Temporal trends in smoking and nicotine dependence in relation to co-occurring substance use in the United States, 2005-2016

Predictors of Enrollment and Adherence in a Randomized Tobacco Cessation Clinical Trial

Background

New therapeutic cessation approaches are being tested in clinical trials to engage and retain people who smoke. Our team is conducting a pragmatic randomized clinical trial (RCT) to evaluate a new treatment for tobacco dependence, but enrolling participants and ensuring adherence has been more challenging than in previous trials.

Objective

To determine the predictors of enrollment and adherence in the RCT.

Design

A secondary analysis of data from a tobacco cessation RCT.

Methods

Data was collected during a two-group RCT testing the efficacy of an integrative guided imagery vs behavioral treatment, with both conditions involving six weekly, hour-long sessions over 9 weeks.

Results

Of the 1074 randomized participants, 803 (74.8%) enrolled (completed the first session), and 631 (78.6%) of those were adherent (attended all scheduled sessions). Variables associated with enrollment included age (adjusted odds ratio [AOR], 1.01; 95% CI, 1.0003-1.02; P = 0.04) and state of residence (West Virginia vs New York (NY), AOR, 0.66; 95% CI, 0.46-0.94; P = 0.02), with older participants and those from NY more likely to enroll. Variables associated with adherence included race (Black vs White) (AOR, 2.09; 95% CI, 1.05-4.16; P = 0.04), higher education (at least some college vs high school or less) (AOR, 2.27; 95% CI, 1.58-3.26; P < 0.0001), marital status (all others vs single/never married) (AOR, 1.66; 95% CI, 1.11-2.48; P = 0.01), and state of residence (Arizona vs NY) (AOR, 0.52; 95% CI, 0.34-0.78; P = 0.002). Within Arizona, older age increased enrollment, while higher education and marriage improved adherence. Within NY, higher education was associated with both increased enrollment and adherence, while higher number of household smokers, and not reporting substance use were associated with increased adherence.

Conclusion

Enrolling and retaining people who smoke in cessation trials requires novel strategies. Identifying predictors of enrollment and adherence offers valuable insights for overcoming barriers in future tobacco cessation RCTs.

Post-discharge tobacco abstinence in a Mumbai hospital after implementation of tobacco cessation counseling: A pragmatic evaluation of the LifeFirst program

BACKGROUND

Hospitalization provides a key opportunity to address tobacco use. Few studies have examined cessation treatment in hospitals in low- and middle-income countries (LMIC). We aimed to measure tobacco abstinence among individuals discharged from a Mumbai hospital after the implementation of cessation counseling compared to abstinence among those discharged pre-implementation.

METHODS

Pre-post intervention study in the Prince Aly Khan Hospital, Mumbai pre- (11/2015-10/2016) and post-implementation (02/2018-02/2020) of LifeFirst counseling. LifeFirst is multi-session (up to six sessions) counseling extending from hospitalization up to six months post-discharge. Primary analyses compare self-reported 6-month continuous abstinence among hospitalized individuals post-implementation (intervention) with pre-implementation (comparator) using an intent-to-treat approach that includes all participants offered LifeFirst post-implementation in the intervention group. Secondary analyses compare those who received ≥ 1 LifeFirst session with the pre-implementation group.

RESULTS

We enrolled n = 437 individuals pre-implementation (8.7% dual use, 57.7% smokeless tobacco, 33.6% smoking) and n = 561 post-implementation (8.6% dual use, 64.3% smokeless tobacco, 27.1% smoking). Post-implementation, 490 patients (87.3%) accepted ≥ 1 counseling session. Continuous abstinence 6-months post-discharge was higher post-implementation (post: 41.6% vs. pre: 20.0%; adjusted odds ratio [aOR]: 2.86, 95% confidence interval [CI] 1.94-4.21). Those who received LifeFirst had higher odds of continuous abstinence compared to pre-implementation (aOR: 2.95, 95% CI 1.98-4.40).

CONCLUSION

Post-discharge abstinence was more common after implementation of a multi-session tobacco counseling program for hospitalized patients compared to abstinence among patients hospitalized before implementation. These findings represent observational evidence of a promising association between post-discharge abstinence and a hospital-based tobacco cessation program implemented within routine practice in an LMIC setting.

Acute nicotine administration reduces the efficacy of punishment in curbing remifentanil consumption in a seeking-taking chain schedule of reinforcement

RATIONALE

Nicotine dependence is highly comorbid with opioid use disorders (OUDs). The use of nicotine-containing products increases the propensity to misuse prescription opioids and addressing both nicotine and opioid use simultaneously is more efficacious for treatment of OUDs than treating opioid use alone.

OBJECTIVES

Given this extreme comorbidity, further elucidation of the effects of nicotine as a factor in promoting vulnerability to development of OUDs is needed. Here, we sought to further explore the effects of nicotine administration on operant self-administration of remifentanil (RMF), a fast-acting synthetic µ-opioid receptor agonist, using a heterogenous seeking-taking chain schedule of reinforcement in unpunished and punished conditions.

METHODS

Male and female rats received nicotine (0.4 mg/kg) or saline prior to operant self-administration sessions. These sessions consisted of pressing a 'seeking' lever to gain access to a 'taking' lever that could be pressed for delivery of 3.2 µg/kg RMF. After acquisition, continued drug seeking/taking was punished through contingent delivery of foot-shock.

RESULTS

Nicotine, relative to saline, increased RMF consumption. Furthermore, nicotine treatment resulted in significantly higher seeking responses and cycles completed, and this effect became more pronounced during punished sessions as nicotine-treated rats suppressed RMF seeking significantly less than controls. Nicotine treatment functionally reduced the efficacy of foot-shock punishment as a deterrent of opioid-seeking.

CONCLUSIONS

Nicotine administration enhanced both appetitive and consummatory responding for RMF and engendered a punishment-insensitive phenotype for RMF that was less impacted by contingent administration of foot-shock punishment. These findings provide further support for the hypothesis that nicotine augments vulnerability for addiction-like behaviors for opioids.