Adapting Smoking Cessation Programming to the Bulgarian Context

International audienc

Evaluating Depressive Symptom Interactions on Adolescent Smoking Prevention Program Mediators: A Mediated Moderation Analysis

Introduction: Smoking prevention interventions have been shown to be effective in reducing smoking prevalence in the United States. Further work is needed to address smoking in China, where over one third of the world’s current smokers reside. China, with more than 60% of the male population being smokers, also presents a unique opportunity to test cognitive processes involved in depression, social influences, and smoking. Adolescents at-risk for developing depression may process social information differently from low-risk counterparts. Methods: The Wuhan Smoking Prevention Trial was a school-based longitudinal randomized controlled trial aimed at preventing initiation and escalation of adolescent smoking behaviors. Thousand three hundred and ninety-one male seventh-grade students were assessed with a 200-item paper-and-pencil baseline survey, and it was readministered 1 year later following program implementation. Results: Friend prevalence estimates were significantly higher among 30-day smokers and among those at highest risk for depression symptoms. The program appeared to be successful in changing the perception of friend smoking prevalence only among adolescents with a comorbidity of high scores of depression symptoms and who have experimented previously with smoking. This Program × Comorbidity interaction on perceived friend smoking prevalence was significant in predicting 30-day smoking 1 year after program implementation. Conclusions: This study provides evidence that those adolescents with high levels of depressive symptoms may be more sensitive to social influences associated with smoking prevalence. Individual Disposition × Social Environmental Influences may be important when developing future effective prevention programming

Smoking Trends and Disparities Among Black and Non-Hispanic Whites in California

OBJECTIVES: The current study examined disparities in smoking trends across African Americans and non-Hispanic whites in California. METHODS: Data from the 1996 to 2008 California Tobacco Survey were analyzed to examine trends in smoking behaviors and cessation across African Americans and non-Hispanic whites. RESULTS: A decrease in overall ever and current smoking was observed for both African American and non-Hispanic whites across the 12-year time period. A striking decrease in proportions of heavy daily smokers for both African American and non-Hispanic whites were observed. Proportions of light and intermittent smokers (LITS) and moderate daily smokers displayed modest increases for African Americans but large increases for non-Hispanic whites. Increases in successful cessation were also observed for African Americans and, to a lesser extent, for non-Hispanic whites. DISCUSSION: Smoking behavior and cessation trends across African Americans and non-Hispanic whites were revealing. The decline in heavy daily and former smokers may demonstrate the success and effectiveness of tobacco control efforts in California. However, the increase in proportions of LITS and moderate daily smokers for both African Americans and non-Hispanic whites demonstrates a need for tobacco cessation efforts focused on lighter smokers.This is an author's peer-reviewed final manuscript, as accepted by the publisher. The published article is copyrighted by the author(s) and published by Oxford University Press on behalf of the Society for Research on Nicotine and Tobacco. It can be found at: http://ntr.oxfordjournals.org/Keywords: Public health, LITS, African American, Special populations, Disparities, Tobacco contro