression symptoms who smoke which may drive smoking behavior and impede smoking cessation efforts. This study provides evidence that people with elevated depression symptoms who smoke may need additional/more pharmacological or behavioral smoking cessation aids targeted at reducing withdrawal and number of cigarettes smoked.

Exposure to E-Cigarette Product Placement in Music Videos Is Associated With Vaping Among Young Adults.

BACKGROUND: The prevalence of electronic-cigarette (e-cigarette) product placement in music videos is on the rise and currently unregulated. This promotional activity is concerning given the popularity of music videos among young adults. AIMS: We examined associations between self-reported levels of exposure to music videos with any e-cigarette product placement or imagery and susceptibility to use e-cigarettes and e-cigarette use. METHOD: A representative sample of young adults (18-24 years of age), residing in California (n = 1,280), completed online surveys assessing self-reported exposure to music videos with e-cigarette product placement or imagery and susceptibility to use e-cigarettes and e-cigarette use. Adjusted and weighted regression analyses were used for statistical analyses. RESULTS: Participants exposed to any e-cigarette product placement or imagery in music videos were more likely to report lifetime e-cigarette use (relative risk ratio [RRR]: 2.81) and past 30-day use (RRR: 3.64) compared with participants with no exposure. Additionally, participants with greater levels of exposure were more likely to report lifetime e-cigarette use (RRR: 1.13) and past 30-day use (RRR: 1.20) compared with participants with lower levels of exposure. Among those with any exposure, participants younger than 21 years of age (i.e., under the tobacco purchasing age in the United States) were more likely to report lifetime e-cigarette use (RRR: 4.68) compared with those aged 21 years and older. DISCUSSION AND CONCLUSION: Restricting e-cigarette product placement or imagery in music videos may minimize marketing exposure and risk for vaping among young adults, especially among those under the tobacco purchasing age.

Topics of Nicotine-Related Discussions on Twitter: Infoveillance Study.

BACKGROUND: Cultural trends in the United States, the nicotine consumer marketplace, and tobacco policies are changing. OBJECTIVE: The goal of this study was to identify and describe nicotine-related topics of conversation authored by the public and social bots on Twitter, including any misinformation or misconceptions that health education campaigns could potentially correct. METHODS: Twitter posts containing the term "nicotine" were obtained from September 30, 2018 to October 1, 2019. Methods were used to distinguish between posts from social bots and nonbots. Text classifiers were used to identify topics in posts (n=300,360). RESULTS: Prevalent topics of posts included vaping, smoking, addiction, withdrawal, nicotine health risks, and quit nicotine, with mentions of going "cold turkey" and needing help in quitting. Cessation was a common topic, with mentions of quitting and stopping smoking. Social bots discussed unsubstantiated health claims including how hypnotherapy, acupuncture, magnets worn on the ears, and time spent in the sauna can help in smoking cessation. CONCLUSIONS: Health education efforts are needed to correct unsubstantiated health claims on Twitter and ultimately direct individuals who want to quit smoking to evidence-based cessation strategies. Future interventions could be designed to follow these topics of discussions on Twitter and engage with members of the public about evidence-based cessation methods in near real time when people are contemplating cessation.