Search

The January 2024 issue of Nicotine & Tobacco Research highlights the use of qualitative research methods in the field of nicotine and tobacco research. Qualitative research involves exploring themes through textual data, often collected through focus group and semi-structured interviews. The six papers in this issue demonstrate how qualitative research can be used to understand new topics, tailor interventions, and evaluate the effectiveness of programs. These methods are valuable for informing the development of interventions, educational programs, and policies related to nicotine and tobacco use. [Extracted from the article]

Tobacco use is a persistent problem among people who identify as belonging to a sexual and/or gender minoritized (SGM) group. McQuoid and colleagues suggest that Empowerment Theory[7] could be an effective framework for tobacco cessation interventions tailored to SGM communities. McQuoid and colleagues conducted a scoping review to explore the different behavioral frameworks used to develop prevention and cessation programs tailored to SGM individuals. [Extracted from the article]

Introduction: While it is clear that tobacco use has been increasing in developing countries, it is unclear whether smokers in these countries utilize cessation assistance to quit. We examined the extent to which smokers in developing countries use assistance when making a cessation attempt.Methods: Data from the Global Adult Tobacco Survey of 16 low and middle income countries were analyzed. This nationally representative household survey collected data on assistance that smokers used to quit, such as provider advice, pharmacotherapy, and quit lines between 2008 and 2012.Results: Use of any of the recommended assistance in the past 12 months varied greatly in lower middle income countries (4% to 27%), and to a lesser extent in upper middle income countries (5% to 18%). Counseling and pharmacotherapy were more commonly used than other types of assistance, though the prevalence was low across countries (counseling: 1% to 15%; pharmacotherapy: 1% to 27%). Quit lines were rarely used (0.1% to 1.5%). The average age of assistance users and nonusers was both around 40. In general, past users of cessation assistance tended to have higher education levels than nonusers.Conclusions: Cessation assistance is underused in these low and middle income countries. Tobacco control advocates in these countries should work on ways to promote use of cessation assistance to enhance quit rates. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]