Co-worker social support in a worksite smoking control program

We evaluated the effects of adding a social support component to a worksite controlled smoking treatment program. Twenty-four participants were randomly assigned to either a controlled smoking or a controlled smoking plus partner support condition. Within a multiple baseline across behaviors design, smokers in both conditions made efforts to achieve sequential 50% reductions in: nicotine content of brand smoked, number of cigarettes smoked per day, and percentage of each cigarette smoked. Self-monitoring records, laboratory analyses of spent cigarette butts, and carbon monoxide determinations indicated that both conditions were effective in producing significant reductions in each of the three target behaviors and in carbon monoxide levels. All participants who quit smoking during the program maintained their abstinence at a 6-month follow-up, and those who did not quit were smoking less at follow-up than they had at pretest on all dependent variables. However, few differences were observed between controlled smoking and controlled smoking plus partner support conditions either during treatment or at the 6-month follow-up. Results are discussed with regard to previous worksite studies, future directions for research on social support, and variables that may have mediated treatment outcome.

Typical vs. maximal measures of personological variables

Recent research has focused on various ways in which self-report personality measures might be improved. The present investigation continues this line of research by studying the effects of typical-maximal ratings, trait-consistency, familiarity, and interpersonal liking on self-reports of four personological variables behavior aggression, trait-aggression, trait-dominance, and trait-friendliness. The results revealed that maximal ratings were clearly superior to typical ratings. Furthermore, maximal ratings attenuated the effects of the moderator variable of trait-consistency. Subject-peer familiarity and interpersonal liking also demonstrated significant effects. Implications for personality assessment are discussed.

Parental influences on children's eating behavior and relative weight

We investigated the relationship between selected parent behaviors, child mealtime behavior, and infant relative weight. Subjects were 7 male and 7 female children varying in age from 12 to 30 months (mean = 23.9 months). Each subject and parents were observed during the dinnertime meal on two occasions using the BATMAN (Bob and Tom's Method of Assessing Nutrition). The children spent 58% of the mealtime eating. They spent very little time making active decisions about what and how much they ate (food requests = 2% of the time; food refusals = 1% of the time). We found significant correlations between child relative weight and (a) parental prompts to eat (r = .81, p less than .001), (b) parental food offers (r = .51, p less than .05), and (c) parental encouragement to eat (r = .82, p less than .001). Thus, the present study suggests a relationship between certain parental variables and the relative weight of their children.

Controlled smoking for chronic smokers: an extension and replication

Nine long-term cigarette smokers participated in a seven session controlled smoking program. Employing a multiple baseline across behaviors design, the program focused on making sequential reductions in nicotine content of the cigarette brand smoked, percent of each cigarette smoked and, finally, number of cigarettes smoked per day. Self-monitoring records indicated that subjects were successful in making reductions in each of the three target behaviors and that the timing of these changes closely followed the initiation of treatment for each specific behavior. The magnitude of change was greatest for nicotine content (49% reduction) and somewhat less for number of cigarettes (28% reduction) and amount smoked (24% reduction). Carbon monoxide levels were also reduced and these reductions, as well as the smoking behavior changes, were generally maintained at a 6-month follow-up. This study provides a systematic replication of an earlier study and illustrates the usefulness of single subject designs for studying cigarette smoking. It is concluded that controlled smoking can be achieved by chronic smokers without significant relapse or compensation for at least six months following treatment. Limitations of the study and directions for future research are also discussed.

The interactive effects of typical-maximal measures of aggression on private and public self-consciousness

Recent reports have suggested that both self-consciousness and typical-maximal measures interact with the accuracy of subject-peer agreement. The current paper investigated (a) whether differing levels of a peer's private and public self-consciousness would also interact with subject-peer agreement, and (b) whether typical-maximal measures would interact with subject and peer self-consciousness. Results indicated that in every case in which there was a significant self-consciousness effect, there was also a corresponding interaction of self-consciousness with typical-maximal. These results suggest that maximal ratings may be preferable to typical ratings in the prediction of criterion behaviors.

Factors associated with participation, attrition, and outcome in a smoking cessation program at the workplace

Despite their growing popularity, worksite health-promotion programs have generally been characterized as having low participation rates, high attrition rates, and modest outcomes. This investigation identified the predictors of participation, attrition, and outcome of worksite smoking-cessation program. Subjects were regular cigarette smokers recruited from two worksites. Of 66 eligible smokers in the two worksites, 44 (67%) agreed to participate in the program. Fifty-five percent (24 of 44) of these completed the program. Of those completing the program, 29% had quit smoking by posttest and 17% were abstinent at the 6-month follow-up. Results indicated that a different set of variables predicted participation, attrition, and outcome. The significant predictors of smokers who participated were the length of cessation in previous abstinence attempts, the number of years they smoked, and the belief regarding personal vulnerability in contracting a smoking-related disease. Levels of pretest carbon monoxide along with attitudes regarding the adoption of smoking restrictions in the worksite predicted attrition. Posttest cessation was related to nicotine levels of cigarette brand smoked at pretest and pretest beliefs regarding postcessation weight gain. Abstinence at the 6-month follow-up was predicted by the number of co-workers who smoked and pretest concerns related to postcessation weight gain. The results are discussed in terms of future evaluation and intervention efforts.

Effects of obesity, social interactions, and physical environment on physical activity in preschoolers

Examined demographic, environmental, and parent-child interactional correlates of physical activity in a group of 222 preschoolers. Activity levels were assessed with a system that quantified directly observed physical activity in the natural environment. Using regression-modeling procedures, results revealed a significant relationship between (a) child's relative weight, parental weight status, and percentage of time spent outdoors (environment) and (b) children's activity levels. Parental obesity was associated with lower levels of physical activity in children, childhood relative weight was associated with slightly higher levels of physical activity, and more outdoor activity was associated with higher activity levels. Parental participation in children's activities also significantly interacted with levels of parental obesity in predicting activity levels. Those children with a 50% risk for obesity (as defined by both, one, or neither parent being overweight) had small changes in activity across levels of parent-child interaction, whereas those at higher risk for obesity responded with increased activity as parent-child interactions increased. Results are discussed, and the implications of these findings for future intervention efforts are examined.

Knowledge and beliefs regarding the consequences of cigarette smoking and their relationships to smoking status in a biracial sample

The purpose of this investigation was to evaluate carefully smoking-related knowledge and beliefs and their relationships to smoking status in a large, heterogeneous sample of smokers and nonsmokers in two settings: (a) a large, biracial southern city and (b) a small midwestern community. Participants were 611 (198 male, 413 female) adult respondents to a random-dialing telephone survey in Fargo, North Dakota (n = 200), and Memphis, Tennessee (n = 411). Each participant was given the Smoking Attitudes Survey, which assesses generalized health beliefs as well as health-related problems associated with smoking. Participants' knowledge of smoking-associated diseases (e.g., lung cancer) and of diseases not associated with smoking (e.g., kidney stones) was assessed. Stepwise regression analysis of composite knowledge scores revealed four independent predictors of the health consequences of smoking: education, race, smoking status, and income. Smokers, compared to nonsmokers, reported less knowledge related to the health consequences of smoking, were more likely to be male, were less concerned with the health consequences of smoking, and were more concerned about the health consequences of cholesterol. The best predictor of smokers who had never attempted cessation was their greater concern over weight control when compared to smokers with a history of smoking cessation attempts. The results are discussed in terms of smoking prevention and intervention efforts.