Infrequent Smokers Research Articles

Comparing Plasma Fibrinogen,Homocysteine, Cardiac Troponin I, and C-Reactive Protein Levels Among Smokers and Non-smokers inHamadan Hospitals: A Case-Control Study

Background: Cigarette smoking is one of the main risk factors for cardiovascular damage. Current studies have reported an association between some markers such as homocysteine, plasma fibrinogen, cardiac troponin I (cTnI), and C-reactive protein (CRP) and cardiovascular damages. This study aimed to investigate the relationship between these laboratory markers and smoking intensity. Methods: In this case-control study, 200 male employees from the operating room, laboratory, and administrative departments of Hamadan hospitals were categorized into four groups of 50 based on their smoking status: active smokers, smokers, infrequent smokers, and non-smokers. After sampling, blood levels of the specified biomarkers were evaluated. Then, regression analysis was performed to explore the relationship between these markers and cigarette smoking, regression analysis was performed. Results: The results indicated significant differences in the studied biomarkers between smokers and non-smokers (P<0.001), suggesting the effect of cigarette smoking on cardiovascular damage, inflammation, and coagulation states in individuals. Conclusions: Cigarette smoking affects markers of heart muscle damage, inflammatory and coagulation factors, and cardiovascular risk factors.

Advancements in epidemiological modeling: Bayesian regularization neural networks for smoke dynamics

Using an artificial neural network and the Bayesian Regularization Technique (NNs-BRT), the stochastic method’s strength is used to analyze the differential system, illustrating a nonlinear smoke epidemic differential model (NSED). This allows for a more precise, dependable, cost-effective, dynamic calculating approach. In addition to experiments utilizing nonlinear mathematical structures through five distinct classes of differential operators-smokers contemplating quitting, infrequent smokers, regular smokers, those who have temporarily abstained from smoking, and those who have permanently quit smoking the NSED framework has been established. By allocating 25% of the data for testing and validation and 75% for training, the proposed NNs-BRT can determine the estimated solutions of five different examples based on the numerical computation of the NSED system employing Adams techniques. To prove the accuracy of the given NNs-BRTs, a comparison of the results from the dataset obtained using the Adam method for different scenarios reflecting variance in recruitment rate, effective contact rate between C and A, natural death rate, how quickly occasional smokers become regular smokers, contact rate between smokers, and temporary quitters, number of smokers quitting, and percentage of smokers who are still leaving for good is made. The use of error histograms, mean square error, regression, correlation, and state transitions is also examined in numerical replications of the NNs-BRTs to verify their competence, dependability, accuracy, consistency, and proficiency.

Youth, family and society: Examining the dynamics of e-cigarette use in Latino college students

Objectives We aimed to document the social factors encouraging and discouraging e-cigarette use amongst Latino college students. Participants Participants were second-generation Latino male college students. Methods We interviewed 20 second-generation Latino male college students, 10 regular smokers and 10 infrequent smokers, at the University of California, Irvine and the University of California, Riverside. Results Regular and infrequent smokers present similar motivations that either encourage or discourage e-cigarette use. Repeated peer-exposure, skepticism of the harmfulness of recreational use, and disagreement with familial views of substance use encourage e-cigarette use. High costs, weak nicotine euphoria, and evidence of health risks discourage e-cigarette use. Conclusions Our results suggest that motivations for e-cigarette use in Latino college students are similar to those of young, non-Latinos and that regular and infrequent users may be determined by temporal circumstances and opportunity as opposed to unique social factors. Further research is warranted to comprehensively investigate this phenomenon.

Statistically derived patterns of smoking typologies among adolescents and their associations with demographic characteristics, interpersonal influences, and sources of cigarettes

ABSTRACT Cigarette use is one of the leading causes of death in the United States, with most smokers beginning cigarette use in adolescence. Despite not being of legal age to make tobacco purchases, adolescents are quite successful in their acquisition. The current study used latent variable mixture modeling to identify smoking typologies among adolescents and examine associations with various sources of cigarettes (i.e., stealing, obtaining from friends, obtaining from family members, purchasing), social influences (parental objection to smoking, smoking friends), and demographics. Participants were 195 high school students caught with tobacco in school who completed surveys questions about their cigarette use, and cigarette use of family and friends. Results identified three latent classes pertaining to smoking patterns: recent, heavy, frequent smokers (RHFS), low infrequent smokers (LIS), and recent moderate smokers (RMS). Students in the RHFS and RMS groups were more likely to obtain cigarettes by purchasing or borrowing from a friend, and reported more friends who smoke and lower parental objection compared to LIS members. RHFS members also were more likely to obtain cigarettes from family and be of White race compared to the other groups. These findings highlight the need for tailored prevention or intervention programs depending on risk profile.

Cigarette Smoking and Its Associations with Substance Use and HIV-Related Sexual Risks among Chinese Men Who Have Sex with Men.

China has the largest population of male smokers globally. Men who have sex with men (MSM) are at greater risk of cigarette smoking compared to the general population. Limited data are available regarding cigarette smoking and its associations with other health issues among Chinese MSM. Eligible MSM (n = 1100) were recruited from mainland China using an online national cross-sectional survey conducted in 2014–2015. Socio-demographic characteristics, smoking behavior, substance use, homosexual stigma and outness, HIV-related risk behavior, and HIV status were obtained. Logistic regression analyses were performed to evaluate predictors of current cigarette smoking frequency and the co-occurrence of smoking and drug use. Nearly 41% (n = 446) of participants had ever smoked cigarettes; 25% (n = 278) were current frequent smokers; and 13% (n = 138) were current infrequent smokers. Factors associated with a history of smoking included age, employment status, and monthly salary. Risk factors associated with current frequent smoking included self-identification as gay, having female sexual partners, binge drinking, drug use, higher levels of homosexual stigma, and being partially or fully “out” as gay. Adjusted multinomial analysis showed that human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) related risks, including risky sexual behaviors, lack of condom use, and a reported history of sexually transmitted infections (STIs), were associated with co-occurrence of current smoking and drug use. Cigarette smoking rates remain high among MSM in China. Cigarette smoking is associated with binge drinking, drug use, and HIV-related risks in this community. There is a clear opportunity for smoking cessation interventions to be linked with HIV and substance use prevention interventions, thereby addressing multiple health issues simultaneously for the MSM community in China.

Smoking and suicidal ideation among college students: Smoking expectancies as potential moderators

Objective: In the present study, we sought to establish a link between suicidal ideation (SI) and smoking in college students, determine whether psychopathology accounted for the association, and determine whether smoking expectancies were moderators. Participants: Participants (N = 607) were identified as nonsmokers, exsmokers, infrequent smokers, or daily smokers. Methods: Participants were assessed for smoking patterns, smoking expectancies, psychopathology, SI, and past suicide attempts. Results: Daily smokers had the highest level of SI. There was a dose-response relationship between smoking and SI, such that the higher the daily smoking rate, the greater the SI, even when controlling for depression, alcohol use, and drug use. Trend-level results indicated that at lower smoking rates, elevated smoking-related negative affect reduction (NAR) expectancies were associated with lower SI, while elevated NAR expectancies in combination with higher smoking rates were associated with greater SI. Conclusion: Smoking cessation programs for college students should screen for SI.

The association between cigarette smoking, virologic suppression, and CD4+ lymphocyte count in HIV-Infected Russian women

ABSTRACTCigarette smoking among people living with HIV/AIDS is associated with significant morbidity and mortality, but findings regarding the association between cigarette smoking and HIV viral load and CD4+ lymphocyte counts have been inconsistent. This study characterized the prevalence of cigarette smoking among HIV-infected Russian women and examined the association between smoking frequency and quantity and HIV viral load and CD4+ lymphocyte counts. HIV-infected Russian women (N = 250; M age = 30.0) in St. Petersburg, Russia, completed an audio computer-assisted self-interview survey assessing cigarette use, antiretroviral medication adherence, and provided blood samples assayed for HIV viral load and CD4+ lymphocyte counts. The majority (60.4%) reported cigarette smoking in the past month; 49.0% of recent smokers were classified as moderate or heavy smokers, defined as smoking ≥10 cigarettes daily. Viral load status did not differ between infrequent smokers and regular smokers. However, moderate/heavy smokers (relative to light smokers) were more likely to have a detectable viral load (AOR = 2.3, 95% CI: 1.1, 5.1). There were no significant differences in CD4+ lymphocyte counts by smoking frequency or quantity of cigarettes smoked. Results highlight the need for additional research to examine the association between cigarette smoking and virologic suppression and markers of HIV disease progression. Adverse health consequences of cigarette smoking coupled with a potential link between heavy smoking and poor virologic suppression highlight the need for assessment of cigarette use and provision of evidence-based smoking-cessation interventions within HIV medical care.

Proactive telephone counseling for adolescent smokers: Comparing regular smokers with infrequent and occasional smokers on treatment receptivity, engagement, and outcomes

BackgroundAdolescent smoking cessation efforts to date have tended to focus on regular smokers. Consequently, infrequent and occasional smokers’ receptivity and response to smoking cessation interventions is unknown. To address this gap, this study examines data from the Hutchinson Study of High School Smoking—a randomized trial that examined the effectiveness of a telephone-delivered smoking cessation intervention for a large, population-based cohort of adolescent smokers proactively recruited in an educational setting. MethodsThe study population included 1837 proactively identified high school smokers. Intervention receptivity, engagement, and outcomes were examined among adolescent infrequent (1-4days/month) and occasional (5-19days/month) smokers and compared with regular smokers (20 or more days/month). ResultsWith regard to treatment receptivity, intervention recruitment did not differ by smoking frequency. For engagement, intervention completion rates were higher for infrequent smokers (80.5%) compared with occasional (63.8%) and regular smokers (61.5%, p<0.01). Intervention effect sizes were not statistically different across groups. ConclusionsAdolescent infrequent and occasional smokers are at least as receptive to a proactively delivered smoking cessation intervention as regular smokers and can benefit just as much from it. Including these adolescent smokers in cessation programs and research—with the goal of interrupting progression of smoking before young adulthood—should help reduce the high smoking prevalence among young adults.

Fear of fatness and drive for thinness in predicting smoking status in college women

Recent research has identified fear of fatness (FF) as a related yet distinct construct from drive for thinness (DT). Whereas DT may be associated with need for approval and an “approach” tendency, FF may be more strongly related to avoidance of disapproval and an avoidant problem-solving style. Although no research has directly compared the influence of FF vs. DT with regard to smoking behavior, FF and DT might represent distinct motivations for smoking. We predicted that both FF and DT would be significantly associated with cigarette smoking, but that FF would be a stronger predictor of smoking behavior, even after controlling for variables such as body mass index (BMI) and nicotine dependence. Participants (N=289) were female college undergraduate students. Daily smokers had the highest scores on measures of DT and FF, followed sequentially by infrequent smokers, “triers,” and never smokers. More frequent smokers also reported greater levels of body dissatisfaction and eating pathology than less frequent and never-smokers. Hierarchical regression analyses showed that greater DT predicted higher likelihood of smoking on a daily basis; however, higher FF predicted fewer cigarettes smoked per day. FF and DT may each play a role in the relationship between eating pathology and smoking, but they might be differentially related to specific smoking patterns. Both FF and DT and their coinciding coping styles should be further researched in the role of smoking initiation and maintenance.

Smoking Patterns and Their Relationship to Drinking Among First-Year College Students

Unlike older smokers, young adult smokers frequently engage in light and intermittent smoking. It remains unclear how stable such smoking patterns are over time, as substantial variability exists between these smokers. This study identified subgroups of college student smokers based on the trajectory of their smoking frequency during the first year of college, thereby examining stability versus instability over time. We then tested if the interplay between drinking and smoking differed in the identified groups to determine the relative role drinking may play in intermittent versus more regular smoking. Incoming college students at 3 institutions completed online biweekly surveys of their daily substance use throughout the first year of college. Students who reported smoking at least 1 cigarette during this year (n = 266) were included in analyses (70% female, 74% White). Group-based trajectory modeling identified 5 groups of smokers, 3 of which maintained their smoking frequency throughout the year (77%), and 2 groups of infrequent smokers showed significant trends (11% increasing, 12% decreasing). Notably, nondaily smoking was maintained at different specific frequencies (e.g., 1 vs. 3 days per week). Identified groups differed in the relationship between drinking and smoking, where cooccurrence was particularly strong among infrequent smokers, and trends in smoking quantity differed between groups. While there was a diversity of smoking patterns in the sample, patterns of intermittent smoking remain relatively stable for a majority of students throughout the year. Intervention messages targeting drinking and smoking should be tailored on the basis of smoking frequency.

Modeling Mood Variation and Covariation Among Adolescent Smokers: Application of a Bivariate Location-Scale Mixed-Effects Model

Ecological momentary assessments (EMAs) are useful for understanding both between- and within-subject dynamic changes in smoking and mood. Modeling 2 moods (positive affect [PA] and negative affect [NA], PA and NA) simultaneously will better enable researchers to explore the association between mood variables and what influences them at both the momentary and subject level. The EMA component of a natural history study of adolescent smoking was analyzed with a bivariate location-scale mixed-effects model. The proposed model separately estimates the between- and within-subject variances and jointly models the 2 mood constructs. A total of 461 adolescents completed the baseline EMA wave, which resulted in 14,105 random prompts. Smoking level, represented by the number of smoking events on EMA, entered the model as 2 predictors: one that compared nonsmokers during the EMA week to 1-cigarette smokers, and the second one that estimated the effect of smoking level on mood among smokers. Results suggest that nonsmokers had more consistent positive and negative moods compared to 1-cigarette smokers. Among those who smoked, both moods were more consistent at higher smoking levels. The effects of smoking level were greater for NA than for PA. The within-subject association between mood constructs was negative and strongest among 1-cigarette smokers; the within-subject association between positive and negative moods was negatively associated with smoking. Mood variation and association between mood constructs varied across smoking levels. The most infrequent smokers were characterized with more inconsistent moods, whereas mood was more consistent for subjects with higher smoking levels.

Cigarette Smoking Among Asian American and Pacific Islander College Students

Asian Americans (AA) and Pacific Islanders (PI) are an understudied population for health and tobacco use, which is alarming for a fast growing U.S. population. Research in smoking among AA and PI college students is limited, despite 50% of AA and 20% of PI having obtained a college degree. A cross-sectional tobacco survey was administered in a large racially diverse Southern California university (N = 490) that examined smoking behavior, psychosocial, and perceptual factors related to smoking among AA and PI compared with Caucasians. Overall, 19% of participants were smokers. The prevalence of current smoking by race was 26% PI, 19% AA, and 17% Caucasian. AA and PI are light, infrequent smokers who smoke mainly for social reasons and in social locations. Most AA and PI made quit attempts and reported intention to quit smoking. Low to moderate risk perceptions for addiction, disease and difficulty in quitting were observed. Social norms center on family influences, therefore it is recommended that cessation approaches target cigarette smoking norms within this social environment to increase perceptual risks of smoking. Smoking cessation should be placed in college health outreach programs based on culturally tailored approaches for AA and PI that target their unique smoking characteristics.

Aristolochic acid‐induced upper tract urothelial carcinoma in Taiwan: Clinical characteristics and outcomes

Aristolochic acid (AA), a component of all Aristolochia-based herbal medicines, is a potent nephrotoxin and human carcinogen associated with upper urinary tract urothelial carcinoma (UUC). To investigate the clinical and pathological characteristics of AA-induced UUC, this study included 152 UUC patients, 93 of whom had been exposed to AA based on the presence of aristolactam-DNA adducts in the renal cortex. Gene sequencing was used to identify tumors with A:T-to-T:A transversions in TP53, a mutational signature associated with AA. Cases with both aristolactam-DNA adducts and A:T-to-T:A transversions in TP53 were defined as AA-UUC, whereas patients lacking both of these biomarkers were classified as non-AA-UUC. Cases with either biomarker were classified as possible-AA-UUC. Forty (26%), 60 (40%), and 52 (34%) patients were classified as AA-UUC, possible-AA-UUC and non-AA-UUC, respectively. AA-UUC patients were younger (median ages: 64, 68, 68 years, respectively; p=0.189), predominately female (65%, 42%, 35%, respectively; p=0.011), had more end-stage renal disease (28%, 10%, 12%, respectively; p=0.055), and were infrequent smokers (5%, 22%, 33%, respectively; p=0.07) compared to possible-AA-UUC and non-AA-UUC patients. All 14 patients who developed contralateral UUC had aristolactam-DNA adducts; ten of these also had signature mutations. The contralateral UUC-free survival period was shorter in AA-UUC compared to possible- or non-AA-UUC (p=0.019 and 0.002, respectively), whereas no differences among groups were observed for bladder cancer recurrence. In conclusion, AA-UUC patients tend to be younger and female, and have more advanced renal disease. Notably, AA exposure was associated with an increased risk for developing synchronous bilateral and metachronous contralateral UUC.

Automaticity of smoking behaviour: the relationship between dual-task performance, daily cigarette intake and subjective nicotine effects

Recent research using a dual-task procedure indicates that smoking behaviour can proceed automatically (i.e. it makes minimal demands on cognitive resources) in experienced, but not novice, smokers (Baxter and Hinson, 2001). The increased cognitive load of smoking behaviour in novice smokers was inferred from their slower response times (RTs) to auditory probes during smoking, relative to a baseline (no-smoking) condition. However, this effect of smoking behaviour on RTs may be confounded by the subjective effects of nicotine (e.g. 'head rush'), which may be greater in those who smoke less frequently. We employed the dual-task procedure to assess the relationships between (a) the effect of smoking on RTs to auditory probes, (b) the frequency of smoking behaviour (daily cigarette intake) and (c) the subjective effects of smoking. Results indicated that infrequent smokers showed an increased cognitive load (i.e. slower RTs to probes) during smoking, compared with frequent smokers, but there were no group differences in the subjective effects of smoking. Results suggest that smoking behaviour becomes automatized in those who smoke more frequently, and this is unconfounded by the subjective effects of nicotine.

Adolescent Smoking: Are Infrequent and Occasional Smokers Ready to Quit?

We examined motivation for cessation and plans to quit among 945 high school students in 2001 at three levels of smoking frequency (regular, occasional, and infrequent). Surveys were completed at six Illinois high schools. In multivariate models, females (compared to males) and white students (compared to nonwhite students) were more likely to plan to quit, but plans to quit did not differ by smoking level. In multivariate models to predict motivation for cessation, regular smokers were significantly less motivated to quit than were occasional and infrequent smokers, and occasional smokers were less motivated than infrequent smokers; demographic variables were nonsignificant. Infrequent and occasional smokers are motivated to quit and intend to quit soon, making them an attractive target for cessation programs.

Influence du tabagisme des médecins sur la pratique du “conseil minimal”: Enquête auprès de 369 médecins généralistes de la Vienne

French doctors' smoking habits may interfere with the effectiveness of smoking prevention measures and particularly when providing minimal advice.To assess the smoking habits of general practitioners in the department of Vienne, France, and to study how they affect minimal advice for smoking cessation.257 general practitioners took part in a phone survey (26.5%) or answered a written questionnaire (73.5%). The questions bore on socio-demographic characteristics, smoking habits and the of minimal advice provided whether partial or whole. Do you smoke? If so, have you ever thought of quitting?The participation rate was 70%. 26% of the participants were current smokers--16 % regular smokers, 10% infrequent smokers, 30% had quit and 44% had never smoke. 44.4% investigated smoking habits as a matter of course, and 41% provided intensive advice for smoking cessation. Doctors who had never smoked gave more advice than those who currently smoked or had quit.A comparison with former studies reveals that the number of doctors who smoke has decreased. However, minimal intervention on smoking cessation is put into practice by less than half of the doctors.The incidence of smoking among doctors in the Department of Vienne remains too high and minimal intervention on smoking cessation is still insufficient. However, doctors who had never smoked provided minimal advice more often than those who currently smoked or had quit.

Reports of Smoking in a National Survey: Data from Screening and Detailed Interviews, and from Self- and Interviewer-Administered Questions

PURPOSE: This study compares responses to questions about smoking in a brief screening interview with those from a subsequent, more detailed interview; it also compares responses to self-administered questions and questions administered by interviewers. The data are from the 1994 National Household Survey on Drug Abuse (NHSDA). METHODS: About 22000 respondents completed the main questionnaire of the 1994 NHSDA. Earlier, a member of each sample household had been asked to provide screening information, including smoking status, for each person in the household. Then, one or more persons in the household were interviewed about their own smoking and drug use; for some respondents, the questions about smoking were self-administered and for others they were administered by an interviewer. We examined discrepancies between reports about smoking from the screening data and main interview data; we also compared the results across the two versions of the main interview smoking questions (self and interviewer-administered). RESULTS: The screening data produced lower estimated rates of smoking than did the main interview data, particularly when proxies provided the screening data. In the main interviews, self-administered questions produced higher estimates of the prevalence of smoking than interviewer-administered questions, but only for adolescents. CONCLUSIONS: Proxies can provide some information about smoking, although the data are likely to be biased for younger age groups and for infrequent smokers. For adolescents, self-administration appears to elicit more candid reports about smoking than interviewer administration. In addition, multiple items may help to capture smoking reports by persons who are reluctant to admit they have smoked recently or whose status as smokers is unclear.

Objective assessment of smoking habits by urinary cotinine measurement in adolescents and young adults with type 1 diabetes. Reliability of reported cigarette consumption and relationship to urinary albumin excretion.

To examine the relationship of objective smoking status to age, sex, longterm metabolic control, and urinary albumin excretion. Patients with type 1 diabetes who smoke are at increased risk to develop diabetic microvascular and macrovascular complications. While this has repeatedly been demonstrated in adults, smoking habits have rarely been investigated in adolescents. Urinary continine excretion has been determined by radioimmunoassay in 238 adolescents and young adults with type 1 diabetes. This biochemical parameter of nicotine use was related to age, to the number of cigarettes allegedly consumed per day, and to urinary albumin excretion. A total of 46 patients (19.3%) with urinary cotinine values > 500 ng/ml were classified as smokers. In 26 patients (10.9%), cotinine values between 100 and 500 ng/ml were found (infrequent smokers or environmental nicotine exposure), while the remaining 166 patients excreted < 100 ng/ml of cotinine in the urine (nonsmokers). Smokers were significantly older (20.2 +/- 0.6 years [mean +/- SE]) compared with the intermediate group (18.3 +/- 0.7 years) or with nonsmokers (15.9 +/- 0.4 years; P < 0.0001, Wilcoxon's signed-rank test). Of 46 smokers, 12 denied smoking cigarettes entirely, and among biochemically defined smokers, no correlation was present between urinary continine excretion and the reported number of cigarettes consumed per day. Urinary albumin excretion was significantly higher in smokers compared with nonsmokers (P < 0.003). These data demonstrate that cigarette smoking is common among German adolescents and young adults with type 1 diabetes in this study. Many patients deny nicotine use or refuse to disclose their smoking habits. Increased urinary albumin excretion is consistent with an increased risk of nephropathy in subjects with diabetes who smoke. Pediatricians in charge of adolescents with type 1 diabetes should actively discuss the risk of nicotine consumption with their patients.

The favorite cigarette of the day

The choice of a favorite cigarette smoked during a given day varies considerably. Preferences are related to nicotine dependence and the lifestyles of smokers. In a sample of 5124 smokers, the "after-dinner cigarette" was chosen as the cigarette which they would miss most, while the next largest proportion of smokers (33%) said that they would miss the "first cigarette of the morning" most. The latter group scored highest on tests of nicotine dependence. In contrast, infrequent smokers ("chippers") chose the after-dinner cigarette.