Contrasting snus and NRT as methods to quit smoking. an observational study

Background: Snus is considerably less hazardous to health than cigarettes. Recent data from Scandinavia have indicated that many smokers use snus as a method for quitting smoking. Methods: Data from five repeated cross-sectional surveys of Norwegian men and women aged 16-74 were pooled (N = 6 262). Respondents were asked about current and former smoking and snus use. Former daily smokers (N = 1219) and current daily smokers who had tried to quit at least once (N = 1118) were asked about the method they had used at their latest quit attempt and how many quit attempts they had made. Former smokers were also requested to report what year they had made their final quit attempt. Results: Snus was the most common method used for quitting smoking among men, while NRT was most often used among women. Stratifying the data according to year of quitting smoking (1945-2007) indicated a significant increase in use of the methods for quitting asked about over time. Among men, this was largely due to an increase in the use of snus. Among male quitters under the age of 45 years, 45.8 % of those who had used snus on their last attempt to quit were current non-smokers (OR = 1.61, CI 1.04-2.29), while 26,3 % of those who had used NRT were current non-smokers. 59.6 % of successful quitters and 19.5 % of unsuccessful quitters who had used snus as a method for quitting smoking had continued to use snus on a daily basis after quitting. Conclusion: Norwegian men frequently use snus as a method for quitting smoking whereas women are more likely to use NRT. The findings indicate that switching to snus can be an effective method for quitting smoking

Virksom uvirksomhet? Pauser som arenaer for følelsesmessig berøring og biografisk bevegelse

Noe av det som karakteriserer pauser er at de er situasjoner der vi i utgangspunktet ikke gjør noe. ââ¬ÂPausingââ¬Â handler om uvirksomhet: Det vi ofte kaller tom tid. I denne artikkelen vil vi belyse situasjoner der klienter og personale på en behandlingsinstitusjon for rusmiddelmisbrukere tar pause fra den terapeutiske virksomheten. Vi beskriver hvordan pausene de tar sammen kan vise seg å være rike, mektige og terapeutisk betydningsfulle situasjoner. Med utgangspunkt i Goffmans og Collinsââ¬â¢ mikrointeraksjonisme og en omvendt versjon av Beckers stemplingsteori analyseres hvordan ââ¬Âpausingââ¬Â innenfor rammene av en behandlingsinstitusjon for rusmiddelmisbrukere kan arte seg som stemplingsprosesser med en positiv karriereretning som kan bevege folk inn i nye og alternative identiteter

Plain packaging: Legislative differences in Australia, France, the UK, New Zealand and Norway, and options for strengthening regulations

Introduction By July 2018, five countries (Australia, France, United Kingdom, New Zealand, Norway) had fully implemented plain (standardised) packaging. Methods Using government documents, we reviewed the key legislative differences between these five countries to identify best practice measures and potential lacuna. We then discuss how governments planning to introduce plain packaging could strengthen their legislation. Results Differences between countries include the terminology used (either ‘plain’, ‘standardised’, or ‘plain and standardised’), products covered, and transition times (ranging from two to twelve months). Myriad differences exist with respect to the packaging, including the dimensions (explicitly stated for height, width and depth vs minimum dimensions for the health warnings only), structure (straight-edged flip-top packs vs straight, rounded and bevelled-edged flip-top packs and shoulder boxes) and size (minimum number of cigarettes and weight of tobacco vs fixed amounts), and warning content (e.g. inclusion of a stop-smoking web address and/or quitline displayed on warnings on one or both principal display areas). Future options that merit further analysis include banning colour descriptors in brand and variant names, allowing pack inserts promoting cessation, and permitting cigarettes that are designed to be dissuasive. Conclusions Plain packaging legislation and regulations are divergent. Countries moving towards plain packaging should consider incorporating the strengths of existing policies and review opportunities for extending these. While plain packaging represents a milestone in tobacco control policy, future legislation need not simply reflect the past but could set new benchmarks to maximise the potential benefits of this policy

«Vi blir en sånn utstøtt gruppe til slutt...» Røykeres syn på egen røyking og denormaliseringsstrategier i tobakkspolitikken

Denne antologien belyser røykeres syn på egen røyking. I tillegg belyses røykernes erfaringer med tobakkspolitikkens denormaliseringsstrategier. Innledningsvis i antologien gjøres det rede for hva vi forstår med denormalisering av røyking og røykere (definering av røyking som uønsket atferd), og hvordan ideen om denormalisering har preget mye av tobakkskontrollarbeidet i Norge og i vesten forøvrig. Rapporten presenterer så fem empiriske analyser basert på røykernes selvforståelse: Karl Erik Lund viser i sin artikkel «Røykernes motstand til nye tobakksforebyggende tiltak» at en stor andel av dagens røykere er sterkt imot flere røykebegrensninger, særlig salgsbegrensninger for sigaretter. Motstanden er noe mindre når det gjelder nye adgangsbegrensninger. Rikke Iren Tokles studie «Av-og-til-røyking – en dobbeltdistinksjon? Avstand fra både dagligrøyking og ‘streite’ ikke-røykere» får fram hvordan røyken inngår i det sosiale livet til urbane unge voksne, og hvordan av-og-til-røyking kan sees som uttrykk for motstand mot både avhengighetsperspektivet som assosieres med dagligrøykere og ikke-røykernes helsefokus. I Ola Røed Bilgreis artikkel «Forsvar og motstand: Etablerte røykeres nøytraliserings- og motstandsteknikker i et tobakksfiendtlig samfunn», er det forsvaret for egen atferd og den eksplisitte motstanden mot reguleringer og myndigheter som er i fokus. Forsvaret består av nøytraliseringsteknikker for å nedtone helseplager og risiko, slik at røykingen framstår som mer legitim og rasjonell for den enkelte, mens motstanden innebærer problematisering av restriksjoner som virkemiddel og av hva som egentlig er «god helse»

Skader og problemer forbundet med bruk av alkohol, narkotika og tobakk

usmiddel- og tobakksbruk er forbundet med et bredt spekter av helseskader og sosiale problemer. Rapporten beskriver noen av de vanligste skadene og problemene knyttet til bruk/misbruk av de tre substansene alkohol, narkotika og tobakk. Vi har brukt ulike indikatorer – både basert på registerdata og data fra spørreundersøkelser – for å beskrive omfanget av rusmiddel- og tobakksrelaterte skader og problemer her i Norge. Vi kan likevel ikke gi et helt dekkende bilde. For bedre å kunne beskrive omfanget av de mange ulike skadene og problemene knyttet til bruk av forskjellige substanser, og å følge utviklingen på området over tid, er det behov for å arbeide videre med å utvikle gode indikatorer på utbredelsen. Vi ser nærmere på tre former for sosiale problemer (først og fremst knyttet til bruk av alkohol og narkotika): vold, barn som lider under foreldres rusmiddelmisbruk og negative konsekvenser for arbeidslivet. Felles for disse problemene er at de rammer andre enn dem som inntar substansene. I tillegg til å se de ulike substansene hver for seg, spør vi hvilke av de tre substansområdene alkohol, narkotika og tobakk som medfører størst belastning for samfunnet. De helsemessige konsekvensene kan blant annet uttrykkes i form av noen enkle mål som dødsfall og tap av friske leveår. Slike mål tyder på at tobakk står for en større andel av sykdomsbyrden i høyinntektsland (som Norge) enn det alkohol gjør, som igjen står for en større andel enn narkotika. Når det gjelder de sosiale konsekvensene, har vi vesentlig dårligere grunnlag for å sammenligne den relative betydningen av de ulike substansene. Det kan imidlertid se ut til at alkoholbruk utgjør en viktigere faktor i voldsutøvelse enn hva narkotikabruk gjør. Flere barn, partnere og andre nære pårørende vil, på grunn av større utbredelse, også rammes av alkoholmisbruk enn av narkotikamisbru

E-cigarette use in global digital youth culture : A qualitative study of the social practices and meaning of vaping among 15–20-year-olds in Denmark, Finland, and Norway

Background: The introduction of e-cigarettes on the tobacco market has brought new regulatory challenges, and particular concerns relate to e-cigarette uptake among young people. The aim of this study was to explore the use and social meaning of e-cigarettes among Nordic young people and to discuss this in the context of current legislation. Methods: Thirteen focus groups were conducted with 46 Danish, Finnish, and Norwegian young people (24 boys) with vaping experience aged 15–20 years (mean age 17 years). Results: Young people's vaping stood out as an inherently social practice that was commonly interlinked with experimental use patterns. Relative to smoking, vaping was seen as socially acceptable and less harmful to health. Product innovations like flavour additives and nicotine-free liquid options added to perceptions of low harm, and innovative device design features facilitated new and playful user practices. Finally, digital markets eased the young people's access to e-cigarettes, and the digital world also represented an arena for e-cigarette exposure and self-presentation. They commonly viewed vaping-related content in their social media feeds and also produced such content themselves. Conclusion: Young people's vaping is a social practice interwoven in contemporary digital and global youth culture. Transnational regulations are needed to support individual countries in preventing e-cigarette use and exposure among young people.publishedVersionPeer reviewe

Single, Dual, and Triple Use of Cigarettes, e-Cigarettes, and Snus among Adolescents in the Nordic Countries

New tobacco and nicotine products have emerged on the market in recent years. Most research has concerned only one product at a time, usually e-cigarettes, while little is known about the multiple use of tobacco and nicotine products among adolescents. We examined single, dual, and triple use of cigarettes, e-cigarettes, and snus among Nordic adolescents, using data of 15–16-year-olds (n = 16,125) from the European School Survey Project on Alcohol and other Drugs (ESPAD) collected in 2015 and 2019 from Denmark, Finland, Iceland, Norway, Sweden, and the Faroe Islands. Country-specific lifetime use of any of these products ranged between 40% and 50%, and current use between 17% and 31%. Cigarettes were the most common product in all countries except for Iceland, where e-cigarettes were remarkably more common. The proportion of dual and triple users was unexpectedly high among both experimental (24%–49%) and current users (31–42%). Triple use was less common than dual use. The users’ patterns varied somewhat between the countries, and Iceland differed substantially from the other countries, with a high proportion of single e-cigarette users. More knowledge on the patterns of multiple use of tobacco and nicotine products and on the potential risk and protective factors is needed for targeted intervention and prevention efforts.publishedVersionPeer reviewe

The response of smokers to health warnings on packs in the United Kingdom and Norway following the introduction of standardized packaging

Introduction Standardised packaging was phased in between May 2016 and May 2017 in the UK and July 2017 and July 2018 in Norway. In both countries the health warnings on packs prior to standardised packaging being implemented were from the former Tobacco Products Directive library of warnings (text warnings covering 43% of the pack front and pictorial warnings covering 53% of the pack reverse). The warnings on packs, post-implementation, were from the current Tobacco Products Directive library of warnings (novel pictorial warnings covering 65% of the pack front and reverse) for the UK but unchanged in Norway. Methods Longitudinal online surveys were conducted prior to standardised packaging (UK: April-May 2016; Norway: May-June 2017) and post-implementation (UK: October-November 2017; Norway: August-September 2018). We explored smokers’ response to the on-pack warnings (salience, cognitive reactions, behavioural reactions). Results In the UK, noticing warnings on packs, reading or looking closely at them, thinking about them, thinking about the health risks, avoidant behaviours, forgoing cigarettes and being more likely to quit due to the warnings significantly increased from waves 1 to 2, and then decreased from waves 2 to 3, but remained higher than at wave 1. In Norway, noticing warnings, reading or looking closely at them, thinking about them, thinking about the health risks, and being more likely to quit due to the warnings significantly decreased from waves 1 to 2; avoidant behaviours and forgoing cigarettes remained unchanged. Conclusions The inclusion of large novel pictorial warnings on standardised packs increases warning salience and effectiveness. Implications Two longitudinal online surveys in the UK and Norway explored the impact of standardised packaging on warning salience and effectiveness. That warning salience and effectiveness only increased in the UK post-implementation, where standardised packaging was implemented alongside new larger pictorial warnings on the pack front and reverse, and not in Norway, where standardised packaging was introduced but older smaller text warnings (pack front) and pictorial warnings (pack reverse) were retained, highlights the importance of removing full branding and introducing stronger warnings simultaneousl

Evaluering av forbud mot synlig oppstilling av tobakksvarer

Nummer: 2-2011 Tilknyttede prosjekter Tobak

Evaluering av forbud mot synlig oppstilling av tobakksvarer

Nummer: 2-2011 Tilknyttede prosjekter Tobak