Society for Research on Nicotine and Tobacco as an Outgrowth of the 1988 Surgeon General's Report on Nicotine Addiction: Reflections of the Early Presidents.

INTRODUCTION: The Society for Research on Nicotine and Tobacco began in the United States as a scientific organization "to stimulate the generation and dissemination of new knowledge concerning nicotine and tobacco in all its manifestations." Now in its 30th year, the Society is taking on new challenges in tobacco control, nicotine vaping, product regulation, and public policy. AIMS AND METHODS: This Review describes the formative years of the Society from the perspective of researchers who were in leadership positions during that time, documenting how biobehavioral and clinical research in the first 10 years was a continuation of the scientific mission of the 1988 United States Surgeon General's Report on Nicotine Addiction and summarizing organizational innovations during each president's term of office. CONCLUSIONS: The Society's promotion of scientific research served as a catalyst for funding, policy, and regulation, setting the stage for its influence and credibility. IMPLICATIONS: This Commentary provides context and an overview of the scientific research and the organizational innovations that occurred during the early years of the Society for Research on Nicotine and Tobacco using publications and available documentation. The Society was able to thrive because biobehavioral research on nicotine addiction provided the scientific underpinnings for the tobacco control enterprise as a whole. The objective of this Commentary is to describe formative events in the Society's history based on the accomplishments of its early leaders.

Implementation of an evidence-based tobacco control intervention for school teachers in India: Evaluating the effects of a capacity-building strategy.

Background: Tobacco-Free Teachers, Tobacco-Free Society (TFT-TFS) is an evidence-based intervention that promotes tobacco use cessation among teachers and tobacco control policies among schools in India. This study tested an implementation model to build Bihar Department of Education (DOE) capacity to support and deliver TFT-TFS within schools, leveraging DOE training infrastructure. Method: We used a training-of-trainers (TOT) "cascade" implementation strategy to embed the TFT-TFS program into the Bihar DOE infrastructure. We trained 46 Cluster Coordinators to train and support Headmasters to implement TFT-TFS in their schools over one academic year. We selected three school districts, representing approximately 46 clusters and 219 schools. We used the RE-AIM framework to assess program adoption (Headmaster participation in at least one of six TFT-TFS trainings), implementation (of four core program components), and reach (teachers' participation in three or more group discussions). Using a non-inferiority design, we hypothesized that program adoption, implementation, and reach would not be inferior to the high standards demonstrated when TFT-TFS was originally tested in the Bihar School Teachers Study. We used self-reported checklists to measure outcomes and SPSS Version 25 to analyze data. Results: For adoption, 94% of Headmasters attended the first training, although participation declined by the sixth training. Among the 112 schools out of 219 with complete Headmaster checklist data, all met our minimum criteria for implementing TFT-TFS. Over 99% of schools posted a school tobacco control policy and distributed quit booklets. However, only 69% of schools met our criteria for program reach. Conclusions: This study outlines the processes for taking a tobacco control intervention to scale and implementing it through the Bihar DOE infrastructure. These findings provide a foundation for other Indian states and low- and middle-income countries to implement tobacco control and other health programs for schoolteachers. Trial registration: NCT05346991. Plain Language Summary: Each year in India, more than 1.2 million people die from tobacco-related causes, and India has the world's highest oral cancer burden. The world needs more evidence on how to bring cost-effective tobacco control interventions to scale, especially in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs). To address this gap, from 2017 to 2021, we examined the process of scaling up Tobacco-Free Teachers, Tobacco-Free Society (TFT-TFS), an evidence-based intervention promoting tobacco use cessation among teachers and tobacco control policies in schools. Our study tested an implementation model aimed at building the Bihar State Department of Education (DOE) capacity to support and deliver TFT-TFS. We used a training-of-trainers model to embed TFT-TFS into Bihar DOE infrastructure, training 46 Cluster Coordinators to in turn train and support Headmasters to implement TFT-TFS over one academic year. We hypothesized that program adoption, implementation, and reach would not be inferior to the high standards demonstrated when we originally tested TFT-TFS through the Bihar School Teachers Study (2013-2017). For adoption, 94% of Headmasters attended the first training, although participation declined by the sixth training. Of 112 schools (out of 219 with complete Headmaster checklist data), all met our minimum criteria for implementing TFT-TFS. Over 99% of schools posted a school tobacco control policy and distributed quit booklets. However, only 69% of schools met our criteria for program reach. Study findings offer other Indian states and LMICs lessons to implement tobacco control and other health programs for schoolteachers within educational systems.

Balancing Consideration of the Risks and Benefits of E-Cigarettes.

The topic of e-cigarettes is controversial. Opponents focus on e-cigarettes' risks for young people, while supporters emphasize the potential for e-cigarettes to assist smokers in quitting smoking. Most US health organizations, media coverage, and policymakers have focused primarily on risks to youths. Because of their messaging, much of the public-including most smokers-now consider e-cigarette use as dangerous as or more dangerous than smoking. By contrast, the National Academies of Science, Engineering, and Medicine concluded that e-cigarette use is likely far less hazardous than smoking. Policies intended to reduce adolescent vaping may also reduce adult smokers' use of e-cigarettes in quit attempts. Because evidence indicates that e-cigarette use can increase the odds of quitting smoking, many scientists, including this essay's authors, encourage the health community, media, and policymakers to more carefully weigh vaping's potential to reduce adult smoking-attributable mortality. We review the health risks of e-cigarette use, the likelihood that vaping increases smoking cessation, concerns about youth vaping, and the need to balance valid concerns about risks to youths with the potential benefits of increasing adult smoking cessation.

Chronic care treatment for smoking cessation in patients with serious mental illness: a pilot randomized trial.

BACKGROUND: Rates of smoking among those with serious mental illness (SMI) are two to three times higher than for the general population. Smoking is rarely addressed in mental health settings. Innovative outreach and treatment strategies are needed to address these disparities. The current study is a pilot study of the feasibility and acceptability of a chronic care model of tobacco cessation treatment implemented in outpatient psychiatry clinics. METHODS: Participants were recruited from two outpatient psychiatric clinics and randomly assigned to intervention (counseling and nicotine replacement for 8 weeks, plus ongoing proactive outreach calls inviting reengagement in treatment) or control (brief education and referral to the state quit line). Assessments were conducted at 8 weeks (end of initial treatment block) and 6 months (end of window for retreatment). Feasibility was assessed by enrollment rate, treatment engagement, and completion of follow-up assessments. Acceptability was assessed both quantitatively and qualitatively. Preliminary efficacy was assessed by 7-day and 30-day abstinence rates, rate of quit attempts, and cigarettes per day. Psychological health was measured to assess for changes related to treatment group or attempts to quit smoking. RESULTS: Nineteen participants were randomized to intervention and 19 to control. Recruitment proved feasible, and high rates of treatment engagement (mean of 4.5 sessions completed in initial treatment block, 89.5% uptake of nicotine replacement) and retention (94.7% of follow-up assessments completed) were observed. Treatment acceptability was high. As anticipated, there were no significant differences in abstinence between groups, but results generally favored the intervention group, including bio-verified 7-day abstinence rates of 21.1% in intervention vs. 17.6% in control and self-reported 30-day abstinence rates of 16.1% in intervention vs. 5.1% in control at 8 weeks. Significantly more intervention participants made at least one quit attempt (94.7% vs 52.6%; OR = 16.20, 95% CI: 1.79-147.01). Cigarettes per day decreased significantly more in the intervention group at 8 weeks (b = - 13.19, SE = 4.88, p = .02). CONCLUSIONS: It was feasible to recruit and retain SMI patients in a smoking cessation trial in the context of outpatient psychiatry. The novel chronic care model treatment was acceptable to patients and showed promise for efficacy. If efficacious, a chronic care model could be effective at reducing smoking among SMI patients. TRIAL REGISTRATION: ClinicalTrial.gov #: NCT03822416 (registered January 30th 2019).

Serious Mental Illness and Smoking Cessation Treatment Utilization: the Role of Healthcare Providers.

Healthcare provider barriers to cessation resources may be undercutting quit rates for smokers with serious mental illness (SMI). The study aim was to examine how providers influence cessation treatment utilization among smokers with SMI. Data were taken from a trial conducted among smokers in Minnesota Health Care Programs. The sample was split into groups of participants with SMI (n = 939) and without SMI (n = 1382). Analyses assessed whether the association between SMI and treatment utilization was mediated by healthcare provider-delivered treatment advice and healthcare provider bias. Results revealed higher rates of treatment utilization among smokers with SMI than those without SMI (45.9% vs 31.7%, p < 0.001); treatment advice and provider bias did not mediate this association. Subsequent individual regression analyses revealed positive associations between treatment advice and treatment utilization (ß 0.21-0.25, p < 0.05), independent of SMI status. Strategies to increase low-income smokers' contacts with providers may reduce treatment utilization barriers among these smokers.

Healthy Pregnancies Project: Cluster Randomized Controlled Trial of a Community Intervention to Reduce Tobacco Use among Alaska Native Women.

Substantial gaps remain in the evidence base for prenatal tobacco use interventions among Indigenous women. Using a cluster randomized controlled trial (RCT), the Healthy Pregnancies Project evaluated a community-level intervention for Alaska Native (AN) women in rural western Alaska. Sixteen villages were randomly assigned to usual care (control, n = 8 villages) or usual care plus a community-level intervention delivered by local AN "Native Sisters" (n = 8 villages). Outcomes were tobacco use rate at delivery and at 2 and 6 months postpartum, with biochemical confirmation obtained at 6 months. The program had high reach, enrolling 73% of all eligible women screened. Of the 352 participants, 67% used tobacco at baseline. No significant differences emerged between study groups on follow-up in tobacco use rates. More intervention than control participants made a quit attempt at 2 months postpartum (70% vs. 51%, respectively, p = 0.012). Participants in both study groups reported the program helped to raise awareness of healthy pregnancies in the study villages. This trial supports the reach of a community-level intervention, but not its efficacy for reducing tobacco use during pregnancy or postpartum. Efforts to sustain early quit attempts appear warranted. The community involvement, and reported impact on raising awareness of the importance of healthy pregnancies, supports the value of the research program in this community.

Association of Tobacco Use During Pregnancy, Perceived Stress, and Depression Among Alaska Native Women Participants in the Healthy Pregnancies Project.

INTRODUCTION: In general population samples, higher levels of stress and depression have been associated with increased prevalence of smoking in pregnancy. Little is known about the association of prenatal tobacco use, stress, and depression among American Indian or Alaska Native (AI/AN) women. METHODS: The Healthy Pregnancies Project is a cluster-randomized controlled trial, evaluating a community-level intervention compared with usual care, for reducing tobacco use during pregnancy and postpartum among AN women in 16 villages in western Alaska. This cross-sectional study analyzed baseline data from enrolled pregnant women. Baseline measures included the self-reported, 7-day, point-prevalence current use of any tobacco, Perceived Stress Scale (PSS), and the Center for Epidemiological Studies-Depression (CES-D). Generalized estimating equations (GEE) analyses adjusted for village, participant age, and gestational age. RESULTS: Participants (N = 352) were on average (SD) 25.8 (5.0) years of age and at 26.8 (9.8) weeks gestation. 66.5% were current tobacco users, of which 77% used Iqmik, a homemade form of smokeless tobacco. Compared with nonusers, tobacco users reported lower PSS score (p = .020) and less clinical levels of depression (CES-D ≥ 16) (18.1% vs. 9.3%, p = .21). Findings were not accounted for by nicotine dependence severity or self-reported tobacco use before pregnancy. CONCLUSIONS: In this sample of pregnant AN women, tobacco users report less stress and clinical levels of depression than nonusers. A potential challenge with tobacco treatment for pregnant AN women is to provide alternative ways of deescalating stress and affect management instead of using tobacco. IMPLICATIONS: This study contributes novel information on the association of tobacco use, perceived stress, and depression among Alaska Native women enrolled in a clinical trial to promote healthy pregnancies. Most prior studies addressing this topic were conducted among general population samples of pregnant women who smoked cigarettes. Little is known about these associations with prenatal smokeless tobacco, or among American Indian or Alaska Native women. The results are contrary to findings reported previously, because current tobacco use was associated with less stress and depression than nonuse. The study findings have implications for cessation treatment for this tobacco-use disparity group.

Exercise for Smoking Cessation in Postmenopausal Women: A Randomized, Controlled Trial.

BACKGROUND: Postmenopausal smokers have difficulty quitting smoking and experience considerable weight gain with smoking cessation. We examined whether adjunctive smoking treatment with exercise, compared to a relaxation control condition, could improve cigarette abstinence, decrease cigarettes smoked per day (CPD), and ameliorate changes in body mass index (BMI) in postmenopausal smokers. METHODS: Women (N = 301) signed informed consent and were randomized to treatment at two sites (Universities of Connecticut and Minnesota). We randomized groups of participants to a comprehensive group treatment program that included 12 weeks of varenicline and either a moderate exercise or relaxation component for 6 months. Participants were followed for a year after medication treatment. RESULTS: Overall, 17.3% of patients reported carbon monoxide-verified continuous abstinence for the 9- to 12-week period, and 11.6% reported prolonged abstinence at 1 year, with no significant differences between treatment conditions. CPD reported at study visits showed significant main effects for time in weeks, for site, and for treatment. The Exercise condition reported smoking fewer CPD over time, and that advantage widened over time. In terms of BMI, significant effects for time in weeks, and for the interaction of Week × Treatment condition, reflected gradually increasing BMI in these women over time, but with the increase in BMI slower in the Exercise condition. CONCLUSIONS: Exercise, compared to relaxation, was associated with a reduced BMI and CPD in postmenopausal women, but did not increase end of treatment or prolonged abstinence. Further research is needed to devise exercise programs that increase smoking cessation rates in postmenopausal women. IMPLICATIONS: This study adds to the literature on the effectiveness of a moderate exercise intervention compared to a relaxation control condition as an adjunctive treatment for smoking cessation in postmenopausal women. Our exercise program did not increase end of treatment or prolonged abstinence rates in postmenopausal women; however, there was a beneficial effect on smoking reduction and reduced body mass index. Additional research is needed to devise exercise programs that increase smoking cessation rates in postmenopausal women.

Proactive outreach tobacco treatment for socioeconomically disadvantaged smokers with serious mental illness.

Smokers with serious mental illness (SMI) face individual, interpersonal, and healthcare provider barriers to cessation treatment utilization and smoking abstinence. Proactive outreach strategies are designed to address these barriers by promoting heightened contact with smokers and facilitating access to evidence-based treatments. The present study examined the effect of proactive outreach among smokers with SMI (n = 939) who were enrolled in the publicly subsidized Minnesota Health Care Programs (MHCP) and compared this effect to that observed among MHCP smokers without SMI (n = 1382). Relative to usual care, the intervention increased treatment utilization among those with SMI (52.1% vs 40.0%, p = 0.002) and without SMI (39.3% vs 25.4%, p < 0.001). The intervention also increased prolonged smoking abstinence among those with SMI (14.9% vs 9.4%, p = 0.010) and without SMI (17.7% vs 13.6%, p = 0.09). Findings suggest that implementation of proactive outreach within publicly subsidized healthcare systems may alleviate the burden of smoking in this vulnerable population. Trial Registration ClinicalTrials.gov identifier: NCT01123967.

The Healthy Pregnancies Project: Study protocol and baseline characteristics for a cluster-randomized controlled trial of a community intervention to reduce tobacco use among Alaska Native pregnant women.

BACKGROUND: Tobacco use prevalence is high among pregnant Alaska Native (AN) women but few interventions have been evaluated for this group. The Healthy Pregnancies Project aims to evaluate a multicomponent intervention for reducing tobacco use during pregnancy and the postpartum period among AN women. This report describes the study protocol and participant baseline characteristics. DESIGN: Cluster-randomized controlled trial with village as the unit of assignment. Sixteen villages in rural southwest Alaska were stratified on village size and randomized to a multicomponent intervention (n = 8 villages) or usual care (n = 8 villages). METHODS: Pregnant AN women from the study villages were enrolled. All participants receive the usual care provided to pregnant women in this region. Participants from intervention villages additionally receive individual phone counseling on healthy pregnancies plus a social marketing campaign targeting the entire community delivered by local AN "Native Sisters." Baseline measurements for all enrolled pregnant women have been completed. Follow-up assessments are ongoing at delivery, and at 2 and 6 months postpartum. The primary outcome is biochemically verified tobacco use status at 6 months postpartum. RESULTS: Recruitment was feasible with 73% of eligible women screened enrolled. The program reached more than half (56%) of AN pregnant women from the study villages during the recruitment period. Participants are N = 352 pregnant AN women, 188 enrolled from intervention villages and 164 from control villages. At baseline, participants' mean (SD) age was 25.8 (5.0) years, they were at 26.8 (9.8) weeks gestation, and 66.5% were current tobacco users. DISCUSSION: Processes and products from this project may have relevance to other Native American populations aiming to focus on healthy pregnancies in their communities.

The relationship between smoking cessation and binge drinking, depression, and anxiety symptoms among smokers with serious mental illness.

INTRODUCTION: Concerns about the adverse effects of smoking cessation on alcohol use and mental health are a barrier to cessation for smokers with serious mental illness (SMI). The purpose of this study is to examine how incident smoking cessation affects binge drinking and symptoms of depression and anxiety among smokers with SMI. METHODS: The present study is a secondary analysis of the OPTIN trial, which demonstrated the effectiveness of proactive outreach for smoking cessation among Minnesota Health Care Programs enrollees. Participants with ICD-9 codes indicating schizophrenia spectrum disorders, psychotic disorders, bipolar disorders, or severe/recurrent major depressive disorder were categorized as having SMI (n = 939); remaining smokers were categorized as non-SMI (n = 1382). Multivariable regressions modeled the association between incident smoking cessation and binge drinking, PHQ-2 depression scores, and PROMIS anxiety scores in the two groups. RESULTS: Quitting smoking was not associated with binge drinking among those with SMI, but was associated with less binge drinking among those without SMI (p = 0.033). Quitting smoking was not associated with PHQ-2 depression scores among those with or without SMI. However, quitting smoking was associated with lower mean PROMIS anxiety scores for those with SMI (p = 0.031), but not those without SMI. CONCLUSION: Quitting smoking was not associated with heightened binge drinking or symptoms of depression and anxiety among smokers with SMI. These findings suggest that quitting smoking is not detrimental for these patients, and provide evidential support for facilitating access to cessation resources for patients with serious mental illness who smoke.

The impact and relevance of tobacco control research in low-and middle-income countries globally and to the US.

International and cross-cultural research is critical for understanding multilevel influences on health, health behaviors, and disease. A particularly relevant area of need for such research is tobacco control. The tobacco epidemic is one of the biggest public health threats globally, killing over 7 million people a year. Research critical to addressing this public health problem has leveraged variability in tobacco use, history, product market, and policies across different countries, settings, and populations, particularly in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs) where the tobacco burden is increasing. These efforts are needed in order to advance the science and inform practice and policy in various settings, including the US. Several funding agencies provide support for international research focused on tobacco control in LMICs because of the importance and implications of such research. This paper provides some concrete examples of how such research has advanced our knowledge-base and informed practice and policy globally, particularly in high-income countries including the US. Some prominent themes emphasized in this manuscript include: the development of knowledge regarding the diverse tobacco products on the market; better understanding of tobacco use and its impact among different populations; generating knowledge about the impacts including unintended consequences of tobacco control policy interventions; and better understanding tobacco industry strategies and informing advocacy efforts. In summary, international tobacco control research, particularly in LMICs, is critical in effectively and efficiently building the evidence base to advance tobacco control research, policy, and practice globally, including the US, with the ultimate goal of curbing the tobacco epidemic.

Developing health communication messaging for a social marketing campaign to reduce tobacco use in pregnancy among Alaska Native women.

BACKGROUND: Despite the high prevalence of tobacco use during pregnancy among Alaska Native and American Indian (AI/AN) women, few efforts have focused on developing tobacco cessation interventions for this group. This paper describes development of messaging for a social media campaign targeting the entire community to reduce tobacco use in pregnancy (cigarette smoking and smokeless tobacco use including a homemade product known as Iqmik) among AN women, as part of a multi-component intervention. METHOD: The study (clinical trial registration #NCT02083081) used mixed methods with two rounds of assessments to develop and refine culturally relevant message appeals. Round 1 used qualitative focus groups and individual interviews (N=60), and Round 2 used quantitative survey interviews (N=52). Each round purposively sampled adult AN pregnant women, family/friends, and Elders in Western Alaska, and included tobacco users and non-users. Round 1 also assessed reasons for tobacco use in pregnancy. RESULTS: Qualitative findings generally converged with quantitative results to indicate that many participants preferred factual, loss-framed, visual concepts on how maternal tobacco use harms the fetus, newborn, and child; in contrast to spiritual or emotional appeals, or gain-framed messaging. Stress was indicated as a major reason for tobacco use in pregnancy and strategies to manage stress along with other health pregnancy targets (e.g., prenatal care) were suggested. CONCLUSIONS: This preliminary study suggests campaign messages targeting the entire community to reduce tobacco use in pregnancy among rural AN women should include factual messaging for being tobacco-free as well as focus on reducing stress and other healthy pregnancy targets.

Assessment of short reports using a human rights-based approach to tobacco control to the Commitee on Economics, Cultural and Social Rights.

BACKGROUND: The health impact of tobacco use remains a major global public health concern and a human rights issue. The Human Rights and Tobacco Control Network (HRTCN) was established to increase the visibility of tobacco as a human rights issue. HRTCN submitted short reports to the UN Committee on Economic Social and Cultural Rights evaluating individual nations' tobacco control policies and offering recommendations. METHODS: HRTCN reviewed Concluding Observations documents for nations for which the HRTCN submitted reports. If tobacco was mentioned in the Concluding Observations through acknowledging the Framework Convention on Tobacco Control ratification, policy changes or discussing tobacco in the recommendations, this was scored as a positive finding. HRTCN also reviewed Concluding Observations for nations for which HRTCN did not submit reports as a comparison. RESULTS: Thirty-eight HRTCN reports were submitted and tobacco was mentioned in Concluding Observations for 11 nations for a rate of 28.9%. In a comparison set of Concluding Observations (n=59), 7% had comments or recommendations relative to tobacco. CONCLUSIONS: This was not a controlled study and the 28.9% 'success rate' for impacting the Concluding Observations, although encouraging, is less than optimal-and leaves room for improvement. The higher rate of tobacco mentions for the cases where the HRTCN short reports were submitted provides preliminary indications that the short reports may have potential to increase the state focus on tobacco control. Future work will seek to improve the design and scope of the reports, and the specificity of the background information and recommendations offered.

Consequences of Inconsistency in Air Force Tobacco Control Policy.

OBJECTIVES: Although the United States Air Force (USAF) has been a leader in efforts to reduce tobacco use among service members, tobacco continues to be a problem and initiatives to decrease tobacco use further require buy-in from leadership. We explored line leaderships' perspectives on tobacco. METHODS: A diverse group of 10 senior commissioned and 10 non-commissioned personnel were interviewed. RESULTS: Respondents reported substantial changes in the culture of tobacco use during their years of service, from near ubiquity to restricted use areas. They also perceived mixed messages coming from the USAF, including simultaneous discouragement of and accommodations for tobacco use, and variability in policies and enforcement. Many respondents indicated that allowing tobacco use creates conflict and undermines military discipline and suggested that a tobacco-free policy would be the best way to eliminate these contradictions. CONCLUSION: Although there has been substantial movement away from a culture of tobacco in the USAF, current policies and variable enforcement of these policies create unnecessary contradictions. Establishing a tobacco-free service would resolve these issues in addition to improving the health of service members and veterans.

Third study on WHO MPOWER Tobacco Control Scores in Eastern Mediterranean countries 2011-2015.

This study was conducted to quantify the implementation of the MPOWER policies and to assess any possible changes across Eastern Mediterranean Region (EMR) countries. In this comparative cross-sectional study based on 10 categories mentioned in MPOWER report 2015 a checklist was designed. Seven questions were scored from 0-4 and three from 0-3. The 22 EMR countries were ranked and compared by their total score on a scale of 0-37. The highest scores were achieved by Egypt and the Islamic Republic of Iran. Pakistan, Sudan and Yemen showed progress, while Bahrain, Jordan, Kuwait, Oman, and the Syrian Arab Republic had decreased scores. The total score of the EMR countries had decreased compared to 2013. Thus, there remains a need for greater focus on tobacco taxation and smoke-free policies to address this retrograde step.

Tobacco use and preferences for wellness programs among health aides and other employees of an Alaska Native Health Corporation in Western Alaska.

This study assessed health behaviors and preferences for wellness programs among employees of a worksite serving Alaska Native-people. Village-based Community Health Aides/Practitioners (CHA/Ps) were compared with all other employees on health indicators and program preferences. Using a cross-sectional design, all 1290 employees at the Yukon Kuskokwim Health Corporation (YKHC) in Western Alaska were invited in 2015 to participate in a 30-item online survey. Items assessed health behaviors, perceived stress, resiliency, and preferences for wellness topics and program delivery formats. Respondents (n = 429) were 77% female and 57% Alaska Natives. CHA/Ps (n = 46) were more likely than all other employees (n = 383) to currently use tobacco (59% vs. 36%; p = 0.003). After adjusting for covariates, greater stress levels were associated (p = 0.013) with increased likelihood of tobacco use. Employees reported lower than recommended levels of physical activity; 74% had a Body Mass Index (BMI) indicating overweight or obese. Top preferences for wellness topics were for eating healthy (55%), physical activity (50%), weight loss (49%), reducing stress (49%), and better sleep (41%). CHA/Ps reported greater interest in tobacco cessation than did other employees (37% vs. 21%; p = 0.016). Preferred program delivery format among employees was in-person (51%). The findings are important because tailored wellness programs have not been previously evaluated among employees of worksites serving Alaska Native people. Promoting healthy lifestyles among CHAP/s and other YKHC employees could ultimately have downstream effects on the health of Alaska Native patients and communities.