Understanding daily life experiences of women who smoke: The role of smoking-related weight control expectancies

Smoking-related weight control expectancies are a motivational factor for maintaining cigarette use, particularly among women. Yet, less research has investigated the physiological and behavioral daily life weight-related experiences of women with smoking-related weight control expectancies. Increased research could contribute to understanding of maintenance factors for this group of smokers as well as unique intervention targets. Female smokers completed a baseline survey of smoking-related weight control expectancies and 35-days of ecological momentary assessment of physiological (i.e., smoking-related reduction in hunger, end-of-day perceived weight gain and bloating) and behavioral (i.e., daily exercise and sitting) weight-related experiences. Higher smoking-related weight control expectancies were associated with perceived smoking-related reductions in hunger and end-of-day perceived weight gain. Smoking-related weight control expectancies did not significantly associate with end-of-day bloating, daily exercise, or sitting. Given these findings, smoking-related weight control expectancies may maintain smoking in order to reduce hunger and to cope with perceived fluctuations in weight in daily life. It is critical for smoking cessation programs to assess smoking-related weight control expectancies and implement targeted treatments for these women.

The association between hormonal contraceptive use and smoking, negative affect, and cessation attempts in college females

Exogenous and endogenous female hormones influence nicotine use and cessation, potentially through mechanisms such as anxiety and negative affect. In the present study, college females using all types of hormonal contraceptives (HC) were compared to those not using HC to determine the potential influence on current smoking, negative affect, and current and past cessation attempts. Differences between progestin-only and combination HC were also examined. Of the 1,431 participants, 53.2% (n = 761) reported current HC use, and 12.3% (n = 176) of participants endorsed current smoking. Women currently using HC were significantly more likely to smoke (13.5%; n = 103) compared to women not using HC (10.9%; n = 73), p = .04. There was a significant main effect of HC use being associated with lower anxiety levels (p = .005), as well as a significant HC use by smoking status interaction, such that women who smoke using HC reported the lowest levels of anxiety among participants (p = .01). Participants using HC were more likely to be making a current attempt to quit smoking than those not using HC (p = .04) and were more likely to have made past quit attempts (p = .04). No significant differences were observed across women using progestin-only, combined estrogen and progestin, and women not using HC. These findings provide evidence that exogenous hormones may be an advantageous treatment target and that they warrant additional study.

Effectiveness of transdermal nicotine patch in premenopausal female smokers is moderated by within-subject severity of negative affect and physical symptoms

RATIONALE

Nicotine patches may be less effective in female compared with male smokers. However, it is unknown if negative affect and physical symptoms influence transdermal nicotine patch-related effects on smoking behaviors.

METHODS

Eighty-one acutely tobacco-abstinent premenopausal female smokers attended three counter-balanced experimental sessions across the menstrual cycle (early follicular, late follicular, and mid-luteal) and were randomized to patch condition (nicotine [21 mg] vs. placebo [0 mg] transdermal patch). Negative affect and physical symptoms were assessed prior to patch administration. The patch was removed 5 h post-administration, and participants completed a smoking reinstatement task. Multilevel linear models tested associations of patch condition, negative affect and physical symptoms, and their interaction on smoking behavior.

RESULTS

There was a significant patch condition × Negative Affect and Pain symptoms interaction on the number of cigarettes smoked (p < 0.05). When Negative Affect and Pain were lower-than-usual, females administered a nicotine patch smoked significantly fewer cigarettes than females administered a placebo patch (p < .05), but there were no significant patch differences when Negative Affect and Pain were higher-than-usual. There was also a significant patch condition × Negative Affect interaction on time delay. The effects of patch condition on time delay to smoking were greater during sessions in which Negative Affect was higher-than-usual.

CONCLUSIONS

Results suggest that among female smokers transdermal nicotine patch effectiveness may interact with negative affect and pain. Understanding and considering female-specific factors that may impact the efficacy of one of the most commonly used cessation medications is important for improving smoking cessation in female smokers.

Smoking among female daily smokers in Surabaya, Indonesia

OBJECTIVES

Nationally representative studies suggest 1-2% of Indonesian women (2.3 million) smoke various tobacco products daily; however, in recent years, there has been concern that the tobacco industry has successfully increased female smoking. Our objective was to describe current cigarette smoking behaviors, past quit attempts, and intention to quit of female daily smokers in Surabaya, Indonesia.

STUDY DESIGN

Survey.

METHODS

Female daily smokers (n = 112) in Surabaya, Indonesia, the country's second largest city, were recruited to participate in a survey during 2018. Convenience sampling was utilized in two malls. Potential participants were intercepted in or near designated smoking areas and invited to the nearby data collection site. Survey items from Global Adult Tobacco Survey and the International Tobacco Control Policy Evaluation Project were utilized.

RESULTS

Participants self-reported smoking 13.8 cigarettes per day (7.3 white machine-rolled cigarettes per day, 4.2 kreteks per day, and 2.4 roll-your-own cigarettes per day). Over 75% smoked their first cigarette within 30 min of waking. Over 53% had a heaviness of smoking index score suggesting moderate or high addiction. Approximately half (51%) did not attempt to quit smoking in the previous 12 months, and 55% planned to quit beyond 6 months or not at all.

CONCLUSIONS

Our sample smoked five to six more cigarettes per day than female daily smokers in previous national surveys. Relative to previous studies, our data suggest an unexpected preference for white machine-rolled cigarettes and that there could be, at a minimum, pockets of increased smoking and addiction among female daily smokers in Indonesia.

Development of a community-based network to promote smoking cessation among female smokers in Hong Kong

Background

There is a need for population-based smoking cessation interventions targeting female smokers in Hong Kong. This study describes the development of a community-based network to promote smoking cessation among female smokers in Hong Kong.

Methods

Local women’s organizations collaborated to launch a project to provide gender-specific smoking cessation services. In the first phase of the project, the Women Against Tobacco Taskforce (WATT) was created. In the second phase, a smoking cessation training curriculum was developed and female volunteers were trained. The third and final phase included the provision of gender-specific smoking cessation counseling services in Hong Kong.

Results

A need assessment survey with 623 workers and volunteers of WATT members was carried out to develop a gender-specific smoking cessation training curriculum. A 1-day training workshop to 28 WATT affiliates who provided brief cessation counseling in the community was organized. Fourteen organizations (69 service units) agreed to form a network by joining WATT to promote smoking cessation and increase awareness of the specific health risks among female smokers.

Conclusions

The community-based network to promote smoking cessation was effective in helping female smokers to quit smoking or reduce their cigarette consumption. The results also suggest that this community model of promoting gender-specific smoking cessation services is feasible.

Trial registration

Clinicaltrials.gov ID NCT02968199 (Retrospectively registered on November 16, 2016).

Electronic supplementary material

The online version of this article (doi:10.1186/s12889-017-4213-z) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.

Gender Differences in Relations of Smoking Status, Depression, and Suicidality in Korea: Findings from the Korea National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey 2008-2012

OBJECTIVE

As mental health problems may play an important role in initiating and maintaining cigarette smoking in females and there are an increasing number of female smokers, we evaluated the relationship between smoking status and mental health problems including depression and suicide ideation in women in Korea.

METHODS

We analyzed the 5-year cumulative data (19 years of age or older, n=32,184) from the Korean National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (KNHANES) conducted from 2008 to 2012. Logistic regression analyses were used to evaluate associations between cigarette smoking status and mental health parameters while controlling for potentially confounding variables.

RESULTS

Among current smokers, females showed higher lifetime prevalence in having a depressive episode, a doctor-diagnosed major depression, a current diagnosis of depression, or receiving treatment for depression in comparison with males. In addition, females were more likely to report on having a depressive episode, suicidal ideation and attempts, and psychiatric counselling within the previous year, as compared to males. Female former smokers showed intermediate characteristics in parameters of mental health status within the previous year, ranking between lifetime non-smokers and the current smokers.

CONCLUSION

Identifying the factors related to mental health status among current smokers can increase opportunities for an early intervention and help reduce the prevalence of smoking and increase smoking cessation rates particularly in females. Developing adaptive coping strategies other than smoking in female youth is potentially important in reducing the initiation of smoking.