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Issue Addressed Methods Results Conclusions So What? Physically locating liquor stores near schools can strongly influence the chances of youth accessing and consuming alcohol, and may also increase children's exposure to alcohol advertising. Investigating the association between the presence of a liquor store near a school and the prevalence of outdoor alcohol advertising is crucial from a policy perspective, as it can inform future regulations on the placement of liquor stores and outdoor advertising near educational institutions.All outdoor alcohol advertising within a 500 m radius (audit zone) of 64 randomly selected schools from local government areas across metropolitan Perth was identified by direct observation; recording the size, setting, location and content of each advertisement. Results were compared based on whether the school audit zone contained a liquor store or not.Over half (n = 36, 56%) of all school audit zones had at least one alcohol advertisement, with an average number of 5.9 alcohol advertisements per zone (SD = 10.2). The majority (97.9%) of advertisements were in the 38 audit zones containing a liquor store (average = 9.7, SD = 11.9 per zone), compared to zones without a liquor store (average = .3, SD = .7 per zone).Perth school zones containing a liquor store in their 500 m radius had, on average, 30 times more outdoor alcohol advertising, compared with school zones without a nearby liquor store.The siting of liquor stores and the display of alcohol advertisements around educational settings require combined policy, planning and public health approaches to mitigate children's exposure to alcohol marketing, especially during school transit. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Issue Addressed: Adolescents are heavily exposed to unhealthy outdoor food advertisements near schools, however, the marketing power of these advertisements among adolescents has not yet been explored. This study aimed to investigate the teen‐directed marketing features present and quantify the overall marketing power of outdoor food advertisements located near schools to explore any differences by content (ie, alcohol, discretionary, core and miscellaneous foods) school type (ie, primary, secondary, K‐12) and area‐level socio‐economic status (SES; ie, low vs high). Methods: This cross‐sectional study audited every outdoor food advertisement (n = 1518) within 500m of 64 randomly selected schools in Perth, Western Australia, using a teen‐informed coding tool to score the marketing power of each advertisement. Results: Outdoor alcohol advertisements around schools had the highest average marketing power score and number of advertising features present. Outdoor advertisements for alcohol and discretionary foods scored significantly higher in marketing power than core food advertisements (P <.001). Outdoor alcohol advertisements around secondary schools scored significantly higher in marketing power than around primary and K‐12 schools (P <.001); and outdoor advertisements for discretionary foods in low SES areas scored significantly higher in marketing power than those in high SES areas (P <.001). Conclusions: This study found outdoor advertisements for unhealthy products, such as alcohol and discretionary foods, were more powerful than advertisements for core foods around schools. So What?: These findings strengthen the need for policies which restrict outdoor advertisements for non‐core foods near schools, to reduce adolescents' exposure to powerful alcohol and discretionary food advertisements. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Issue addressed: To examine the potential impact on trends in reported adolescent sugar‐sweetened beverage (SSB) consumption following the adult‐targeted Western Australian (WA) LiveLighter "Sugary Drinks" campaign, which is a television‐led healthy lifestyle promotion and education mass media campaign that aired in multiple bursts between July 2013 and December 2018. Methods: Data were from a repeated cross‐sectional survey of Australian secondary school students aged 12‐17 years conducted nation‐wide in 2009‐2010 (n = 13 790 from 238 schools), 2012‐2013 (n = 10 309 from 196 schools) and 2018 (n = 9102 from 104 schools). Results: Significant declines in high SSB consumption (≥4 cups/week) were observed between 2009‐2010 and 2012‐2013 among students in both WA (27.1% vs 20.3%; odds ratio [OR] = 0.65, 95% confidence interval [CI] = 0.50‐0.84, P =.001) and all other states and territories combined (30.6% vs 21.4%; OR = 0.60, 95% CI = 0.53‐0.68, P <.001). Compared to 2012‐2013, the proportion of students in WA who reported high SSB consumption was significantly lower in 2018 (20.3% vs 9.6%; OR = 0.37, 95% CI = 0.21‐0.65, P =.001), whereas this significant decrease was not observed in all other states and territories combined (21.4% vs 17.8%; OR = 0.81, 95% CI = 0.67‐0.97, P =.024). Interaction testing indicated that the recent decline observed in WA was more pronounced among female than male students. Conclusions: Mass media campaigns targeted towards the Australian adult population may have favourable effects among adolescents with the steeper decline in high SSB consumption observed in WA between 2012‐2013 and 2018 coinciding with the repeated airing of the LiveLighter "Sugary Drinks" campaign in this state. So what?: Government investment in mass media campaigns may hasten declines in adolescents' SSB consumption. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A healthy and safe public health environment is a fundamental responsibility of government; achieving it requires collaboration across multiple sectors. Public health services include, for example, vaccination and quarantine for infectious diseases; health promotion, such as anti-smoking campaigns for noncommunicable diseases; and health insurance for universal health coverage. All these services require intersectoral actions in which the government must play a fundamental role, either partially or totally. The Taiwanese outlook on governmental public health infrastructure and professionalization of public health is given in this paper. It also describes the national governmental public health measures that were employed during the Covid-19 pandemic and discusses the challenges ahead for the country's governmental public health. Governmental public health is essential and should not be affected by changes in political forms or socioeconomic development. Instead, effective governmental public health will promote these developments while protecting citizens' right to health. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Introduction: Smoking is a public health concern of high importance. Globally, the prevalence of smoking has decreased gradually over a period from 1990-2015. However, the total numbers of smokers has increased over the same period. Currently, there are 1.1 billion smokers in the world which risk to an increase in smoking related health issues in turn contributes to increased burden of non-communicable diseases Objective: To assist the willingness to smoke cessation among medical students and its associated factors. Material and Methods: It is a cross-sectional study comprised of a self-administered Hamilton Tobacco use questionnaire administered witheligible university students. Data was collected from 266-participants after taking verbal informed consent. Data analysis was done using SPSS version 20. Results: A total of out of 266 respondents were taken for the study. In general, willingness to cessation smoke among medical students in Karachi was seen about 64% while high ratio reported among female as compare to males. In MBBS students it is 64.9%, BDS 65.3% and 55.8% among BS. Conclusion: The high ratio of smoke cessation in female students is an indicator towards need of massive behavioral change campaign in order to encourage medical students to quit cigarette smoking and other tobacco related substances. It can be possible by provision of some educational projects regarding the health hazards of smoking. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

INTRODUCTION Legislative policies aimed at curbing early exposure to smoking among youth are a crucial public health strategy. Yet little is known about US adults' public opinion on restricting exposure of children to movies depicting smoking. This study sought to characterize US adults' levels of support to restrict the exposure of children to smoking in movies and explore associations with sociodemographic characteristics. METHODS We used cross-sectional data from the 2020 Health Information National Trends Survey (HINTS, n=3750) of adults in the United States to estimate the prevalence of opinions toward restricting the exposure of children to smoking in movies and examine correlates of support using weighted logistic regression. RESULTS In all, 48.2% of adults endorsed a supportive opinion. In multivariable logistic regression analysis, the odds of endorsing a supportive opinion were higher among Black/African American adults (OR=1.61; 95% CI: 1.04-2.49, p=0.033), and Hispanics (OR=1.78; 95% CI: 1.17-2.72, p=0.008) when compared to Whites. Similarly, compared to those aged 18-34 years, the odds of endorsing a supportive opinion were also greater among those aged 50-64 years (OR=2.15; 95% CI: 1.43-3.24, p<0.001) or aged =65 years (OR=3.83; 95% CI: 2.31-6.36, p<0.001). Higher odds for support were observed among those exposed to federal court-ordered anti-smoking tobacco messages (OR=1.37; 95% CI 1.06-1.78, p=0.018) and among those who reported using social media to share health information (OR=1.51; 95% CI: 1.02-2.23, p=0.041). CONCLUSIONS Only 48% of US adults endorsed support for restricting the exposure of children to smoking in movies. This study has identified subgroups of US adults for whom tailored communication interventions may increase support for policies that protect children from early initiation of smoking. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

By the late 1980s, 'healthy eating' had largely failed as a public health discourse in Britain. Rather than providing consumers with a clear set of behavioural guidelines, it had fragmented into a confusing and ill-defined set of messages. In direct contrast to the anti-smoking campaign, which had succeeded in convincing large swathes of the British population to quit an unhealthy habit, the injunction to eat healthily failed to counteract rising levels of obesity in the 1990s, 2000s, and beyond. This article explores the emergence of a 'healthy eating' discourse in mid-to-late twentieth century Britain. It draws on a wide range of historical sources to consider how knowledge about food was re-fashioned across this period—by the state, by commercial actors, and by consumers themselves. While it is common to assert that the food and drink industry manipulated 'ordinary people' in this period, I argue that consumers were complicit in the shift towards unhealthy modes of consumption. They worked processed food products and 'healthy eating' messages into their everyday lives in contradictory ways. In turn, this article makes a strong case for histories of the everyday, arguing that 'small' histories of consumption can help to illuminate macro-level trends. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Context: Despite gains in the tobacco control movement, tobacco products remain a threat, with specific populations at greater risk. Objective: The purpose of this paper is to examine the role that leaders in the tobacco control movement have played in progress achieved to date and identify recommendations for the future using a health equity framework. Design: Qualitative key informant interviews were conducted with representatives from four key tobacco control organizations and their partners. Setting: Interviews were conducted on-site at tobacco control organization offices or by telephone. Participants: Key informant interviews (N=87) were conducted in the July-December of 2017. Main outcome measures: Interviewees describe their work in providing technical assistance to leading public health and policy efforts in tobacco control. Interviews were transcribed verbatim and coded for meaning units. This analysis was conducted November 2017-January 2018. This study was determined exempt from review by the University of Nebraska Medical Center Institutional Review Board. Results: Three overarching themes emerged from our analysis: (1) maintaining tobacco control as a public health issue, (2) the importance of health equity in tobacco control work, and (3) planning for the next generation of tobacco control advocates. Certain populations remain untouched by broad public health approaches to reduce tobacco use. Conclusions: Tailored, focused, and comprehensive approaches to across specific communities are needed. Adopting a health equity lens across public health priority areas (e.g., obesity, opioids, and tobacco control) could reduce prevalence among vulnerable groups for multiple conditions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

An editorial is presented on evolving evidence on the distribution of vaping and the relationship with smoking initiation and cessation. Topics include policy gaps and implementation challenges, inequalities in tobacco, and vaping use and associations among use of vaping products; and vulnerable youth being more likely to initiate tobacco smoking.

Introduction: In contrast to tobacco smoking, electronic cigarette ("vaping") advertisement had been approved in the United Kingdom (UK) in January 2013. Currently, there are an estimated 3.2 million UK e-cigarette users. The impact of e-cigarette advertisement on tobacco use has not been studied in detail. We hypothesised that e-cigarette advertisement impacts on conventional smoking behaviour. Methods: A cross-sectional structured survey assessed the impact of e-cigarette advertising on the perceived social acceptability of cigarette and e-cigarette smoking and on using either cigarettes or e-cigarettes (on a scale of 1 to 5/'not at all' to 'a lot'). The survey was administered between January to March 2015 to London university students, before and after viewing 5 UK adverts including a TV commercial. Results: Data were collected from 106 participants (22 ± 2 years, 66% male), comprising cigarette smokers (32%), non-smokers (54%) and ex-smokers (14%). This included vapers (16%), non-vapers (77%) and ex-vapers (7%). After viewing the adverts, smokers (2.6 ± 1.0 vs. 3.8 ± 1.1, p = 0.001) and non-smokers (3.2 ± 0.7 vs. 3.7 ± 0.8, p = 0.007) felt smoking was more socially acceptable, compared to before viewing them. Participants were more likely to try both e-cigarettes (1.90 ± 1.03 to 3.09 ± 1.11, p < 0.001) and conventional cigarettes (1.73 ± 0.83 to 2.27 ± 1.13, p < 0.001) after viewing the adverts compared to before. Vapers were less likely to smoke both an e-cigarette, and a conventional cigarette after viewing the adverts. Conclusion: E-cigarette advertising encourages both e-cigarette and conventional cigarette use in young smokers and non-smokers. The adverts increase the social acceptability of smoking without regarding the importance of public health campaigns that champion smoking cessation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objectives: In 2016 the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and Santa Fe Natural Tobacco Company entered into a settlement agreement restricting use of the terms "additive free" and "natural" in American Spirit ads. American Spirit uses a variety of other tactics that could contribute to inaccurate reduced risk perceptions; yet, no research has examined the effects of these tactics. The current study examines the effect of the phrase 'tobacco and water', references to eco-friendly business practices, and plant imagery on young adults' perceptions of product harm, addictiveness, and nicotine content. Methods: We conducted a between-subjects experiment that randomized the presentation of 5 ad tactics (control, 'tobacco and water', eco-friendly reference, plant imagery, or all 3 tactics present) in 2 brands (American Spirit vs Marlboro) with a sample of 3054 18-24 year-old US young adults recruited via Amazon Mechanical Turk. Results: When used in an American Spirit ad, adding eco-friendly language (OR = 1.50, AOR = 1.51) or "tobacco and water" (OR = 1.48, AOR = 1.1.6) was associated with greater odds of misperceiving reduced harm compared to the control condition. Conclusions: Our findings provide additional support for FDA enforcement actions against tobacco companies using these misleading tactics. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: To describe the impact of the National Cancer Institute's promotion of its youth smoking cessation program, Smokefree Teen (SFT).Design: We provide a description of campaign strategies and outcomes as a means to engage a teen audience in cessation resources using a cost-effective approach.Setting: The campaign occurred nationally, using traditional (TV and radio), online, and social media outreach.Participants: Ads targeted adolescent smokers (aged 14-17). The baseline population was 42 586 and increased to 464 357 during the campaign.Measures: Metrics used to assess outcomes include (1) visits to SFT website from traditional and online ads, (2) cost to get an online ad clicked (cost-per-click), and (3) SmokefreeTXT program enrollments during the 8-week campaign period.Analysis: We conducted a quantitative performance review of all tactics.Results: The SFT campaign achieved an online ad click-through rate of 0.33%, exceeding industry averages of 0.15%. Overall, web traffic to teen.smokefree.gov increased by 980%, and the online cost-per-click for ads, including social media actions, was approximately $1 as compared with $107 for traditional ads. Additionally, the campaign increased the SmokefreeTXT program teen sign-ups by 1334%.Conclusion: The campaign increased engagement with evidence-informed cessation resources for teen smokers. Results show the potential of using multiple, online channels to help increase engagement with core resources. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: To assess the relationship between youth's exposure to the Food and Drug Administration's national tobacco public education campaign, The Real Cost, and changes in campaign-targeted beliefs.Design: Longitudinal design with baseline survey and 2 postcampaign follow-up surveys.Sample: Youth from 75 US media markets (N = 1680) who completed all 3 surveys and had experimented with or were susceptible to future cigarette smoking.Measures: Exposure was measured by self-reported frequency of ad exposure and media market-level target rating points. Agreement with 30 self-reported tobacco-related beliefs was assessed in 3 categories: (1) beliefs specifically targeted by campaign messages (campaign-targeted belief), (2) beliefs not targeted by the campaign (nontargeted beliefs), and (3) beliefs corresponding to other media campaigns on air concurrent with The Real Cost (ambiguous beliefs).Analysis: Descriptive analyses of aggregate changes in beliefs and logistic regressions to examine the association between campaign exposure and beliefs.Intervention: The Real Cost.Results: Agreement with campaign-targeted beliefs increased from baseline to first and second follow-ups, with a mean relative increase of 10.4% and 11.5%, respectively. Nontargeted beliefs did not change substantially. Both measures of campaign exposure were positively associated with increased odds of agreeing with 5 of 8 campaign-targeted beliefs. Exposure was not significantly associated with 12 of 14 nontargeted tobacco-related beliefs.Discussion: A sustained national tobacco public education campaign can change population-level perceptions of tobacco-related harms among youth. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study examines the roles that the media effects and persuasion ethics schemas play in people's responses to an antismoking ad in South Korea. An online experiment was conducted with 347 adults. The media effects schema was manipulated with news stories on an antismoking campaign's effectiveness, while the persuasion ethics schema was measured and median-split. Analysis of Variance (ANOVA) tests were performed for issue attitudes (Iatt), attitude toward the ad (Aad), and behavioral intention (BI). Results show significant main effects of themedia effects schema on the three dependent variables. People in the weakmedia effects condition had significantly lower Iatt, Aad, and BI than those in either the strong media effects condition or the control condition. This pattern was more pronounced among smokers. While there was no significant main effect of the persuasion ethics schema on any of the dependent variables, a significant interaction effect for persuasion ethics schema and smoking status was found on behavioral intention (BI). Nonsmokers' BI was significantly higher than smokers' in the low-persuasion ethics schema condition, but it was not significant in the highpersuasion ethics schema condition. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: Aims: To assess the cost‐effectiveness of a two‐component intervention designed to increase attendance at the NHS Stop Smoking Services (SSSs) in England. Design: Cost‐effectiveness analysis alongside a randomized controlled trial (Start2quit). Setting: NHS SSS and general practices in England. Participants: The study comprised 4384 smokers aged 16 years or more identified from medical records in 99 participating practices, who were motivated to quit and had not attended the SSS in the previous 12 months. Intervention and comparator: Intervention was a personalized and tailored letter sent from the general practitioner (GP) and a personal invitation and appointment to attend a taster session providing information about SSS. Control was a standard generic letter from the GP advertising SSS and asking smokers to contact the service to make an appointment. Measurements: Costs measured from an NHS/personal social services perspective, estimated health gains in quality‐adjusted life‐years (QALYs) measured with EQ‐5D and incremental cost per QALY gained during both 6 months and a life‐time horizon. Findings: During the trial period, the adjusted mean difference in costs was £92 [95% confidence interval (CI) = –£32 to –£216) and the adjusted mean difference in QALY gains was 0.002 (95% CI = –0.001 to 0.004). This generates an incremental cost per QALY gained of £59 401. The probability that the tailored letter and taster session is more cost‐effective than the generic letter at 6 months is never above 50%. In contrast, the discounted life‐time health‐care cost was lower in the intervention group, while the life‐time QALY gains were significantly higher. The probability that the intervention is more cost‐effective is more than 83% using a £20 000–30 000 per QALY‐gained decision‐making threshold. Conclusions: An intervention designed to increase attendance at the NHS Stop Smoking Services (tailored letter and taster session in the services) appears less likely to be cost‐effective than a generic letter in the short term, but is likely to become more cost‐effective than the generic letter during the long term. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The issue of electronic cigarettes is one of the most controversial topics in public health. There is intense debate and dividing opinions about their use patterns, health effects and association with smoking. This is expected since they were only recently introduced to the market and they refer to a harm-reduction approach and strategy that is not universally accepted for smoking and tobacco use in the public health community. Three main factors determine the public health impact of electronic cigarettes: (1) their safety/risk profile, both relative to smoking and in absolute terms; (2) their effectiveness for smoking reduction and cessation; (3) the patterns of use by different population subgroups, especially never-smokers, and adoption of use by youth. This analysis presents a brief overview of currently available evidence and gaps in research covering these three factors. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Using archival records of the Commissariat of Public Health, journals, and propaganda materials from the antismoking campaign of the Soviet 1920s, this article argues that the revolutionary state pursued an antitobacco policy unique in the world in its attack on tobacco use at a national scale. The commissar of public health, Nikolai Alexandrovich Semashko, attempted to severely curtail tobacco cultivation and production, limit tobacco sales, and create a public opinion against tobacco with a propaganda campaign. Even in failing in its farther-reaching goals, the policy proved one of the most forward in terms of antismoking propaganda and state-sponsored treatment regimens, with the distribution of antismoking posters, pamphlets, articles, plays, and films as well as the creation of special state-sponsored smoking-cessation programs that boasted high success rates. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objectives: Cigarette smoking remains a major cause of death in China. Are health sciences libraries in China currently providing awareness, advocacy, or research support for the societal benefits of smoking reduction? Methods: Following institutional review board approval, Library contacts for Chinese schools of medicine, public health, and pharmacy were identified. A bilingual online survey was constructed to obtain respondents' demographic detail and answers to questions about library resources and services that constitute academic awareness, advocacy, curriculum, or research support about tobacco and smoking. Results: 43% of reporting librarians work on a smoke-free campus. 100% of all reporting libraries work in smoke-free libraries, though 6% of the reporting libraries offer a smoking room for staff. All reporting libraries contain printed material on the dangers of smoking. Student requests for materials or acquisition recommendations are infrequent. More than 60% of the librarians report medical residents occasionally ask for tobacco-related literature. Nearly 60% of librarians reported faculty occasionally ask for materials about smoking. More than 60% of instructors were reported to occasionally ask for database searches about cigarettes or tobacco. 33% of librarians reported creating a collection guide about smoking. 15% of reporting libraries hosted a traveling exhibit on smoking. Conclusion: Some Chinese health sciences libraries are providing public health information and collaborating with faculty and students to support the reduction of smoking and tobacco use. Anecdotal statements collected from survey participants confirms their awareness of the educational and advocacy roles librarians play in their country's smoking crisis. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background and aims Quitting smoking is the most potent way to reduce the health risks associated with smoking cigarettes, and public health objectives in the United States include dramatic increases in the proportion of smokers making a serious quit attempt each year. The US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has, since 2000, set as its Healthy People 2020 objective to encourage 80% of smokers to make a serious quit attempt per year. This study assessed the trend in quit attempts from 2009 to 2014. Design We examined the percentage of US smokers making a serious quit attempt each year from 2009 to 2014 from the repeating cross-sectional National Health Interview Survey (NHIS). Setting United States. Participants The number of qualifying respondents per year ranged from 5748 in 2010 to 7219 in 2012, with a total of 40 362 respondents included in the analysis. Measurements Respondents were deemed to have made a serious quit attempt if they were either current smokers who reported that they stopped smoking for more than 1 day in the past 12 months because they were trying to quit smoking, or reported being former smokers (smoked 100+ cigarettes life-time, but now not smoking) who quit in the past year. Findings Analyses of trends from 2009 to 2014 showed an overall linear increase in quit attempts [odds ratio (OR) = 1.02, 95% confidence interval (CI) = 1.01-1.04, P = 0.0075], but also a quadratic trend (OR = 1.01, 95% CI = 1.00-1.02, P = 0.0189). Conclusions The proportion of US smokers making a serious quit attempt has increased since 2009, due to an upward trend since 2011. The 2014 serious quit attempt rate was 55.0%. These rates are still below the Healthy People 2020 objective of 80% of smokers making a serious quit attempt per year. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article considers co-creation as a new persuasive strategy in health campaigns. Co-creation enables target audience members to become active campaign producers. A recent Dutch anti-smoking campaign applied co-creation, inviting the target audience to complete the slogan "smoking is sóóó . . . " with something outdated on social networking sites (SNSs) like Facebook and Twitter to stress nonsmoking as the new social norm. From a corpus-linguistic perspective, we investigated how the slogans from the target audience resonated with or deviated from the campaign's original message. In general, the target audience slogans followed the campaign's approach, but on the SNSs, differences were found regarding the valence, type of utterance, and domain to which smoking was compared. The target audience frequently compared smoking with other (inter)personal social norms. Co-creation thus provides the target audience with an opportunity to disseminate campaign messages from their own perspective, but at the same time a co-creation strategy risks diluting the intended campaign message. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background and Objective Tobacco smoking is a major risk factor for a wide range of respiratory and circulatory diseases in active and passive smokers. Well-designed campaigns are raising awareness to the problem and an increasing number of smokers seeks medical assistance to quit their habit. In this context, there is the need to develop mHealth Apps that assist and manage large smoke quitting programs in efficient and economic ways. Objectives Our main objective is to develop an efficient and free mHealth app that facilitates the management of, and assistance to, people who want to quit smoking. As secondary objectives, our research also aims at estimating the economic effect of deploying that App in the public health system. Methods Using JAVA and XML we develop and deploy a new free mHealth App for Android, called TControl (Tobacco-quitting Control). We deploy the App at the Tobacco Unit of the Santa Maria Hospital in Lleida and determine its stability by following the crashes of the App. We also use a survey to test usability of the app and differences in aptitude for using the App in a sample of 31 patients. Finally, we use mathematical models to estimate the economic effect of deploying TControl in the Catalan public health system. Results TControl keeps track of the smoke-quitting users, tracking their status, interpreting it, and offering advice and psychological support messages. The App also provides a bidirectional communication channel between patients and clinicians via mobile text messages. Additionally, registered patients have the option to interchange experiences with each other by chat. The App was found to be stable and to have high performances during startup and message sending. Our results suggest that age and gender have no statistically significant effect on patient aptitude for using TControl. Finally, we estimate that TControl could reduce costs for the Catalan public health system (CPHS) by up to € 400M in 10 years. Conclusions TControl is a stable and well behaved App, typically operating near optimal performance. It can be used independent of age and gender, and its wide implementation could decrease costs for the public health system. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Great racial disparities exist in smoking and related health outcomes in the United States. African American (AA) smokers start smoking later and smoke less than white smokers but are less likely to quit. In 2008, the CDC's Office on Smoking and Health funded the National African American Tobacco Prevention Network (NAATPN) to focus tobacco control leadership, expertise and promotion in the AA community. In 2012, NAATPN sought to determine significant outcomes of tobacco control efforts impacting Black and AA communities by conducting a qualitative document search and series of interviews with experts in the field. Thirteen identified outcomes were categorized into five broad classifications: 1) Menthol: Emergence of menthol as a focus for advocacy, policy and research; 2) Policy and Legal: Public policy and legal action aimed at reducing tobacco usage and consumption; 3) Advocacy: Focus on national networking to facilitate growth of local, organic, and grassroots capacity in AA communities; 4) Diversity: Emergence of diversity and inclusivity as values and principles used in shaping/driving policy, advocacy, and outreach; and 5) Cessation: Creation of a cessation guide for the AA community. The identified outcomes can be used by public health practitioners in furthering their efforts to address and reduce tobacco use disparities in the AA community. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article focuses on effectiveness of public health media campaigns reinforces the value of perceived message effectiveness (PME) in campaign planning. It mentions PME provides a tool for judging the in-market performance of campaign content, alerting campaign planners to possible needs for course corrections as a campaign unfolds. It also mentions antismoking campaign evaluation literature and cessation behavior.

Background: By 2030, 80 % of the annual 8.3 million deaths attributable to tobacco will be in low-income countries (LICs). Yet, services to support people to quit tobacco are not part of routine primary care in LICs. This study explored the challenges to implementing a behavioural support (BS) intervention to promote tobacco cessation within primary care in Nepal.Methods: The study used qualitative and quantitative methods within an action research approach in three primary health care centres (PHCCs) in two districts of Nepal. Before implementation, 21 patient interviews and two focus groups with health workers informed intervention design. Over a 6-month period, two researchers facilitated action research meetings with staff and observed implementation, recording the process and their reflections in diaries. Patients were followed up 3 months after BS to determine tobacco use (verified biochemically) and gain feedback on the intervention. A further five interviews with managers provided reflections on the process. The qualitative analysis used Normalisation Process Theory (NPT) to understand implementation.Results: Only 2 % of out-patient appointments identified the patient as a smoker. Qualitative findings highlight patients' unwillingness to admit their smoking status and limited motivation among health workers to offer the intervention. Patient-centred skills needed for BS were new to staff, who found them challenging particularly with low-literacy patients (skill set workability). Heath workers saw cessation advice and BS as an addition to their existing workload (relational integration). While there was strong policy buy-in, operationalising this through reporting and supervision was limited (contextual integration). Of the 44 patients receiving the intervention, 27 were successfully followed up after 3 months; 37 % of these had quit (verified biochemically).Conclusions: Traditionally, primary health care in LICs has focused on acute care; with increasing recognition of the need for lifestyle change, health workers must develop new skills and relationships with patients. Appropriate and regular recording, reporting, supervision and clear leadership are needed if health workers are to take responsibility for smoking cessation. The consistent implementation of these health system activities is a requirement if cessation services are to be normalised within routine primary care. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Antismoking mass media campaigns are known to be effective as part of comprehensive tobacco control programs in high-income countries, but such campaigns are relatively new in low- and middle-income countries and there is a need for strong evaluation studies from these regions. This study examines Malaysia's first national antismoking campaign, TAK NAK. The data are from the International Tobacco Control Malaysia Survey, which is an ongoing cohort survey of a nationally representative sample of adult smokers (18 years and older; N = 2,006). The outcome variable was quit intentions of adult smokers, and the authors assessed the extent to which quit intentions may have been strengthened by exposure to the antismoking campaign. The authors also tested whether the impact of the campaign on quit intentions was related to cognitive mechanisms (increasing thoughts about the harm of smoking), affective mechanisms (increasing fear from the campaign), and perceived social norms (increasing perceived social disapproval about smoking). Mediational regression analyses revealed that thoughts about the harm of smoking, fear arousal, and social norms against smoking mediated the relation between TAK NAK impact and quit intentions. Effective campaigns should prompt smokers to engage in both cognitive and affective processes and encourage consideration of social norms about smoking in their society. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We propose and test an extension of the planned behavior model to reflect resistance to preventive public health messages. Our results relate to an anti-smoking advertisement and show that the detection of persuasive intent, a promotion-oriented regulatory focus and perceived behavioral control lead to an increase in resistance to persuasion. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: To systematically review current smoking prevalence among adults in sub-Saharan Africa from 2007 to May 2014 and to describe the context of tobacco control strategies in these countries. Data Sources: Five databases, Medline, Embase, Africa-wide Information, Cinahl Plus, and Global Health were searched using a systematic search strategy. There were no language restrictions. Study Selection: 26 included studies measured current smoking prevalence in nationally representative adult populations in sub-Saharan African countries. Data Extraction: Study details were independently extracted using a standard datasheet. Data on tobacco control policies, taxation and trends in prices were obtained from the Implementation Database of the WHO FCTC website. Results: Studies represented 13 countries. Current smoking prevalence varied widely ranging from 1.8% in Zambia to 25.8% in Sierra Leone. The prevalence of smoking was consistently lower in women compared to men with the widest gender difference observed in Malawi (men 25.9%, women 2.9%). Rwanda had the highest prevalence of women smokers (12.6%) and Ghana had the lowest (0.2%). Rural, urban patterns were inconsistent. Most countries have implemented demand-reduction measures including bans on advertising, and taxation rates but to different extents. Conclusion: Smoking prevalence varied widely across sub-Saharan Africa, even between similar country regions, but was always higher in men. High smoking rates were observed among countries in the eastern and southern regions of Africa, mainly among men in Ethiopia, Malawi, Rwanda, and Zambia and women in Rwanda and rural Zambia. Effective action to reduce smoking across sub-Saharan Africa, particularly targeting population groups at increased risk remains a pressing public health priority. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Tobacco tax increases are associated with increases in quitline calls and reductions in smoking prevalence. In 2013, ClearWay MinnesotaSM conducted a six-week media campaign promoting QUITPLAN® Services (QUITPLAN Helpline and quitplan.com) to leverage the state's tax increase. The purpose of this study was to ascertain the association of the tax increase and media campaign on call volumes, web visits, and enrollments in QUITPLAN Services. Methods: In this observational study, call volume, web visits, enrollments, and participant characteristics were analyzed for the periods June-August 2012 and June-August 2013. Enrollment data and information about media campaigns were analyzed using multivariate regression analysis to determine the association of the tax increase on QUITPLAN Services while controlling for media. Results: There was a 160% increase in total combined calls and web visits, and an 81% increase in enrollments in QUITPLAN Services. Helpline call volumes and enrollments declined back to prior year levels approximately six weeks after the tax increase. Visits to and enrollments in quitplan.com also declined, but increased again in mid-August. The tax increase and media explained over 70% of variation in enrollments in the QUITPLAN Helpline, with media explaining 34% of the variance and the tax increase explaining an additional 36.1% of this variance. However, media explained 64% of the variance in quitplan.com enrollments, and the tax increase explained an additional 7.6% of this variance. Conclusions: Since tax increases occur infrequently, these policy changes must be fully leveraged as quickly as possible to help reduce prevalence. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The non-communicable disease burden in China is enormous, with tobacco use a leading risk factor for the major non-communicable diseases. The prevalence of tobacco use in men is one of the highest in the world, with more than 300 million smokers and 740 million non-smokers exposed to second-hand smoke. In the past decade public awareness of the health hazards of tobacco use and exposure to second-hand smoke has grown, social customs and habits have changed, aggressive tactics used by the tobacco industry have been revealed, and serious tobacco control policies have been actively promoted. In 2014, national legislators in China began actively considering national bans on smoking in public and work places and tobacco advertising. However, tobacco control in China has remained particularly difficult because of interference by the tobacco industry. Changes to the interministerial coordinating mechanism for implementation of the WHO Framework Convention on Tobacco Control are now crucial. Progress towards a tobacco-free world will be dependent on more rapid action in China. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The authors argue that the international medical community need to change tobacco policy to stop cigarette smoking which is the cause of the huge number of deaths worldwide in the 20th century. Topics covered include the growth of the American cigarette companies despite the restrictions on tobacco advertising and high level of cigarette taxes, the objectives of the World Health Organization's Framework Convention on Tobacco Control, and the evolution of electronic nicotine-delivery systems.

Introduction: Oral cancer is a major health problem worldwide, owed to its high incidence and low survival rate as well as to the functional and cosmetic deficiencies that accompany the disease even after the treatment. The occurrence of oral cancer is particularly high among men, for whom it is the eighth most common cancer. Aim and Objectives: (1) To evaluate the effectiveness of antitobacco campaign. (2) To assess the prevalence of deleterious habits among families of patients with oral squamous cell carcinoma (OSCC). Materials and Methods: The study was carried out in the Department of Oral Pathology and Microbiology and 30 histopathologically diagnosed cases of OSCC were included in the study. The family members of these patients were given a questionnaire. Results: It was found that out of the 30 families included, only 7 families were such, in which the patient as well as the family members had quit the habit. Only 2 families were such that only the patient had the deleterious habit. Conclusion: Tobacco smoking and chewing is one of the prime factors responsible for oral pre-cancer and cancer. The incidence and prevalence of such lesions in South Asian countries like India is high owing to the increased production and consumption of tobacco. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Televised public service announcements are video ads that are a key component of public health campaigns against smoking. Under-standing the neurophysiological correlates of anti-tobacco ads is an important step toward novel objective methods of their evaluation and design. In the present study, we used functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) to investigate the brain and behavioral effects of the interaction between content ("argument strength," AS) and format ("message sensation value," MSV) of anti-smoking ads in hu-mans. Seventy-one nontreatment-seeking smokers viewed a sequence of 16 high or 16 low AS ads during an fMRI scan. Dependent variables were brain fMRI signal, the immediate recall of the ads, the immediate change in intentions to quit smoking, and the urine levels of a major nicotine metabolite cotinine at a 1 month follow-up. Whole-brain ANOVA revealed that AS and MSV interacted in the inferior frontal, inferior parietal, and fusiform gyri; the precuneus; and the dorsomedial prefrontal cortex (dMPFC). Regression analysis showed that the activation in the dMPFC predicted the urine cotinine levels 1 month later. These results characterize the key brain regions engaged in the processing of persuasive communications and suggest that brain fMRI response to anti-smoking ads could predict subsequent smoking severity in nontreatment-seeking smokers. Our findings demonstrate the importance of the quality of content for objective ad outcomes and suggest that fMRI investigation may aid the prerelease evaluation of televised public health ads. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objectives: The number of adults who smoke is decreasing, yet this decreasing trend is not spread evenly across the population, with the greatest number of smokers in the routine/ manual worker (R/M) population. This study aimed to gain insight into the beliefs, behaviours and cessation needs of R/M smokers working on construction sites to inform the potential development of a work-based smoking cessation service. Study design: A qualitative study in a work-based setting in the UK. Methods: Semi-structured focus group discussions and individual interviews (n = 23) with R/M employees on two development sites in London and seven employers. Data were analysed using a framework approach. Results: Key motivations for smoking continuance within this group were evident: physical effects, habit and routine, opportunity and social factors. Employees were knowledgeable about the negative health impacts of smoking, but showed limited awareness of smoking cessation services and aids available. Intentions to give up smoking were common, with favourable attitudes towards the development of a work-based smoking cessation service. Conclusion: The milieu of construction sites means that tailored approaches to work-based smoking cessation programmes are needed to maximize potential benefits for both employees and employers. Reconsideration of current Smokefree legislation as it applies to the construction industry is also required. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The author discusses the characteristics and role of researcher Fiona Stanley in public health advocacy for children in Australia. He says that Stanley has played a great role in promoting public health among Australian children through her participation in anti-tobacco and alcohol campaigns. Furthermore, he considers Stanley as example of an excellent researcher and a model for child health advocates.

Smoking and the different uses of Tobacco has been considered the major cause of human deaths all over the world. Nearly five million people who smoke die from tobacco related diseases every year around the world. There is no other consumer product that kills and causes terminal illness and disability in so many people. To save the humanity, The World Health Organization has thrown its normal weight behind the effort to control the tobacco epidemic. Many countries have made significant progress in this area and have supplemented education programs with restrictive and legislative measures. Many countries regulate or restrict tobacco sales and advertising and require warnings to be placed prominently on the product packaging. Many governments have now banned smoking in public venues over concerns of second hand smoke, and ostensibly to discourage tobacco use in general. The paper suggests that the Advertising, promotion and sponsorship of tobacco use should be banned. On the other hand, Mass media (Newspapers, TV, radio etc) should play their role to eradicate this menace. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Eager to harness film's popular appeal for its public health agenda, the New Zealand Department of Health (DoH) commissioned 18 of its own short health education films between 1947 and 1962. Focusing on four films targeting diseases prominent in New Zealand's morbidity statistics—namely cancer, hydatids, tuberculosis and smoking-related cancers—this article considers how the DoH used film to literally ‘move’ disease into the public imagination. Examining the films both as artefact and product, it argues that they were carefully constructed to act on viewers' sense of morality in distinct ways. It analyses the meanings produced and discusses how the films negotiated responsibility for disease management and prevention between the state and the individual. This article also shows how the films both participated in, and resulted from, the transnational movement of public health ideas. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

The aim of this study was to estimate the prevalence and identify correlates of current cigarette use among 8,470 school-going adolescents (aged 11 to 18 years) in South Africa. A cross-sectional study was carried out in 2008 in South Africa within the framework of the Global Youth Tobacco Survey (GYTS). Overall prevalence of current cigarette smoking was 16.5%. Significantly more males (22.8%) than females (10.5%) were current smokers (p < .001). Cigarette smoking among boys and girls was positively associated with parental and/or peer smoking and greater risk perception, and among girls smoking attitudes variables (having more friends among girls, greater attractiveness of boys and weight change) and various higher exposure to smoking advertising and promotion activities were positively associated with cigarette smoking. However, antismoking advertising and community and family education were positively associated with current smoking, while only having school or community special groups or classes for students who want to stop smoking was protective of smoking. Cigarette smoking and other tobacco use is a significant public health problem in South Africa. Public health efforts aimed at preventing adolescent cigarette/tobacco use should incorporate knowledge on the associated factors related to smoking. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

During the last 20 years, anti-smoking campaigns have been developed in Australia in an effort to reduce the prevalence of smoking. Existing research indicates that these campaigns have provoked an increase in the negative attitudes towards smoking, and messages encouraging people to quit have reached increasing numbers of men and women. While existing research shows that anti-smoking campaigns are 'effective' at reducing rates of smoking, there is a distinct lack of research that theorizes about why anti-smoking campaigns are 'effective'. In this paper, Foucauldian discourse analysis is employed to examine a recent series of television anti-smoking campaigns in New South Wales Australia, and to explore the knowledges and techniques used to construct and disseminate an anti-smoking message. The aim of this paper is to use a number of examples from this series of anti-smoking campaigns to show that the medical knowledge, imagery, and Language dominantly used, Legitimates and confirms the 'expert' status of medicine in regard to smoking conduct, and normalizes health conduct according to the medical dichotomy of healthy/non-smoking individuals and unhealthy/smoking individuals. I argue that the anti-smoking discourse disseminated in these campaigns is underpinned by some of the key features of neo-liberalism, and passively coerces individuals into making 'healthy' choices. The paper concludes by problematizing both the universal applicability of these anti-smoking campaigns, and the notion of self-governance, specifically in relation to young people' who smoke. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Introduction: Initiation of e-cigarette use by young adults is a significant public health issue within the debate on vaping. The current study is an exploratory evaluation of brief educational information among young adults and investigated outcomes as a function of JUUL use and smoking status.Methods: Participants (N = 947) were young adults (<30 years old) recruited from Amazon's Mechanical Turk based on smoking and JUUL use status. Participants completed baseline assessments, viewed a brief JUUL educational handout, and completed post-assessments.Results: There was a significant Time X Group interaction for JUUL-related knowledge (p < .001), with never JUUL/never smokers showing the greatest increase in knowledge. Brief education increased JUUL-related knowledge and risk perceptions and had a modest impact on commitment to quitting and readiness to quit JUUL (all p ≤ 0.001; ds = 0.06-0.74; time × group p > .05 for all contrasts except JUUL-related knowledge). Participants showed modest decreases in interest in future JUUL use, interest in purchasing, and interest in future regular use (all p ≤ 0.001; ds = 0.07-0.08; time × group p > .05 for all contrasts). In terms of smoking outcomes, participants reported reduced perceived harm to others (p < .001; d = 0.09) and decreased intentions to smoke regularly (p = .001; d = 0.07).Conclusions: Brief education was effective in increasing knowledge and risk perceptions while showing a modest effect on intentions for future use. The information was most effective in increasing knowledge among non-users, suggesting that brief education may be useful for preventing initiation. Analysis of group differences suggest current JUUL use status is more important in informing JUUL-related attitudes than smoking status. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article discusses the results of a study that examined the effectiveness of "Tips from Former Smokers" (Tips), a national antismoking campaign funded by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. It references a research by Timothy McAfee and colleagues, published in the journal "The Lancet." The study of showed that over 100,000 smokers become sustained quitters because of the public-health education programme.

The author comments on the goal of the New Zealand government to achieve a smoke-free nation by 2025. The topics discussed include the estimated number of New Zealanders who died due to the harmful effects of smoking, the risk factors of smoking, and the efforts of health care professionals to reduce smoking prevalence in the country.

Introduction: While smoking rates have declined, use of smokeless tobacco (ST) has remained constant. ST is heavily marketed to cigarette smokers, and many ST users smoke cigarettes. This study provides updated comparisons of the characteristics, smoking behaviors, and perceptions of US adult dual ST and cigarette users and exclusive cigarette smokers in 2015-2016.Methods: Data were from nationally representative, cross-sectional surveys from 2015 and 2016. Adult smokers reported past 30-day use of ST, current cigarette smoking, risk perceptions, smoking, and quitting behaviors. We estimated Rao-Scott χ2 and adjusted odds ratios (AORs) to compare dual users and exclusive smokers.Results: Dual users were more likely to be younger, reside in nonmetropolitan statistical areas (MSA) and outside the Northeast United States. Adjusting for covariates, dual users did not differ significantly from exclusive smokers on most smoker characteristics, including number of past year quit attempts. Dual users were more likely to report past 30-day use of novel tobacco products (AORs 2.90 [little cigars and cigarillos] to 11.02 [hookah]). Dual users who reported at least 1 past year cigarette quit attempt were more likely than exclusive smokers to report using ST, traditional cigars, hookah, or heat-not-burn as a past year quit method (AOR: 9.54 [95% CI: 3.22 to 28.23]).Conclusions: Smokers who use ST are more likely than exclusive smokers to attempt to quit smoking cigarettes using other tobacco products. These findings may be attributed to increasing use prevalence of novel products. We recommend further monitoring to assess polytobacco use and differences among these populations.Implications: Many current ST users smoke cigarettes and ST promotions often target cigarette smokers. As the FDA considers ST regulations and implements a nicotine centered regulatory framework, it is imperative to evaluate how these policies and promotion of ST as potentially reduced risk products impact dual and polytobacco use. Our study found that many dual users engage in novel tobacco use in general and as a cessation method. Consideration of ST and polytobacco use among smokers may be helpful in the development of forthcoming FDA regulations, messaging, and interventions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]