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Fewer Young Americans Smoking, Survey Finds

Posted 11 days ago by Drugs.com

THURSDAY, May 17 – Smoking rates among American teens and young adults fell between 2004 and 2010, but too many of them still light up, a new federal government report reveals. The rate of current cigarette use among U.S. teens decreased from nearly 12 percent in 2004 to about 8 percent in 2010, and dropped from nearly 40 percent to about 34 percent among young adults, according to the analysis from the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration's National Survey on Drug Use and Health released Thursday. The percentage of daily smokers among teens fell from just over 3 percent to under 2 percent, and decreased from about 20 percent to nearly 16 percent among young adults during the study period, the survey found. Among young adults who were daily smokers, the percentage who smoked 26 or more cigarettes a day (about 1½ packs or more) was nearly halved, from 6 percent in ... Read more

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Secondhand Smoke May Harm Heart Function

Posted 14 days ago by Drugs.com

MONDAY, May 14 – For nonsmokers, exposure to low levels of secondhand smoke for just 30 minutes can cause significant damage to the lining of their blood vessels, the results of a new study indicate. The findings could have major public health implications because this type of damage has been associated with atherosclerosis (hardening of the arteries), which can lead to heart attack or stroke. "Breathing in very low levels of secondhand smoke – the same amount many people and children would encounter out and about in the community – appears to impair one's vascular function after just 30 minutes of exposure," the study's lead investigator, Dr. Paul Frey, of the division of cardiology at San Francisco General Hospital, said in a news release from the American College of Cardiology. "These findings have significant public health implications," Frey added. "We saw a steep decline in ... Read more

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Many Women Still Smoke During Pregnancy

Posted 18 days ago by Drugs.com

THURSDAY, May 10 – Too many American women still smoke during their pregnancies, a new report finds, and rates of such smoking vary widely depending on race. Researchers found that almost 22 percent of pregnant white women aged 15 to 44 smoked cigarettes within the previous 30 days, compared with just over 14 percent of pregnant black women and 6.5 percent of Hispanic women in the same age range. The rate of illicit drug use during pregnancy, however, was higher among black women (7.7 percent) than among white women (4.4 percent) or Hispanic women (about 3 percent), according to the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration study, released Wednesday. Rates of alcohol use during pregnancy were about the same for black and white women (12.8 percent and 12.2 percent, respectively), and much higher than among Hispanic women (7.4 percent), according to the study. The ... Read more

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Teen Impulsiveness Has Different Sources in ADHD, Substance Use

Posted 29 Apr 2012 by Drugs.com

SUNDAY, April 29 – Teens with attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) and teens who start using cigarettes, drugs or alcohol tend to share at least one personality trait: impulsiveness, experts say. But a new brain-imaging study of nearly 1,900 14-year-olds finds that the brain networks associated with impulsivity in teens with ADHD are different compared to those who use drugs or alcohol. What that finding suggests is that multiple underlying mechanisms drive impulsivity – in other words, the impulsivity that leads kids to blow off their homework and the impulsiveness that drives kids to take a drag off a joint aren't the same, neurologically speaking. "The behavior of the two groups might look the same, but it's driven by different brain networks," said lead study author Robert Whelan, a postdoctoral research fellow at the University of Vermont. Moreover, the findings, ... Read more

Warnings on Cigarette Packs May Keep Ex-Smokers From Relapse

Posted 25 Apr 2012 by Drugs.com

WEDNESDAY, April 25 – Warnings on cigarette packages about the health hazards of smoking can help deter many ex-smokers from lighting up again, a new international study finds. The findings may be especially timely for policymakers in the United States, since the U.S. Food and Drug Administration is poised to mandate graphic anti-smoking images on cigarette packaging in September. One expert said he believes smokers and ex-smokers need more reminders of the ravages of smoking. "I keep an empty package of cigarettes at hand when talking to smokers, and ask them if they look at the warnings," said Dr. Len Horovitz, pulmonary specialist at Lenox Hill Hospital in New York City. "While most say that they do, they cannot repeat more than two health risks – usually lung cancer and emphysema are the responses." Horovitz believes that more prominent warnings – especially about non-lung-cancer ... Read more

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Healthy Lifestyle Choices Could Cut Cancer Rates: Report

Posted 19 Apr 2012 by Drugs.com

THURSDAY, April 19 – Most people know what lifestyle choices will keep the chances of a cancer diagnosis low: Don't smoke, eat healthy, exercise and get the recommended screenings. But, many Americans don't make those choices, and a new report suggests that lawmakers and private industry need to do more to help make those changes easier ones to make. The report, released by the American Cancer Society Thursday, details the shortcomings that contribute to cancer deaths and notes that social, economic and legislative factors help shape health behaviors. "With increased efforts toward more fostering of and support for cancer prevention and early detection activities, we can reduce incidence, death and suffering from cancer," report co-author Vilma Cokkinides said in a cancer society news release. "The price and availability of healthy foods, incentives and opportunities for regular ... Read more

Related support groups: Smoking Cessation, Cardiovascular Risk Reduction

Health Tip: More Reasons to Quit Smoking

Posted 3 Apr 2012 by Drugs.com

-- As soon as you quit smoking, you begin to reduce your risk of cancer, heart disease, lung disease and stroke. Quitting the habit also will boost your quality of life, the womenshealth.gov website says, mentioning these examples: You'll have more energy, will breathe easier and will have better lung performance during physical activity. You'll have improved senses of taste and smell. The stains on your fingers will start to fade. Your clothes, hair and breath won't smell of smoke. Your skin will appear healthier, and your dental health will improve. You'll feel better about yourself once you've quit. Read more

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U.S. Cancer Death Rates Continue to Fall: Report

Posted 28 Mar 2012 by Drugs.com

WEDNESDAY, March 28 – Deaths from cancer in the United States continue to decline, health officials report. However, deaths from some types of cancers are on the increase and racial disparities remain in cancer deaths and diagnosis, according to the report from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. "This annual report shows that a lot of the positive momentum we have seen in cancer control has continued," said report co-author Dr. Marcus Plescia, director of CDC's Division of Cancer Prevention and Control. "We are still seeing decreases in the incidence in death rates for many cancers and particularly for many of the most common cancers." The focus of this report was obesity's impact on cancer. "That's important, because we don't think the public is aware of that," Plescia said. For six cancers, there is good evidence of a relationship between obesity and cancer: ... Read more

Helpline, Free Nicotine Patches Don't Help Smokers Quit: Study

Posted 23 Mar 2012 by Drugs.com

FRIDAY, March 23 – Offering smokers free nicotine patches and telephone counseling does not improve their chances of quitting, according to a new study. The study included nearly 2,600 smokers who called the United Kingdom's National Health Service (NHS) smoking helpline over the course of a year. The participants were randomly assigned to one of four groups: Advice on quitting and access to the helpline, considered the "standard" treatment. Advice and free nicotine-replacement therapy. More intensive support, including scheduled telephone support from helpline staff. Both intensive support and free nicotine-replacement therapy. The researchers checked in with the participants six months after they reported quitting smoking. Researchers were able to reach 59 percent of all participants, and found that 19 percent of them were still smoke-free. It was assumed that those who couldn't be ... Read more

CDC Launches Graphic Anti-Smoking Campaign

Posted 15 Mar 2012 by Drugs.com

THURSDAY, March 15 – A new anti-smoking campaign using graphic images and smokers' horror stories will be launched next week, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said Thursday. The essence of the campaign is having real smokers tell of the health consequences of their smoking, according to the agency. For the next 12 weeks, the ads will appear on television, radio, billboards, online, and in theaters, magazines and newspapers nationwide. "The campaign is long overdue," said Matthew Myers, president of the Campaign for Tobacco-Free Kids. "The scientific evidence is clear that highly charged ads depicting the health effects of smoking are among the most cost-effective ways to reduce tobacco use and reduce the number of kids who start to smoke," he said. The CDC estimates that because of these ads, 500,000 people will try to stop smoking and about 50,000 will succeed. An ... Read more

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Anti-Smoking Efforts Saved 795,000 Lives Over 25 Years: Study

Posted 14 Mar 2012 by Drugs.com

WEDNESDAY, March 14 – Bans on smoking in public places, hikes in cigarette taxes and other efforts to get people to quit smoking prevented close to 800,000 deaths from lung cancer between 1975 and 2000 in the United States, a new study shows. The findings, published online March 14 in the Journal of the National Cancer Institute, likely represent just the tip of the iceberg as lung cancer is only one of the diseases linked to tobacco smoke, experts say. Researchers led by Dr. Suresh Moolgavkar, of the biostatistics and biomathematics program at the Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center in Seattle, developed a sophisticated model to estimate changes in U.S. smoking patterns resulting from tobacco-control efforts, and how these changes affected deaths from lung cancer between 1975 and 2000. During that time, nearly 2.1 million lung cancer deaths occurred among men and about 1.05 million ... Read more

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Surgeon General: Nearly 4 Million U.S. Kids Still Smoke

Posted 8 Mar 2012 by Drugs.com

THURSDAY, March 8 – More than 3.6 million children and teens in the United States smoke, according to a Surgeon General's report released Thursday that calls on the nation to curb youth smoking. "Today, all over America, there are middle-schoolers developing deadly tobacco addictions before they can even drive a car," said Kathleen Sebelius, secretary of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), during a morning press conference. More than 600,000 middle school students and more than 3 million high school students smoke, according to the report. And three out of four teen smokers will continue to smoke into adulthood, the surgeon general's report warned. Dr. Regina Benjamin, the Surgeon General, said "the report challenges us to end the epidemic of smoking among young people. "Cigarettes are designed for addiction," she explained at the press conference. Added ingredients ... Read more

Related support groups: Smoking, Smoking Cessation

Nicotine Patches May Not Help During Pregnancy

Posted 29 Feb 2012 by Drugs.com

WEDNESDAY, Feb. 29 – Nicotine patches don't seem to be of much use in helping pregnant women quit smoking, a new study finds. Dr. Tim Coleman, of the Centre for Tobacco Control Studies at the University of Nottingham in England, and colleagues assigned 1,050 women who were 12 to 24 weeks pregnant to one of two groups. Members of one group received behavioral smoking cessation support and wore a nicotine patch, while the other group received the counseling but wore a patch that looked like the real thing but did not contain nicotine. Women given the active nicotine patch had higher quit rates (about 21 percent) during the first month of the study than women in the placebo group (nearly 12 percent). But by delivery, both groups' quit rates were about the same – 9.4 percent for those wearing the real patch and 7.6 percent for those wearing the look-alike, not a statistically significant ... Read more

Judge Blocks Plan for Graphic Cigarette Warnings

Posted 29 Feb 2012 by Drugs.com

WEDNESDAY, Feb. 29 – A federal judge on Wednesday blocked implementation of an FDA mandate that would have forced tobacco companies to place graphic anti-smoking images on packages of cigarettes. The proposed requirement from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration, which was set to kick in this September, would have emblazoned cigarette packaging with images of people dying from smoking-related disease, mouth and gum damage linked to smoking, and other gruesome portrayals. But U.S. District Judge Richard Leon of the U.S. District Court in the District of Columbia ruled on Wednesday that the FDA mandate violated the Constitutional free speech amendment, the Associated Press reported. Back in November, Leon said it was likely that the tobacco industry would succeed in a lawsuit to overturn the requirement. So, he temporarily blocked the FDA initiative until the court case could be ... Read more

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Many Americans Support Lower Nicotine Levels in Cigarettes

Posted 20 Feb 2012 by Drugs.com

MONDAY, Feb. 20 – Most American adults support reducing nicotine in cigarettes to prevent people, especially children, from becoming addicted to smoking, a new study finds. Researchers surveyed 511 nonsmokers and 510 smokers aged 18 and older and found that, overall, two-thirds supported reducing nicotine levels in cigarettes to nonaddictive levels. The study also found that 77 percent (81 percent of nonsmokers and 74 percent of smokers) would support lowering the amount of nicotine in cigarettes to nonaddictive levels if doing so would reduce the number of children who became addicted to cigarettes. A ban on cigarettes was supported by 43 percent of the respondents, including 55 percent of nonsmokers and 33 percent of smokers, according to study author Gregory Connolly, director of the Center for Global Tobacco Control at the Harvard School of Public Health, and colleagues. The study ... Read more

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