Behavior change, health, and health disparities 2020: Some current challenges in tobacco control and regulatory science

This Special Issue of Preventive Medicine (PM) is the 7th in a series on behavior change, health, and health disparities. This series focuses on personal behavior patterns, including substance use disorders, physical inactivity/obesity, and non-adherence with medical regimens, which are among the most important modifiable causes of chronic disease and premature death. This 7th issue includes 17 commentaries, reviews, and original empirical studies, 16 of which are devoted to current tobacco control and regulatory science research and policy, topics critically important to protecting the public health from the longstanding and devastating harms of tobacco use. The challenge of balancing efforts to protect youth from e-cigarettes while allowing for evidence-based evaluation of their potential to reduce the harms of cigarette smoking among adults features prominently in many of these contributions, complemented by original studies on rural-urban disparities, tobacco harm perceptions, use patterns and toxin exposure, modeling of tobacco-related mortality, novel tobacco research methods, and reducing cigarette smoking through regulatory policies, including nicotine reduction in cigarettes, and novel clinical interventions. Continuing to give space in this series to the U.S. opioid epidemic, we also include an original empirical report on longitudinal trends of non-medical use of opioids from 2008 to 2020 in rural Appalachia, an epicenter in this epidemic. Across each of these topics we have recruited contributions from well-regarded investigators, clinicians, and policymakers to acquaint readers with recent advances and accomplishments while also noting knowledge gaps and unresolved challenges.

Current smoking as a marker of a high-risk behavioral profile after myocardial infarction

Continued smoking following myocardial infarction (MI) is strongly associated with increased morbidity and mortality. Patients who continue to smoke may also engage in other behaviors that exacerbate risk. This study sought to characterize the risk profile of a national sample of individuals with previous MI who currently smoke. Data were taken from the 2017 Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance Survey (United States), with 4.2% of the sample reporting a past MI (N = 26,004). Participants were classified by smoking status (current/former/never) and compared on medical comorbidities and the clustering of modifiable behaviors relevant for secondary prevention (smoking, poor nutrition, problematic alcohol use, physical inactivity, medication adherence). Current smokers were more likely to report other comorbidities including stroke, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, physical limitations, and poor mental health. Smokers were also less likely to report taking blood pressure and cholesterol medications, and less likely to attend cardiac rehabilitation (examined in a subset of the sample, N = 2181). Current smoking remained an independent predictor of other health-related behaviors even when controlling for age, sex, race, educational attainment, and other comorbidities. In the modifiable risk-factor behavior cluster analysis, the most common pattern among current smokers was having two risk factors, smoking plus one additional risk factor, whereas the most common pattern was zero risk factors among never or former-smokers. Physical inactivity was the most common additional risk factor across smoking statuses. Current smoking is associated with multiple comorbidities and should be considered a marker for a high-risk behavioral profile among patients with a history of MI.

Longitudinal associations between amygdala reactivity and cannabis use in a large sample of adolescents

RATIONALE

The amygdala is a key brain structure to study in relation to cannabis use as reflected by its high-density of cannabinoid receptors and functional reactivity to processes relevant to drug use. Previously, we identified a correlation between cannabis use in early adolescence and amygdala hyper-reactivity to angry faces (Spechler et al. 2015).

OBJECTIVES

Here, we leveraged the longitudinal aspect of the same dataset (the IMAGEN study) to determine (1) if amygdala hyper-reactivity predicts future cannabis use and (2) if amygdala reactivity is affected by prolonged cannabis exposure during adolescence.

METHODS

First, linear regressions predicted the level of cannabis use by age 19 using amygdala reactivity to angry faces measured at age 14 prior to cannabis exposure in a sample of 1119 participants. Next, we evaluated the time course of amygdala functional development from age 14 to 19 for angry face processing and how it might be associated with protracted cannabis use throughout this developmental window. We compared the sample from Spechler et al. 2015, the majority of whom escalated their use over the 5-year interval, to a matched sample of non-users.

RESULTS

Right amygdala reactivity to angry faces significantly predicted cannabis use 5 years later in a dose-response fashion. Cannabis-naïve adolescents demonstrated the lowest levels of amygdala reactivity. No such predictive relationship was identified for alcohol or cigarette use. Next, follow-up analyses indicated a significant group-by-time interaction for the right amygdala.

CONCLUSIONS

(1) Right amygdala hyper-reactivity is predictive of future cannabis use, and (2) protracted cannabis exposure during adolescence may alter the rate of neurotypical functional development.

Comparing participant estimated demand intensity on the cigarette Purchase Task to consumption when usual-brand cigarettes were provided free

Accumulating evidence suggests that the hypothetical Cigarette Purchase Task (CPT), especially its demand Intensity index (i.e., estimated cigarettes participants would smoke if free), is associated with individual differences in smoking risk. Nevertheless, few studies have examined the extent to which hypothetical CPT demand Intensity may differ from consumption when participants are provided with free cigarettes. That topic is the overarching focus of the present study. Participants were 745 adult smokers with co-morbid psychiatric conditions or socioeconomic disadvantage. CPT was administered for usual-brand cigarettes prior to providing participants with seven days of their usual-brand cigarettes free of cost and consumption was recorded daily via an Interactive Voice Response (IVR) System. Demand Intensity was correlated with IVR smoking rate (rs 0.670-0.696, ps < 0.001) but estimates consistently exceeded IVR smoking rates by an average of 4.4 cigarettes per day (ps < 0.001). Importantly, both measures were comparably sensitive to discerning well-established differences in smoking risk, including greater cigarettes per day among men versus women (F(1,732) = 18.74, p < 0.001), those with versus without opioid-dependence (F(1,732) = 168.37, p < 0.001), younger versus older adults (F(2,730) = 32.93, p < 0.001), and those with lower versus greater educational attainment (F(1,732) = 38.26, p < 0.001). Overall, CPT demand Intensity appears to overestimate consumption rates relative to those observed when participants are provided with free cigarettes, but those deviations are systematic (i.e., consistent in magnitude and direction, Fs all <1.63; ps > 0.19 for all interactions with subgroups). This suggests that demand Intensity was sensitive to established group differences in smoking rate, supporting its utility as an important measure of addiction potential.

Impact of alcohol and drug use on smoking and cessation in socioeconomically disadvantaged young adults

INTRODUCTION

Population studies highlight that alcohol and marijuana use are correlated with cigarette smoking and other tobacco use. The aim of our study was to describe the ways in which alcohol and drug use may affect cigarette smoking and cessation in socioeconomically-disadvantaged young adult (SDYA) smokers.

METHODS

Thirty-six SDYA smokers aged 18-29 participated in eight focus groups and two individual interviews in Burlington, Vermont in 2018. Structured focus groups addressed poly-tobacco use, other substance use and co-use with tobacco, and the contexts and facilitators that cue SDYA smoking. Participants were also asked their reasons for smoking, barriers to cessation, and messages or modalities that would make smoking cessation more novel or relevant. Three coders implemented the Framework Method to systematically code focus group transcripts.

RESULTS

In this sample of SDYA smokers, four key themes emerged around the relationships between alcohol and drug use and smoking: 1) frequent co-use of tobacco and other substances, 2) changes in frequency of smoking when using other substances, including chain smoking when drinking and substituting cigarettes with marijuana, 3) cigarettes as a last remaining addiction for those in recovery from other substance use and, 4) fears that quitting smoking would cause relapse to other substances.

DISCUSSION

Co-use of other substances emerged as a reason for smoking and a barrier to quitting, including a concern that quitting smoking would trigger drug or alcohol relapse. Findings support demand for interventions that address substance co-use to improve smoking cessation in SDYA smokers.

Decreasing smoking during pregnancy: Potential economic benefit of reducing sudden unexpected infant death

Sudden Unexpected Infant Death (SUID) remains the leading cause of death among U.S. infants age 1-12 months. Extensive epidemiological evidence documents maternal prenatal cigarette smoking as a major risk factor for SUID, but leaves unclear whether quitting reduces risk. This Commentary draws attention to a report by Anderson et al. (Pediatrics. 2019, 143[4]) that represents a breakthrough on this question and uses their data on SUID risk reduction to delineate potential economic benefits. Using a five-year (2007-11) U.S. CDC Birth Cohort Linked Birth/Infant Death dataset, Anderson et al. demonstrated that compared to those who continued smoking, women who quit or reduced smoking by third trimester decreased the adjusted odds of SUID risk by 23% (95% CI, 13%-33%) and 12% (95% CI, 2%-21%), respectively. We applied these reductions to the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services' recommended value of a statistical life in 2020 ($10.1 million). Compared to continued smoking during pregnancy, the economic benefits per woman of quitting or reducing smoking are $4700 (95% CI $2700-$6800) and $2500 (95% CI, $400-$4300), respectively. While the U.S. obtained aggregate annual economic benefits of $0.58 (95% CI, 0.35-0.82) billion from pregnant women who quit or reduced smoking, it missed an additional $1.16 (95%CI 0.71-1.60) billion from the women who continued smoking. Delineating the health and economic impacts of decreasing smoking during pregnancy using large epidemiological studies like Anderson et al. is critically important for conducting meaningful economic analyses of the benefits-costs of developing more effective interventions for decreasing smoking during pregnancy.

Changes in Cigarette Consumption With Reduced Nicotine Content Cigarettes Among Smokers With Psychiatric Conditions or Socioeconomic Disadvantage: 3 Randomized Clinical Trials

IMPORTANCE

This study is part of a programmatic effort evaluating the effects of reducing nicotine content of cigarettes to minimally addictive levels.

OBJECTIVE

To examine whether very low-nicotine-content (VLNC) cigarettes decrease smoking rates and dependence severity among smokers with psychiatric disorders or socioeconomic disadvantage.

DESIGN, SETTING, AND PARTICIPANTS

These 3 randomized clinical trials were performed at the University of Vermont, Brown University, and Johns Hopkins University between October 2016 and September 2019. Participants received 12 weeks of exposure to study cigarettes with nicotine content ranging from levels representative of commercial cigarettes (15.8 mg nicotine/g tobacco) to less than a hypothesized addiction threshold (2.4 mg/g and 0.4 mg/g). Daily smokers from 3 at-risk populations participated: individuals with affective disorders, exemplifying smokers with mental illness; individuals with opioid use disorder, exemplifying smokers with substance use disorders; and women with high school educations or less, exemplifying smokers with socioeconomic disadvantage. Data were analyzed from September 2019 to July 2020.

INTERVENTIONS

Random assignment to 1 of 3 study cigarettes provided weekly at no cost for 12 weeks.

MAIN OUTCOMES AND MEASURES

The primary outcome was between-group differences in mean total cigarettes smoked daily (CPD) during week 12; secondary outcomes included CPD for study and nonstudy cigarettes and dependence severity across weeks analyzed using analysis of covariance, random coefficients growth modeling, or repeated measures analysis of variance.

RESULTS

A total of 775 participants were included (mean [SD] age, 35.59 [11.05] years; 551 [71.10%] women [owing to 1 population being exclusively women]); participants smoked a mean (SD) of 17.79 (9.18) CPD at study intake. A total of 286 participants were randomized to 0.4 mg/g, 235 participants were randomized to 2.4 mg/g, and 254 participants were randomized to 15.8 mg/g. Participants randomized to VLNC cigarettes had decreased mean [SEM] total CPD during week 12 across populations (Cohen d = 0.61; P < .001). At week 12, mean (SEM) CPD decreased to 17.96 (0.98) CPD in the 0.4 mg/g group and to 19.53 (1.07) CPD in the 2.4 mg/g group, both of which were significantly different from the 15.8 mg/g group (25.08 [1.08] CPD at week 12) but not each other (0.4 mg/g adjusted mean difference: -7.54 [95%CI, -9.51 to -5.57]; 2.4 mg/g adjusted mean difference: -5.34 [95% CI, 7.41 to -3.26]). Several secondary outcomes differed across populations randomized to VLNCs, including mean total CPD across weeks, with linear trends lower in participants receiving 0.4 mg/g (-0.28 [95%CI, -0.39 to -0.18]; P < .001) and 2.4 mg/g (-0.13 [95%CI, -0.25 to -0.01]; P < .001) doses compared with those receiving the 15.8 mg/g dose (0.30 [95% CI, 0.19 to 0.41]). Fagerström Test of Nicotine Dependence mean total scores were significantly lower in participants who received VLNCs (Cohen d = 0.12; P < .001), with those who received the 0.4 mg/g dose (mean [SD] score, 3.99 [0.06]; P < .001 vs 15.8 mg/g) or 2.4 mg/g dose (mean [SD] score, 4.07 [0.06]; P = .01 vs 15.8 mg/g) differing from those who received the 15.8 mg/g dose (mean [SD] score, 4.31 [0.06]) but not from each other.

CONCLUSIONS AND RELEVANCE

These findings demonstrate that decreasing the nicotine content of cigarettes to very low levels reduced smoking rate and nicotine-dependence severity in these high-risk populations, effects that may facilitate successful cessation.

TRIAL REGISTRATION

ClinicalTrials.gov Identifiers: NCT02232737, NCT02250664, NCT02250534.

Impact of Socioeconomic Disadvantage and Diabetic Retinopathy Severity on Poor Ophthalmic Follow-Up in a Rural Vermont and New York Population

Objective

To investigate the impact of socioeconomic disadvantage and diabetic retinopathy severity on follow-up for vision care among people with diabetes mellitus (DM) residing in rural Vermont and northern New York State.

Methods

A retrospective chart review of people with DM who visited our academic eye clinic at least once between October 1, 2015, and March 31, 2016, was done. Of 1,466 unique patient visits, 500 were chosen for full chart review by simple random sampling. DM follow-up within 1 year was recommended for 331 adults. Data about prescribed and actual follow-up intervals were extracted. Regression models were used to identify factors associated with poor attendance at follow-up appointments.

Results

Sixty-eight [20.5%] patients had poor follow-up, defined as no ophthalmology visit within double the prescribed interval. Of these, 57 were not seen in follow-up by the end of study observation. Poor follow-up was greatest among socioeconomically disadvantaged patients, as defined by Medicaid enrollment (odds ratio [OR], 1.95; 95% CI, 1.07–3.56) in comparison to non-disadvantaged patients. Follow-up was better among those with moderate or worse diabetic retinopathy (OR, 0.38 95% CI, 0.20–0.70), and those with macular edema (OR, 0.19; 95% CI, 0.057–0.62).

Conclusion

Medicaid insurance and better diabetic retinopathy status were associated with worse follow-up among our predominantly rural population of patients. Patients who did not follow-up within double the recommended interval were unlikely to follow-up at all. Interventions are needed to target those at highest risk for poor follow-up.

Smoking-Cessation Interventions for U.S. Young Adults: Updated Systematic Review

CONTEXT

Recent data suggest that the onset of cigarette smoking is now more likely during young adulthood than adolescence. Additionally, the landscape of delivering smoking-cessation interventions has changed in the past decade, with the emergence of mobile phone and web-based approaches. The objective of this study is to update a 2010 systematic review of smoking-cessation interventions for U.S. young adults (aged 18-24 years).

EVIDENCE ACQUISITION

Electronic searches were conducted in CINAHL, the Cochrane Library, Embase, PsycINFO, PubMed, Scopus, and Sociological Abstracts to identify eligible interventions from August 31, 2009 through July 17, 2019. Two independent coders critically evaluated the methodology and findings of all retrieved articles. Data analysis was conducted in 2019.

EVIDENCE SYNTHESIS

A total of 17 RCTs and 1 nonrandomized study were added to the original 14 studies meeting the inclusion criteria for this review; these studies varied with respect to sample size, intervention, assessed outcomes, and smoking measures. Of the new studies, 3 increased cessation in the short term, 2 at 6 months, and 1 had short-term effects on cigarette reduction. Pooled analyses supported the use of interventions employing social cognitive theory, quitline counseling, and text message programs for short-term cessation in young adults.

CONCLUSIONS

Of 32 included studies, 9 demonstrated efficacy of smoking cessation or reduction in U.S. young adults. There were no eligible pharmacologic interventions included in this review. Findings support the promise of 3 approaches for young adult cessation not included in the prior review: text message interventions, sustained quit-and-win contests, and multiple behavior interventions.

Potential Moderating Effects of Sex/Gender on the Acute Relative Reinforcing and Subjective Effects of Reduced Nicotine Content Cigarettes in Vulnerable Populations

INTRODUCTION

Reports in relatively healthy smokers suggest men are more sensitive than women to the subjective effects of reduced nicotine content cigarettes (RNCCs). We know of no reports examining sex differences in the relative reinforcing effects of RNCCs, an important outcome in assessing smoking's addiction potential. The aim of the present study is to address this gap by examining sex/gender differences on reinforcing effects while examining whether sex differences in subjective effects are discernible in vulnerable populations.

METHODS

Secondary analysis of a within-subject, double-blinded experiment examining acute effects of cigarettes varying in nicotine content (0.4, 2.4, 5.2, 15.8 mg/g) among 169 adult smokers with psychiatric conditions or socioeconomic disadvantage. Effects of dose, sex, and their interaction were examined on reinforcing (concurrent-choice and Cigarette Purchase Task [CPT] testing), and subjective effects (Cigarette Evaluation Questionnaire [CEQ] and craving/withdrawal ratings).

RESULTS

Reducing nicotine content decreased the relative reinforcing effects of smoking in concurrent-choice and CPT testing (p's < .05) with no significant effects of sex nor dose × sex/gender interactions. Reducing nicotine content decreased CEQ ratings with only a single significant effect of sex (higher Psychological Reward scores among women than men, p = .02) and no significant dose × sex/gender interactions. Results on craving/withdrawal paralleled those on the CEQ.

CONCLUSIONS

Reducing nicotine content decreases the addiction potential of smoking independent of sex in populations highly vulnerable to smoking and addiction, with no indication that women are less sensitive to subjective effects of RNCCs or would benefit less from a policy reducing the nicotine content of cigarettes.

IMPLICATIONS

A policy reducing the nicotine content of cigarettes has the potential to reduce the addiction potential of smoking across men and women who are especially vulnerable to smoking, addiction, and tobacco-related adverse health impacts.

Potential Moderating Effects of Psychiatric Diagnosis and Symptom Severity on Subjective and Behavioral Responses to Reduced Nicotine Content Cigarettes

INTRODUCTION

Given FDA's authority to implement a cigarette nicotine reduction policy, possible outcomes of this regulation must be examined, especially among those who may be most affected, such as those with comorbid psychiatric disorders.

METHODS

In this secondary analysis of a multisite, randomized, clinical laboratory study, we used analyses of variance to examine the effects of nicotine dose (0.4, 2.4, 5.2, and 15.8 mg/g of tobacco), depressive and anxiety diagnoses (depression only, anxiety only, both, or neither), and depressive and anxiety symptom severity on cigarette choice, smoke exposure, craving, and withdrawal across three vulnerable populations: socioeconomically disadvantaged women of reproductive age, opioid-dependent individuals, and those with affective disorders (n = 169).

RESULTS

Diagnosis and symptom severity largely had no effects on smoking choice, total puff volume, or CO boost. Significant main effects on craving and withdrawal were observed, with higher scores in those with both anxiety and depression diagnoses compared with depression alone or no diagnosis, and in those with more severe depressive symptoms (p's < .001). These factors did not interact with nicotine dose. Cigarettes with <15.8 mg/g nicotine were less reinforcing, decreased total puff volume, and produced significant but lower magnitude and shorter duration reductions in craving and withdrawal than higher doses (p's < .01).

CONCLUSIONS

Reducing nicotine dose reduced measures of cigarette addiction potential, with little evidence of moderation by either psychiatric diagnosis or symptom severity, providing evidence that those with comorbid psychiatric disorders would respond to a nicotine reduction policy similarly to other smokers.

IMPLICATIONS

Thus far, controlled studies in healthy populations of smokers have demonstrated that use of very low nicotine content cigarettes reduces cigarette use and dependence without resulting in compensatory smoking. These analyses extend those findings to a vulnerable population of interest, those with comorbid psychiatric disorders. Cigarettes with very low nicotine content were less reinforcing, decreased total puff volume, and produced significant but lower magnitude and shorter duration reductions in craving and withdrawal than higher doses. These nicotine dose effects did not interact with psychiatric diagnosis or mood symptom severity suggesting that smokers in this vulnerable population would respond to a nicotine reduction strategy similarly to other smokers.

Examining Age as a Potential Moderator of Response to Reduced Nicotine Content Cigarettes in Vulnerable Populations

Introduction

Young adults (aged 18–24 years) have a higher smoking prevalence than younger and older age groups and young adulthood is an important developmental period during which long-term behavior patterns like cigarette smoking are established. The aim of the current study was to examine how young adult smokers with additional vulnerabilities to smoking respond to reduced nicotine content cigarettes.

Methods

This is a secondary analysis of a double-blind, within-subject experiment conducted with 169 cigarette smokers recruited from populations with comorbid psychiatric conditions or socioeconomic disadvantage assessing acute effects of research cigarettes varying in nicotine content (0.4, 2.4, 5.2, 15.8 mg/g). Participants were dichotomized by chronological age (18–24 vs. ≥25 years). Across 14 laboratory sessions effects of nicotine content were examined on measures of relative reinforcing efficacy (Cigarette Purchase Task [CPT] and Concurrent Choice testing), subjective effects, craving/withdrawal, and smoking topography. Repeated measures analysis of variances were used to examine potential moderating effects of age.

Results

Young adults exhibited lower demand for reduced nicotine content cigarettes than older adults across three of five CPT indices (ps < .05). No differences by age were observed on other measures of reinforcing efficacy, subjective effects, craving/withdrawal, or smoking topography where effects generally decreased as an orderly function of decreasing nicotine content (ps <.05).

Conclusion

Overall, these findings suggest that reducing the nicotine content of cigarettes would decrease the addiction potential of cigarette smoking in young adult smokers as much or perhaps more than older adult smokers from populations at increased vulnerability to smoking, addiction, and smoking-related health consequences.

Implications

Reducing the nicotine content in cigarettes to lower addiction potential of smoking has been proposed as a means to improve overall population health. It is imperative to examine how young adults may respond to a nicotine reduction policy. We saw minimal evidence that age moderates acute response and where there was evidence it was in the direction of reduced nicotine content cigarettes having less addictive potential among young versus older adults (eg, steeper decreases in demand for very low nicotine content cigarettes among young versus older adults). Overall, a nicotine reduction policy has the potential to reduce smoking across age groups.

Pregnancy-Induced Increases in the Nicotine Metabolite Ratio: Examining Changes During Antepartum and Postpartum

INTRODUCTION

Pregnancy-induced increases in nicotine metabolism may contribute to difficulties in quitting smoking during pregnancy. However, the time course of changes in nicotine metabolism during early and late pregnancy is unclear. This study investigated how pregnancy alters the nicotine metabolite ratio (NMR), a common biomarker of nicotine metabolism among nonpregnant smokers.

METHODS

Urinary NMR (trans-3'-hydroxycotinine [3HC]/cotinine [COT]) was assessed using total (free + glucuronide) and free compounds among women (N = 47) from a randomized controlled trial for smoking cessation who self-reported smoking and provided a urine sample during early pregnancy (M ± SD = 12.5 ± 4.5 weeks' gestation), late pregnancy (28.9 ± 2.0 weeks' gestation), and 6 months postpartum (24.7 ± 1.2 weeks since childbirth). Urine samples were analyzed using liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry and NMR were calculated as Total 3HC/Free COT, Free 3HC/Free COT, and Total 3HC/Total COT.

RESULTS

NMR was significantly higher during early and late pregnancy compared to postpartum and significantly increased from early to late pregnancy as measured by Total 3HC/Free COT (0.76, 0.89, 0.60; all p's < .05) and Free 3HC/Free COT (0.68, 0.80, 0.51; all p's < .05). Total 3HC/Total COT did not vary over time (p = .81).

CONCLUSIONS

Total 3HC/Free COT and Free 3HC/Free COT increased in the first trimester and continued to increase throughout pregnancy, suggesting a considerable increase in nicotine metabolism over gestation. Future analyses are needed to interpret the changes in NMR in the context of nicotine pharmacokinetics, as well as its impact on changes in smoking behavior and cessation outcomes.

IMPLICATIONS

We observed that the NMR was significantly higher as early as 12 weeks' gestation and increased further as a function of gestational age. Among nonpregnant smokers, elevated NMR is associated with smoking phenotypes such as smoking more cigarettes per day and poorer response to nicotine patch; therefore, pregnancy-induced increases in the NMR may contribute to smoking during the first trimester of pregnancy and reducing or quitting smoking may become more challenging as the rate of nicotine metabolism accelerates over the course of pregnancy.

Multimodal Neuroimaging Differences in Nicotine Abstinent Smokers Versus Satiated Smokers

INTRODUCTION

Research on cigarette smokers suggests cognitive and behavioral impairments. However, much remains unclear how the functional neurobiology of smokers is influenced by nicotine state. Therefore, we sought to determine which state, be it acute nicotine abstinence or satiety, would yield the most robust differences compared with nonsmokers when assessing neurobiological markers of nicotine dependence.

METHODS

Smokers (N = 15) and sociodemographically matched nonsmokers (N = 15) were scanned twice using a repeated-measures design. Smokers were scanned after a 24-hour nicotine abstinence and immediately after smoking their usual brand cigarette. The neuroimaging battery included a stop-signal task of response inhibition and pseudocontinuous arterial spin labeling to measure cerebral blood flow (CBF). Whole-brain voxel-wise analyses of covariance were carried out on stop success and stop fail Stop-Signal Task contrasts and CBF maps to assess differences among nonsmokers, abstinent smokers, and satiated smokers. Cluster correction was performed using AFNI's 3dClustSim to achieve a significance of p < .05.

RESULTS

Smokers exhibited higher brain activation in bilateral inferior frontal gyrus, a brain region known to be involved in inhibitory control, during successful response inhibitions relative to nonsmokers. This effect was significantly higher during nicotine abstinence relative to satiety. Smokers also exhibited lower CBF in the bilateral inferior frontal gyrus than nonsmokers. These hypoperfusions were not different between abstinence and satiety.

CONCLUSIONS

These findings converge on alterations in smokers in prefrontal circuits known to be critical for inhibitory control. These effects are present, even when smokers are satiated, but the neural activity required to achieve performance equal to controls is increased when smokers are in acute abstinence.

IMPLICATIONS

Our multimodal neuroimaging study gives neurobiological insights into the cognitive demands of maintaining abstinence and suggests targets for assessing the efficacy of therapeutic interventions.

Smoking prevalence among U.S. national samples of pregnant women

Several data sources exist for estimating U.S. smoking prevalence among pregnant women, yet each differs in ways that have the potential to impact the estimates. In the present study we used the Population Assessment of Tobacco and Health (PATH), the National Survey on Drug use and Health (NSDUH), and the Pregnancy Risk Assessment Monitoring System (PRAMS), three common data sources, to evaluate the following questions about estimating U.S. smoking prevalence among pregnant women: To what extent are estimates impacted by differences in whether the samples include younger (<18 years) or older (>44 years) women, represent smoking in any trimester or only the 3rd, and use data from nationally representative or more selected national samples. Among the factors examined, inclusion of younger or older women does not appear to meaningfully alter prevalence estimates. Focusing on only the third trimester likely underestimates smoking prevalence, while the influence of basing estimates on selected national subgroups of women (i.e., only women who delivered live born infants) rather than nationally representative surveys has little discernible influence. Going forward, this research area would benefit from greater consistency in explicitly discussing the sampling methods used and how these various methods may have influenced the estimates reported.

Impact of electronic nicotine delivery systems and other respondent characteristics on tobacco use transitions among a U.S. national sample of women of reproductive age

BACKGROUND

Identifying predictors of tobacco use patterns that differ in harm among reproductive-aged women may inform efforts to protect women and children against adverse health impacts of tobacco use.

METHODS

Changes in tobacco use patterns were examined among women (18-49 years) who completed Wave 1 (W1) and Wave 2 (W2), or W2 and Wave 3 (W3) of the U.S. Population Assessment of Tobacco and Health (PATH, 2013-2016) study, and were using cigarettes, filtered cigars and/or cigarillos in the first wave over which data were included for that respondent (Time 1; T1). We examined the proportion of respondents whose tobacco use transitions from T1 to Time 2 (T2) were harm-maintaining (continued using combusted tobacco), harm-reducing (transitioned to electronic nicotine delivery systems (ENDS), or harm-eliminating (quit tobacco). Multinomial logistic regressions (with harm-maintaining as the baseline category) were conducted to examine associations between ENDS use, demographic, and psychosocial characteristics with each transition.

RESULTS

A majority of women (83 %) exhibited harm-maintaining transitions, followed by harm-eliminating (14.7 %) and harm-reducing (2.3 %) transitions. Use of ENDS at T1 was associated with increased odds of harm reduction and decreased odds of harm elimination. Younger women were more likely to make both harm-reducing and harm-eliminating transitions. Increased educational attainment, identifying as Black or Hispanic, increased psychiatric symptoms, and pregnancy were associated with harm elimination, whereas living at or above poverty was associated with harm reduction.

CONCLUSIONS

Study results contribute new information on the impact of ENDS, sociodemographic characteristics, psychiatric symptoms, and pregnancy on tobacco use transitions among reproductive-aged women.

Neuroimaging Evidence for Right Orbitofrontal Cortex Differences in Adolescents With Emotional and Behavioral Dysregulation

OBJECTIVE

To characterize the structural and functional neurobiology of a large group of adolescents exhibiting a behaviorally and emotionally dysregulated phenotype.

METHOD

Adolescents aged 14 years from the IMAGEN study were investigated. Latent class analysis (LCA) on the Strengths and Difficulties Questionnaire (SDQ) was used to identify a class of individuals with elevated behavioral and emotional difficulties ("dysregulated"; n = 233) who were compared to a matched sample from a low symptom class (controls, n = 233). Whole-brain gray matter volume (GMV) images were compared using a general linear model with 10,000 random label permutations. Regional GMV findings were then probed for functional differences from three functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) tasks. Significant brain features then informed mediation path models linking the likelihood of psychiatric disorders (DSM-IV) with dysregulation.

RESULTS

Whole-brain differences were found in the right orbitofrontal cortex (R.OFC; p < .05; k = 48), with dysregulated individuals exhibiting lower GMV. The dysregulated group also exhibited higher activity in this region during successful inhibitory control (F_1,429 = 7.53, p < .05). Path analyses indicated significant direct effects between the likelihood of psychopathologies and dysregulation. Modeling the R.OFC as a mediator returned modest partial effects, suggesting that the path linking the likelihood of an anxiety or conduct disorder diagnoses to dysregulation is partially explained by this anatomical feature.

CONCLUSION

A large sample of dysregulated adolescents exhibited lower GMV in the R.OFC relative to controls. Dysregulated individuals also exhibited higher regional activations when exercising inhibitory control at performance levels comparable to those of controls. These findings suggest a neurobiological marker of dysregulation and highlight the role of the R.OFC in impaired emotional and behavioral control.

Behavior change, health, and health disparities 2019: Opioids, tobacco, and treatment adherence

This Special Issue of Preventive Medicine (PM) is the 6th in a series on behavior change, health, and health disparities. This is a topic of critical importance to improving U.S. population health. There is broad consensus that personal behavior patterns or lifestyle such as substance abuse, physical inactivity/obesity, and non-adherence with medical regimens are among the most important modifiable causes of chronic disease, premature death and population health. Hence, effectively promoting health-related behavior change needs to be a key component of health care research and policy. In this issue we devote the majority of space (14 of 20 reports) to the U.S. opioid epidemic, especially the ongoing but still woefully inadequate efforts to build the necessary clinical infrastructure in rural communities to effectively address the epidemic. The remaining six reports focus on addressing the substantive challenges that tobacco use and non-adherence with medical regimens represent in these same communities. While giving the opioid epidemic the attention that it well deserves, we cannot afford to do so at the expense of these other longstanding and also devastating public health problems. Across each of these topics we include contributions from well-regarded investigators, clinicians, and policymakers to acquaint readers with recent accomplishments while also noting knowledge gaps and unmet challenges.

Examining effects of unit price on preference for reduced nicotine content cigarettes and smoking rate

Cigarette preference increases as a function of greater nicotine content, but manipulating cost can shift preference. The aims of the present study are to model whether (1) the behavioral-economic metric unit price (cost/reinforcer magnitude) accounts for preference shifts and (2) whether preference shifts toward reduced nicotine content are associated with smoking reductions. In a multisite study between 2015 and 2016, 169 daily smokers from vulnerable populations completed two concurrent-choice conditions examining preference for smoking normal (15.8 mg/g) and reduced (0.4 mg/g) nicotine content cigarettes. In Condition 1, both products were available at 10 responses/choice. In Condition 2, availability of the 0.4 mg/g dose remained at 10 responses/choice while the 15.8 mg/g dose was available on a progressive-ratio (PR) schedule wherein response cost increased following each choice. Unit prices were calculated by dividing dose by response requirement. Results were analyzed using ANOVA and binomial tests (p < .05). Participants preferred the 15.8 over 0.4 mg/g dose in Condition 1, but shifted preference to the 0.4 mg/g dose in Condition 2 (p < .001) immediately before the point in the PR progression where unit price for 15.8 dose exceeded unit price for the 0.4 dose (p < .001). This shift was associated with a reduction in smoking (p < .001). The unit price of nicotine appears to underpin cigarette product preference and may provide a metric for predicting preference and potentially impacting it through tobacco regulations. These results also demonstrate that reduced compared to normal nicotine content cigarettes sustain lower smoking rates discernible even under acute laboratory conditions and in vulnerable populations.

Current cigarette smoking among U.S. college graduates

Although U.S. college graduates are at relatively low risk for smoking, 12-15% of U.S. smokers (~8 million people) are college graduates. Few studies have examined smoking risk among college graduates. To address that gap, the present study examined smoking risk among U.S. college graduates and those who did not graduate from college in a nationally representative sample of adults (National Survey on Drug Use and Health 2011-2017, n = 202,137). We examined smoking risk in association with well-established risk factors: alcohol abuse/dependence, drug abuse/dependence, mental illness, age, sex, race/ethnicity, and poverty status, using group contrasts and Classification and Regression Tree (CART) modeling. Smoking prevalence among U.S. college graduates and non-graduates was 10% and 26%, respectively. College graduates initiated any smoking and daily smoking at a later age and were lighter smokers than smokers who did not graduate college. Within college graduate and non-graduate groups, prevalence rates varied by orders of magnitude across different risk-factor profiles (ranges = 3-37% and 14-73% among graduates and non-graduates, respectively). Past year drug abuse/dependence was a robust predictor of smoking prevalence in both populations. For college graduates, past year alcohol abuse/dependence and mental illness were stronger predictors of smoking compared to those who did not graduate college, for whom race/ethnicity and age were stronger predictors. Overall, smoking risk increases to surprisingly high levels, even among college graduates, when select risk factors co-occur, particularly psychiatric conditions. Socio-demographic risk factors appear to be less robust predictors of smoking risk among college graduates relative to those who did not graduate college.

Sensitivity of hypothetical purchase task indices when studying substance use: A systematic literature review

Hypothetical Purchase Tasks (HPTs) simulate demand for a substance as a function of escalating price. HPTs are increasingly used to examine relationships between substance-related correlates and outcomes and demand typically characterized using a common battery of indices (Intensity, Omax, Pmax, Breakpoint, Elasticity). This review examines the relative sensitivity of the HPT indices. Reports were identified using the search term "purchase task" in PubMed and Web of Science. For inclusion, reports had to be original studies in English, examine relationships between HPT indices and substance-related correlates or outcomes, and appear in a peer-reviewed journal through December 2017. Indices were compared using effect sizes (Cohen's d) and the proportion of studies in which statistically significant relationships were observed. The search identified 1274 reports with 114 (9%) receiving full-text review and 82 (6%) meeting inclusion criteria. 41 reports examined alcohol, 34 examined cigarettes/nicotine products, and 10 examined other substances. Overall, statistically significant relationships between HPT indices and substance-related correlates and outcomes were most often reported for Intensity (88.61%, 70/79), followed by Omax (81.16%, 56/69), Elasticity (72.15%, 57/59), Breakpoint (62.12%, 41/66), and Pmax (48.08%; 25/52). The largest effect sizes were observed for Intensity (0.75 ± 0.04, CI 0.67-0.84) and Omax (0.64 ± 0.04, CI 0.56-0.71), followed by Elasticity (0.44 ± 0.04, CI 0.37-0.51), Breakpoint (0.30 ± 0.03, CI 0.25-0.36), and Pmax (0.25 ± 0.04, CI 0.18-0.33). Patterns were largely consistent across substances. In conclusion, HPTs can be highly effective in revealing relationships between demand and substance-related correlates and outcomes, with Intensity and Omax exhibiting the greatest sensitivity.

The effect of executive function on adherence with a cardiac secondary prevention program and its interaction with an incentive-based intervention

Participation in secondary prevention programs such as cardiac rehabilitation (CR) reduces morbidity, mortality, and hospitalizations while improving quality of life. Executive function (EF) is a complex set of cognitive abilities that control and regulate behavior. EF predicts many health-related behaviors, but how EF interacts with interventions to improve treatment adherence is not well understood. The objective of this study is to examine if EF predicts CR treatment adherence and how EF interacts with an intervention to improve adherence. Data were collected from 2013 to 2018 in Vermont, USA. 130 Medicaid-enrolled individuals who had experienced a qualifying cardiac event were enrolled in a controlled clinical trial and randomized 1:1 to receive financial incentives for completing secondary prevention sessions or to usual care. In this secondary analysis, effects of EF on CR adherence (defined as completing ≥30/36 sessions) were examined in 112 participants (57 usual care, 55 intervention) who completed an EF battery. Delay-discounting, a measure of impulsivity, predicted CR adherence (p = 0.01) and interacted with the incentive intervention, such that those who exhibited greater discounting of future rewards benefitted more from the intervention than those who discounted less (F(1, 104) = 5.23, p = 0.02). Better cognitive flexibility, measured with the trail-making-task, also predicted CR adherence (p = 0.02). While EF has been associated with adherence to a variety of treatment regimens, this interaction between an incentive-based intervention to promote treatment adherence and EF is novel. This work illustrates the value of considering individual differences in EF when designing and implementing interventions to promote health-related behavior change.

A review of tobacco regulatory science research on vulnerable populations

In 2013 the U.S. Food and Drug Administration and National Institutes of Health established fourteen Tobacco Centers of Regulatory Science (TCORS) to advance scientific knowledge relevant to conducting evidence-based tobacco regulation. This report reviews TCORS-funded research with adult vulnerable populations. The literature search included a list of all TCORS-funded publications compiled by the TCORS coordinating center; all TCORS were requested to share publications not in the coordinating-center's list. Only TCORS-funded reports describing an empirical study with an adult vulnerable population published in a peer-reviewed journal between September 2013 and June 2018 were included. 71 reports met inclusion criteria; 39% (28/71) examined tobacco use among those with mental health and medical comorbidities, 34% (24/71) socioeconomic disadvantage, 31% (22/71) women of reproductive age, 30% (21/71) racial/ethnic minorities, 18% (13/71) rural residents, and 3% (2/71) each among active military/veterans and sexual/gender minorities. Regarding scientific domains, 63% (45/71) investigated behavior, 37% (26/71) addiction, 24% (17/71) health effects, 20% (14/71) impact analyses, 18% (13/71) toxicity, 8% (6/71) marketing influences, and 7% (5/71) communications. Totals exceed 100% because some reports addressed multiple populations/domains. TCORS funding has generated a substantial, multidisciplinary body of new scientific knowledge on tobacco use in adult vulnerable populations. However, considerable variability was noted in the amount of research conducted across the various vulnerable populations and scientific domains. Most notably, relatively few studies focused on active military/veterans or sexual/gender minorities, and the scientific domains of marketing influences and communications were conspicuously underrepresented. These are important knowledge gaps to address going forward.

Effects of Financial Incentives for Smoking Cessation on Mood and Anxiety Symptoms Among Pregnant and Newly Postpartum Women

Introduction

Financial incentives for smoking cessation increase smoking abstinence and decrease Beck Depression Inventory (BDI) scores among depression-prone pregnant and postpartum women. The present study is a secondary analysis using the Brief Symptom Inventory (BSI) to examine whether this treatment impacts a broader array of mood and anxiety symptoms.

Methods

Participants (N = 253) were pregnant cigarette smokers who participated in four controlled clinical trials examining the efficacy of financial incentives for smoking cessation. Women were assigned to an intervention wherein they earned vouchers exchangeable for retail items contingent on smoking abstinence (Contingent, n = 143) or a control condition wherein they received comparable vouchers independent of smoking status (Noncontingent, n = 110). Participants were categorized as depression-prone (n = 105) or depression-negative (n = 148) based on self-reported history of depression and BDI scores at intake. A prior study demonstrated that financial incentives decreased depressive symptoms among depression-prone women in this sample. The present study examined whether those effects extended to a broader array of mood and anxiety symptoms using the BSI. Effects of treatment, time, and depression status were examined using repeated measures analyses of covariance.

Results

In addition to depressive symptoms, financial incentives reduced a multitude of BSI scores among depression-prone women, including the BSI global measure of distress and seven symptom subscales. Treatment effects were discernible by late pregnancy, peaked at 8 weeks postpartum, and dissipated by 24 weeks postpartum.

Discussion

In addition to reducing smoking, this financial incentives treatment appears to reduce a range of mood and anxiety symptoms among depression-prone pregnant and postpartum women.

Implications

This study adds evidence that providing financial incentives contingent on smoking cessation lowers a broad array of psychiatric symptoms, as measured by the BSI, among depression-prone pregnant and newly postpartum women during a time of heightened risk for peripartum mood disorders.

Financial Incentives for Smoking Abstinence in Homeless Smokers: A Pilot Randomized Controlled Trial

Introduction

Three-quarters of homeless people smoke cigarettes. Financial incentives for smoking abstinence have appeared promising in nonexperimental studies of homeless smokers, but randomized controlled trial (RCT) data are lacking.

Methods

We conducted a pilot RCT of financial incentives for homeless smokers. Incentive arm participants (N = 25) could earn escalating $15-$35 rewards for brief smoking abstinence (exhaled carbon monoxide <8 parts per million) assessed 14 times over 8 weeks. Control arm participants (N = 25) were given $10 at each assessment regardless of abstinence. All participants were offered nicotine patches and counseling. The primary outcome was a repeated measure of brief smoking abstinence across 14 assessments. The secondary outcome was brief abstinence at 8 weeks. Exploratory outcomes were self-reported 1-day and 7-day abstinence from (1) any cigarette and (2) any puff of a cigarette. Other outcomes included 24-hour quit attempts, nicotine patch use, counseling attendance, and changes in alcohol and drug use.

Results

Compared to control, incentive arm participants were more likely to achieve brief abstinence overall (odds ratio 7.28, 95% confidence interval 2.89 to 18.3) and at 8 weeks (48% vs. 8%, p = .004). Similar effects were seen for 1-day abstinence, but 7-day puff abstinence was negligible in both arms. Incentive arm participants made more quit attempts (p = .03). Nicotine patch use and counseling attendance were not significantly different between the groups. Alcohol and drug use did not change significantly in either group.

Conclusions

Among homeless smokers, financial incentives increased brief smoking abstinence and quit attempts without worsening substance use. This approach merits further development focused on promoting sustained abstinence.

Registration

ClinicalTrials.gov (NCT02565381).

Implications

Smoking is common among homeless people, and conventional tobacco treatment strategies have yielded modest results in this population. This pilot RCT suggests that financial incentives may be a safe way to promote brief smoking abstinence and quit attempts in this vulnerable group of smokers. However, further development is necessary to translate this approach into real-world settings and to promote sustained periods of smoking abstinence.