Factors related to smoking in college women

Skin Barrier Recovery is not Associated with Self-Perceived Stress

The primary aim of the current study was to examine the association between self-perceived stress and skin-barrier recovery. From an initial sample of 410 students, 19 high-stress and 12 low-stress Hispanic women completed a behavioural survey and were assessed for recovery of skin barrier following a tape-stripping procedure. No association was found between self-perceived stress and skin barrier recovery at either the 30-min or 3.15-h recovery period. Supplemental analysis showed a positive correlation between skin barrier recovery and self-reported sleep quantity at both recovery periods. Barrier repair reflects a single, minimally invasive, measure of wound healing; thus, our findings do not necessarily contradict the notion that stress measures can be used to predict wound healing more broadly defined. Supplemental analysis demonstrated an intriguing relationship between barrier recovery and the number of hours slept, but these findings are considered tentative and will require replication with more rigorous measures of sleep quantity and quality. Copyright © 2015 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

Smoking and attitudes toward smoking policy at a University in Egypt

To assess smoking behavior, knowledge of smoking harm, and attitudes toward campus smoking policy at an Egyptian university, an online survey of students, staff, and faculty was conducted (N = 992). The smoking prevalence of 38% among men was in line with Egypt's national average, but the smoking prevalence among women of 20% was much higher than the national average. Smoking status influenced beliefs about smoking harm and attitudes toward smoking policy, with nonsmokers having stronger beliefs about the harm of smoking and showing stronger support for smoking regulations than smokers. Smokers were more knowledgeable about smoking policy than were nonsmokers and differed slightly in their preferences for smoking policy enforcement strategies. These findings contribute to our understanding of how to tailor college smoking policy and programs to an Egyptian context.

Smoking cessation advantage among adult initiators: does it apply to black women?

INTRODUCTION

Smokers who initiate as adults are more likely to quit than those who initiate as adolescents. Black women are more likely than White women to initiate smoking in adulthood and are less likely to quit. There is a paucity of research examining whether the smoking cessation advantage among adult initiators applies to Black women. The study objective is to examine race differences in the effect of developmental stage of smoking initiation on number of years until cessation among Black and White women.

METHODS

Data were extracted from the National Longitudinal Survey of Young Women, a national cohort of women between the ages of 49 and 61 years in 2003. The analytic sample comprised 1,008 White women and 271 Black women with a history of smoking. Survival analysis procedures were utilized to address the study objective.

RESULTS

Racial disparities in smoking cessation were most evident among women who initiated smoking as adults. White young adult initiators had a 31% increased hazard of smoking cessation advantage (adjusted hazards ratio [HR]: 1.31, 95% CI: 1.04-1.65) over adolescent initiators, whereas Black young adult initiators had no smoking cessation advantage (adjusted HR: 0.85, CI: 95% 0.55-1.30) over adolescent initiators.

CONCLUSIONS

Prior observations that smoking initiation in adulthood is associated with high rates of cessation do not apply to black women. To contribute to the reduction of disparities in women's cessation efforts to prevent initiation should target young adult women, particularly Black young adult women.