Search

Aims To assess the effects of adding motivational interviewing ( MI) counseling to nicotine patch for smoking cessation among homeless smokers. Design Two-group randomized controlled trial with 26-week follow-up. Participants and setting A total of 430 homeless smokers from emergency shelters and transitional housing units in Minneapolis/ St Paul, Minnesota, USA. Intervention and measurements All participants received 8-week treatment of 21-mg nicotine patch. In addition, participants in the intervention group received six individual sessions of MI counseling which aimed to increase adherence to nicotine patches and to motivate cessation. Participants in the standard care control group received one session of brief advice to quit smoking. Primary outcome was 7-day abstinence from cigarette smoking at 26 weeks, as validated by exhaled carbon monoxide and salivary cotinine. Findings Using intention-to-treat analysis, verified 7-day abstinence rate at week 26 for the intervention group was non-significantly higher than for the control group (9.3% versus 5.6%, P = 0.15). Among participants who did not quit smoking, reduction in number of cigarettes from baseline to week 26 was equally high in both study groups (−13.7 ± 11.9 for MI versus −13.5 ± 16.2 for standard care). Conclusions Adding motivational interviewing counseling to nicotine patch did not increase smoking rate significantly at 26-week follow-up for homeless smokers. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: To test an anecdotally reported cataract grading system predictive of a 20/50 visual threshold in cataract-induced vision loss using cobalt blue light. Setting: Hennepin County Medical Center, Minneapolis, Minneapolis VA Medical Center, Minneapolis, and Regions Hospital, St. Paul, Minnesota, USA. Methods: Four observers evaluated pure nuclear cataracts using a standardized cobalt-blue-light protocol. Observers graded a nuclear cataract as positive if the posterior capsule was visualized with cobalt blue light and negative if the posterior capsule was not visualized. Results of the grading were compared with cataract-induced vision loss in an attempt to establish a threshold for lost visual acuity in grading cataracts with cobalt blue light. The study design was prospective observation of a cohort with a visually significant cataract. Results: This study did not show a clear visual acuity threshold for cataract-induced vision loss using a standardized cobalt-blue-light protocol. Overall, 26.3% (95% confidence interval, 13.4-40.2) of all 20/40 or less dense nuclear cataracts had visible posterior capsules using cobalt blue light, with good estimated interobserver agreement. Conclusions: Although cobalt blue light is selectively absorbed by yellow pigment in an aging nuclear cataract, its ability to predict visual acuity loss due to lens opacity was limited. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Purpose: To describe the factors associated with interest of homeless former smokers in helping homeless smokers quit., Methods: A cross-sectional survey administered to an optimized convenience sample of homeless persons (n  =  4570) at emergency shelters, transitional housing units, and open encampments in 80 cities across Minnesota. The in-person survey response rate was 90%., Analysis: Chi-square tests and t-tests for univariate analysis., Results: Of 4534 participants completing the smoking questions, 546 participants (12%) self-identified as former smokers, of which 59% expressed interest in helping homeless smokers quit. Significant predictors of reported interest in helping included racial/ethnic background (p < .05), number of people known who had quit smoking (p < .01), and receiving social services as an adult (p < .01)., Conclusion: Homeless former smokers are a potential resource for peer support programs to promote smoking cessation among homeless current smokers.