Co-action and changes in alcohol use during a smoking cessation attempt

AIMS

Three smoking cessation studies (CARE, Break Free, Por Nuestra Salud [PNS]) were used to measure changes in average alcohol consumption, binge drinking and alcohol-related problems during a smoking cessation attempt and to explore co-action with smoking abstinence.

DESIGN

CARE and PNS were longitudinal cohort cessation studies; Break Free was a two-arm randomized clinical trial.

SETTING

Texas, USA.

PARTICIPANTS

Participants were current smokers who were recruited from the community and received smoking cessation interventions. All participants received nicotine replacement therapy and smoking cessation counseling. CARE included 424 smokers (1/3 White, 1/3 African American and 1/3 Latino); Break Free included 399 African American smokers; PNS included 199 Spanish-speaking Mexican-American smokers.

MEASUREMENTS

Weekly alcohol consumption was collected multiple times pre and post-quit, and binge drinking and alcohol-related problems were collected at baseline and 26 weeks post-quit. Analyses included only those who indicated current alcohol use.

FINDINGS

Average alcohol consumption decreased from baseline to 26 weeks post-quit in CARE (F = 17.09, P < 0.001), Break Free (F = 12.08, P < 0.001) and PNS (F = 10.21, P < 0.001). Binge drinking decreased from baseline to 26 weeks post-quit in CARE (F = 3.94, P = 0.04) and Break Free (F = 10.41, P < 0.001) but not PNS. Alcohol-related problems decreased from baseline to 26 weeks post-quit in CARE (Chi-sq = 6.41, P = 0.010) and Break Free (Chi sq = 14.44, P = 0.001), but not PNS.

CONCLUSIONS

Among current drinkers, alcohol use/problems appear to decrease during a smoking cessation attempt and remain low through 26 weeks after the quit attempt. Little evidence was found for co-action, with smoking abstainers and relapsers showing similar change in alcohol use/problems.

Examining Links Between Distinct Affective States and Tobacco Lapse During a Cessation Attempt Among African Americans: A Cohort Study

BACKGROUND

Affect states are posited to play a pivotal role in addiction-related processes, including tobacco lapse (i.e., smoking during a quit attempt), and distinct affective states (e.g., joy vs. happiness) may differentially influence lapse likelihood. However, few studies have examined the influence of distinct affective states on tobacco lapse.

PURPOSE

This study examines the influence of 23 distinct affect states on tobacco lapse among a sample of tobacco users attempting to quit.

METHODS

Participants were 220 adults who identified as African American (50% female, ages 18-74). Ecological momentary assessment was used to assess affect and lapse in real-time. Between and within-person associations testing links between distinct affect states and lapse were examined with multilevel modeling for binary outcomes.

RESULTS

After adjusting for previous time's lapse and for all other positive or negative affect items, results suggested that at the between-person level, joy was associated with lower odds of lapse, and at the within-person level, attentiveness was associated with lower odds of lapse. Results also suggested that at the between-person level, guilt and nervous were associated with higher odds of lapse, and at the within-person level, shame was associated with higher odds of lapse.

CONCLUSIONS

The present study uses real-time, real-world data to demonstrate the role of distinct positive and negative affects on momentary tobacco lapse. This work helps elucidate specific affective experiences that facilitate or hinder the ability to abstain from tobacco use during a quit attempt.

SCALE-UP II: protocol for a pragmatic randomised trial examining population health management interventions to increase the uptake of at-home COVID-19 testing in community health centres

INTRODUCTION

SCALE-UP II aims to investigate the effectiveness of population health management interventions using text messaging (TM), chatbots and patient navigation (PN) in increasing the uptake of at-home COVID-19 testing among patients in historically marginalised communities, specifically, those receiving care at community health centres (CHCs).

METHODS AND ANALYSIS

The trial is a multisite, randomised pragmatic clinical trial. Eligible patients are >18 years old with a primary care visit in the last 3 years at one of the participating CHCs. Demographic data will be obtained from CHC electronic health records. Patients will be randomised to one of two factorial designs based on smartphone ownership. Patients who self-report replying to a text message that they have a smartphone will be randomised in a 2×2×2 factorial fashion to receive (1) chatbot or TM; (2) PN (yes or no); and (3) repeated offers to interact with the interventions every 10 or 30 days. Participants who do not self-report as having a smartphone will be randomised in a 2×2 factorial fashion to receive (1) TM with or without PN; and (2) repeated offers every 10 or 30 days. The interventions will be sent in English or Spanish, with an option to request at-home COVID-19 test kits. The primary outcome is the proportion of participants using at-home COVID-19 tests during a 90-day follow-up. The study will evaluate the main effects and interactions among interventions, implementation outcomes and predictors and moderators of study outcomes. Statistical analyses will include logistic regression, stratified subgroup analyses and adjustment for stratification factors.

ETHICS AND DISSEMINATION

The protocol was approved by the University of Utah Institutional Review Board. On completion, study data will be made available in compliance with National Institutes of Health data sharing policies. Results will be disseminated through study partners and peer-reviewed publications.

TRIAL REGISTRATION NUMBER

ClinicalTrials.gov: NCT05533918 and NCT05533359.

Increasing the reach of evidence-based interventions for weight management and diabetes prevention among Medicaid patients: study protocol for a pilot Sequential Multiple Assignment Randomised Trial

INTRODUCTION

Over 40% of US adults meet criteria for obesity, a major risk factor for chronic disease. Obesity disproportionately impacts populations that have been historically marginalised (eg, low socioeconomic status, rural, some racial/ethnic minority groups). Evidence-based interventions (EBIs) for weight management exist but reach less than 3% of eligible individuals. The aims of this pilot randomised controlled trial are to evaluate feasibility and acceptability of dissemination strategies designed to increase reach of EBIs for weight management.

METHODS AND ANALYSIS

This study is a two-phase, Sequential Multiple Assignment Randomized Trial, conducted with 200 Medicaid patients. In phase 1, patients will be individually randomised to single text message (TM1) or multiple text messages (TM+). Phase 2 is based on treatment response. Patients who enrol in the EBI within 12 weeks of exposure to phase 1 (ie, responders) receive no further interventions. Patients in TM1 who do not enrol in the EBI within 12 weeks of exposure (ie, TM1 non-responders) will be randomised to either TM1-Continued (ie, no further TM) or TM1 & MAPS (ie, no further TM, up to 2 Motivation And Problem Solving (MAPS) navigation calls) over the next 12 weeks. Patients in TM+ who do not enrol in the EBI (ie, TM+ non-responders) will be randomised to either TM+Continued (ie, monthly text messages) or TM+ & MAPS (ie, monthly text messages, plus up to 2 MAPS calls) over the next 12 weeks. Descriptive statistics will be used to characterise feasibility (eg, proportion of patients eligible, contacted and enrolled in the trial) and acceptability (eg, participant opt-out, participant engagement with dissemination strategies, EBI reach (ie, the proportion of participants who enrol in EBI), adherence, effectiveness).

ETHICS AND DISSEMINATION

Study protocol was approved by the University of Utah Institutional Review Board (#00139694). Results will be disseminated through study partners and peer-reviewed publications.

TRIAL REGISTRATION NUMBER

clinicaltrials.gov; NCT05666323.

Multiple imputation of missing data in multilevel ecological momentary assessments: an example using smoking cessation study data

Advances in digital technology have greatly increased the ease of collecting intensive longitudinal data (ILD) such as ecological momentary assessments (EMAs) in studies of behavior changes. Such data are typically multilevel (e.g., with repeated measures nested within individuals), and are inevitably characterized by some degrees of missingness. Previous studies have validated the utility of multiple imputation as a way to handle missing observations in ILD when the imputation model is properly specified to reflect time dependencies. In this study, we illustrate the importance of proper accommodation of multilevel ILD structures in performing multiple imputations, and compare the performance of a multilevel multiple imputation (multilevel MI) approach relative to other approaches that do not account for such structures in a Monte Carlo simulation study. Empirical EMA data from a tobacco cessation study are used to demonstrate the utility of the multilevel MI approach, and the implications of separating participant- and study-initiated EMAs in evaluating individuals' affective dynamics and urge.

The Effects of Scheduled Smoking Reduction and Precessation Nicotine Replacement Therapy on Smoking Cessation: Randomized Controlled Trial With Compliance

BACKGROUND

Smoking remains a major public health problem, and it is important to provide a variety of efficacious and appealing options to encourage smokers to quit smoking. Scheduled smoking is a method of gradual reduction, preparing smokers to quit by systematically reducing cigarette consumption according to a predetermined schedule that increases the time between cigarette consumption. Gradual reduction may be preferred to abrupt quitting, but the efficacy of this cessation approach is unclear.

OBJECTIVE

This study aims, first, to evaluate the overall effectiveness of scheduled smoking alone, or in combination with precessation nicotine replacement therapy (NRT), versus standard NRT starting on the quit date with no prior smoking reduction and, second, to evaluate the impact of schedule compliance on the effectiveness of the intervention.

METHODS

A total of 916 participants recruited from the Houston metropolitan area were randomly assigned to 1 of the following 3 groups: scheduled smoking plus a precessation nicotine patch (n=306, 33.4%), scheduled smoking only with no precessation patch (n=309, 33.7%), and enhanced usual care (n=301, 32.9%) control. The primary abstinence outcomes were carbon monoxide-verified, self-reported, 7-day point prevalence abstinence at 2 and 4 weeks after the quit date. Unadjusted and adjusted logistic regression analyses were performed to evaluate the intervention effect. Scheduled smoking was implemented using a handheld device for 3 weeks before quitting. This trial was not registered because data collection began before July 1, 2005.

RESULTS

Results for the first aim showed no overall differences in abstinence among the 3 groups in both the unadjusted and adjusted models. However, the results for the second aim showed a clear effect on abstinence by schedule compliance at 2 and 4 weeks and 6 months after quitting (odds ratio [OR] 2.01, 95% CI 1.31-3.07), 4 weeks (OR 1.58, 95% CI 1.05-2.38), and 6 months (OR 1.68, 95% CI 1.04-2.64), with the differences at 2 and 4 weeks after quitting being the most robust. We also found that scheduled smoking was related to a reduction in nicotine withdrawal, negative affect, and craving when compared with the controls.

CONCLUSIONS

Scheduled smoking, when combined with precessation use of NRT, can result in significantly higher abstinence rates than usual care (abrupt quitting with NRT), particularly in the early postquit phase (2 and 4 weeks after cessation) when smokers are compliant with the procedure. Scheduled smoking also produced a better overall quitting experience by reducing symptoms of nicotine withdrawal and craving, in comparison with usual care, which could encourage future quit attempts. Studies in this area should focus on the use of counseling or other methods to improve adherence.

Rapid-cycle designs to adapt interventions for COVID-19 in safety-net healthcare systems

Racial/ethnic minority, low socioeconomic status, and rural populations are disproportionately affected by COVID-19. Developing and evaluating interventions to address COVID-19 testing and vaccination among these populations are crucial to improving health inequities. The purpose of this paper is to describe the application of a rapid-cycle design and adaptation process from an ongoing trial to address COVID-19 among safety-net healthcare system patients. The rapid-cycle design and adaptation process included: (a) assessing context and determining relevant models/frameworks; (b) determining core and modifiable components of interventions; and (c) conducting iterative adaptations using Plan-Do-Study-Act (PDSA) cycles. PDSA cycles included: Plan. Gather information from potential adopters/implementers (e.g., Community Health Center [CHC] staff/patients) and design initial interventions; Do. Implement interventions in single CHC or patient cohort; Study. Examine process, outcome, and context data (e.g., infection rates); and, Act. If necessary, refine interventions based on process and outcome data, then disseminate interventions to other CHCs and patient cohorts. Seven CHC systems with 26 clinics participated in the trial. Rapid-cycle, PDSA-based adaptations were made to adapt to evolving COVID-19-related needs. Near real-time data used for adaptation included data on infection hot spots, CHC capacity, stakeholder priorities, local/national policies, and testing/vaccine availability. Adaptations included those to study design, intervention content, and intervention cohorts. Decision-making included multiple stakeholders (e.g., State Department of Health, Primary Care Association, CHCs, patients, researchers). Rapid-cycle designs may improve the relevance and timeliness of interventions for CHCs and other settings that provide care to populations experiencing health inequities, and for rapidly evolving healthcare challenges such as COVID-19.

Data envelopment analysis to evaluate the efficiency of tobacco treatment programs in the NCI Moonshot Cancer Center Cessation Initiative

BACKGROUND

The Cancer Center Cessation Initiative (C3I) is a National Cancer Institute (NCI) Cancer Moonshot Program that supports NCI-designated cancer centers developing tobacco treatment programs for oncology patients who smoke. C3I-funded centers implement evidence-based programs that offer various smoking cessation treatment components (e.g., counseling, Quitline referrals, access to medications). While evaluation of implementation outcomes in C3I is guided by evaluation of reach and effectiveness (via RE-AIM), little is known about technical efficiency-i.e., how inputs (e.g., program costs, staff time) influence implementation outcomes (e.g., reach, effectiveness). This study demonstrates the application of data envelopment analysis (DEA) as an implementation science tool to evaluate technical efficiency of C3I programs and advance prioritization of implementation resources.

METHODS

DEA is a linear programming technique widely used in economics and engineering for assessing relative performance of production units. Using data from 16 C3I-funded centers reported in 2020, we applied input-oriented DEA to model technical efficiency (i.e., proportion of observed outcomes to benchmarked outcomes for given input levels). The primary models used the constant returns-to-scale specification and featured cost-per-participant, total full-time equivalent (FTE) effort, and tobacco treatment specialist effort as model inputs and reach and effectiveness (quit rates) as outcomes.

RESULTS

In the DEA model featuring cost-per-participant (input) and reach/effectiveness (outcomes), average constant returns-to-scale technical efficiency was 25.66 (SD = 24.56). When stratified by program characteristics, technical efficiency was higher among programs in cohort 1 (M = 29.15, SD = 28.65, n = 11) vs. cohort 2 (M = 17.99, SD = 10.16, n = 5), with point-of-care (M = 33.90, SD = 28.63, n = 9) vs. no point-of-care services (M = 15.59, SD = 14.31, n = 7), larger (M = 33.63, SD = 30.38, n = 8) vs. smaller center size (M = 17.70, SD = 15.00, n = 8), and higher (M = 29.65, SD = 30.99, n = 8) vs. lower smoking prevalence (M = 21.67, SD = 17.21, n = 8).

CONCLUSION

Most C3I programs assessed were technically inefficient relative to the most efficient center benchmark and may be improved by optimizing the use of inputs (e.g., cost-per-participant) relative to program outcomes (e.g., reach, effectiveness). This study demonstrates the appropriateness and feasibility of using DEA to evaluate the relative performance of evidence-based programs.

Socio-economic status moderates within-person associations of risk factors and smoking lapse in daily life

BACKGROUND AND AIMS

Individuals of lower socio-economic status (SES) display a higher prevalence of smoking and have more diffxiculty quitting than higher SES groups. The current study investigates whether the within-person associations of key risk (e.g. stress) and protective (self-efficacy) factors with smoking lapse varies by facets of SES.

DESIGN AND SETTING

Observational study using ecological momentary assessment to collect data for a 28-day period following a smoking quit attempt. Multi-level mixed models (i.e. generalized linear mixed models) examined cross-level interactions between lapse risk and protective factors and indicators of SES on smoking lapse.

PARTICIPANTS

A diverse sample of 330 adult US smokers who completed a larger study examining the effects of race/ethnicity and social/environmental influences on smoking cessation.

MEASUREMENTS

Risk factors included momentary urge, negative affect, stress; protective factors included positive affect, motivation, abstinence self-efficacy; SES measures: baseline measures of income and financial strain; the primary outcome was self-reported lapse.

FINDINGS

Participants provided 43 297 post-quit observations. Mixed models suggested that income and financial strain moderated the effect of some risk factors on smoking lapse. The within-person association of negative [odds ratio (OR) = 0.967, 95% CI= 0.945, 0.990, P < 0.01] and positive affect (OR = 1.023, 95% CI = 1.003, 1.044, P < 0.05) and abstinence self-efficacy (OR = 1.020, 95% CI = 1.003, 1.038, P < 0.05) on lapse varied with financial strain. The within-person association of negative affect (OR = 1.005, 95% CI = 1.002, 1.008, P < 0.01), motivation (OR = 0.995, 95% CI = 0.991, 0.999, P < 0.05) and abstinence self-efficacy (OR = 0.996, 95% CI = 0.993, 0.999, P < 0.01) on lapse varied by income. The positive association of negative affect with lapse was stronger among individuals with higher income and lower financial strain. The negative association between positive affect and abstinence self-efficacy with lapse was stronger among individuals with lower financial strain, and the negative association between motivation and abstinence self-efficacy with lapse was stronger among those with higher income. The data were insensitive to detect statistically significant moderating effects of income and financial strain on the association of urge or stress with lapse.

CONCLUSION

Some risk factors (e.g. momentary negative affect) exert a weaker influence on smoking lapse among lower compared to higher socio-economic status groups.

Time-varying model of engagement with digital self reporting: Evidence from smoking cessation longitudinal studies

Objective

Insufficient engagement is a critical barrier impacting the utility of digital interventions and mobile health assessments. As a result, engagement itself is increasingly becoming a target of studies and interventions. The purpose of this study is to investigate the dynamics of engagement in mobile health data collection by exploring whether, how, and why response to digital self-report prompts change over time in smoking cessation studies.

Method

Data from two ecological momentary assessment (EMA) studies of smoking cessation among diverse smokers attempting to quit (N = 573) with a total of 65,974 digital self-report prompts. We operationalize engagement with self-reporting in term of prompts delivered and prompt response to capture both broad and more granular engagement in self-reporting, respectively. The data were analyzed to describe trends in prompt delivered and prompt response over time. Time-varying effect modeling (TVEM) was employed to investigate the time-varying effects of response to previous prompt and the average response rate on the likelihood of current prompt response.

Results

Although prompt response rates were relatively stable over days in both studies, the proportion of participants with prompts delivered declined steadily over time in one of the studies, indicating that over time, fewer participants charged the device and kept it turned on (necessary to receive at least one prompt per day). Among those who did receive prompts, response rates were relatively stable. In both studies, there is a significant, positive and stable relationship between response to previous prompt and the likelihood of response to current prompt throughout all days of the study. The relationship between the average response rate prior to current prompt and the likelihood of responding to the current prompt was also positive, and increasing with time.

Conclusion

Our study highlights the importance of integrating various indicators to measure engagement in digital self-reporting. Both average response rate and response to previous prompt were highly predictive of response to the next prompt across days in the study. Dynamic patterns of engagement in digital self-reporting can inform the design of new strategies to promote and optimize engagement in digital interventions and mobile health studies.

An ecological momentary assessment study of outcome expectancies and smoking lapse in daily life

OBJECTIVE

Outcome expectancies have been identified as key components of behavior change. Expectancies related to affect control are hypothesized to play an important role in smoking cessation, such that smokers may be more likely to lapse if they believe they can control their affect by smoking and less likely if they believe they can control their affect by means other than smoking. However, little is known about whether real-time, real-world changes in affect control expectancies influence smoking lapse during a quit attempt.

METHODS

A diverse sample (N = 369) of adult smokers completed ecological momentary assessment of smoking expectancies and lapse for 28 days following a quit attempt. Multilevel logistic regression was used to examine whether the difference score of positive smoking outcome expectancies (the belief that smoking would improve mood) minus positive coping outcome expectancies (the belief that something other than smoking would improve mood) was related to smoking lapse in daily life.

RESULTS

There was a significant within-person association between the expectancies difference score and lapse likelihood. When the difference score was 1 unit above a person's typical level, odds of lapse increased by 18.65 % (β = 0.174, SE = 0.024, p < .0001, OR = 1.189, 95 % CI [1.135, 1.247]).

CONCLUSION

Smokers undergoing a quit attempt were more likely to lapse in moments when the difference in the belief that smoking would improve their mood minus the belief that something other than smoking would improve their mood was larger. This work has relevance for tailoring interventions to both cultivate positive coping outcome expectancies and reduce smoking outcome expectancies, and informs theoretical models about the dynamic nature of outcome expectancies.

Application of community - engaged dissemination and implementation science to improve health equity

Community engagement is critical to accelerate and improve implementation of evidence-based interventions to reduce health inequities. Community-engaged dissemination and implementation research (CEDI) emphasizes engaging stakeholders (e.g., community members, practitioners, community organizations, etc.) with diverse perspectives, experience, and expertise to provide tacit community knowledge regarding the local context, priorities, needs, and assets. Importantly, CEDI can help improve health inequities through incorporating unique perspectives from communities experiencing health inequities that have historically been left out of the research process. The community-engagement process that exists in practice can be highly variable, and characteristics of the process are often underreported, making it difficult to discern how engagement of community partners was used to improve implementation. This paper describes the community-engagement process for a multilevel, pragmatic randomized trial to increase the reach and impact of evidence-based tobacco cessation treatment among Community Health Center patients; describes how engagement activities and the resulting partnership informed the development of implementation strategies and improved the research process; and presents lessons learned to inform future CEDI research.

The mobile assistance for regulating smoking (MARS) micro-randomized trial design protocol

Smoking is the leading preventable cause of death and disability in the U.S. Empirical evidence suggests that engaging in evidence-based self-regulatory strategies (e.g., behavioral substitution, mindful attention) can improve smokers' ability to resist craving and build self-regulatory skills. However, poor engagement represents a major barrier to maximizing the impact of self-regulatory strategies. This paper describes the protocol for Mobile Assistance for Regulating Smoking (MARS) - a research study designed to inform the development of a mobile health (mHealth) intervention for promoting real-time, real-world engagement in evidence-based self-regulatory strategies. The study will employ a 10-day Micro-Randomized Trial (MRT) enrolling 112 smokers attempting to quit. Utilizing a mobile smoking cessation app, the MRT will randomize each individual multiple times per day to either: (a) no intervention prompt; (b) a prompt recommending brief (low effort) cognitive and/or behavioral self-regulatory strategies; or (c) a prompt recommending more effortful cognitive or mindfulness-based strategies. Prompts will be delivered via push notifications from the MARS mobile app. The goal is to investigate whether, what type of, and under what conditions prompting the individual to engage in self-regulatory strategies increases engagement. The results will build the empirical foundation necessary to develop a mHealth intervention that effectively utilizes intensive longitudinal self-report and sensor-based assessments of emotions, context and other factors to engage an individual in the type of self-regulatory activity that would be most beneficial given their real-time, real-world circumstances. This type of mHealth intervention holds enormous potential to expand the reach and impact of smoking cessation treatments.

Trajectories of motivation and self-efficacy during a smoking quit attempt: An ecological momentary assessment study

OBJECTIVE

Conceptual models of addiction highlight self-efficacy and motivation as key variables important during a smoking quit attempt; however, recent research has primarily focused on self-efficacy. Given the importance of motivation in these models, a clearer understanding of the effects of motivation during a smoking quit attempt is needed.

METHOD

This study utilized ecological momentary assessment (EMA) to investigate the dynamic effects of motivation and self-efficacy early in a quit attempt. Participants were 356 smokers (45% male; 34% African American, 33% non-Hispanic White, 33% Latino). Participants completed EMAs of motivation, self-efficacy, and smoking for 4 days prequit through 1 week postquit, and returned for a follow-up assessment at 4 weeks postquit. Trajectory parameters of motivation and self-efficacy (mean, slope, and volatility) were analyzed in separate and combined regression models to predict smoking outcomes.

RESULTS

Prequit results showed that parameters of motivation and self-efficacy were not associated with smoking on quit day. Postquit analyses revealed that participants with lower mean levels of motivation and self-efficacy were more likely to smoke at the end of Week 1. Moreover, individuals with decreasing levels of motivation over the first week of their quit attempt were more likely to be smoking at the end of Week 4.

CONCLUSIONS

These findings highlight the need to incorporate dynamic measures of motivation in smoking research. Furthermore, the results underscore the value of utilizing EMA methods and trajectory parameters to gain a more nuanced understanding of the dynamic effects that key mechanisms have on smoking during a quit attempt. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2021 APA, all rights reserved).

Socioeconomic Status, Social Context, and Smoking Lapse During a Quit Attempt: An Ecological Momentary Assessment Study

BACKGROUND

Low socioeconomic status (SES) is linked to failure to quit smoking. Health inequity models suggest that low SES smokers experience barriers to quitting in part due to greater exposure to pro-smoking social contexts.

PURPOSE

The current study examined longitudinal associations among socioeconomic status, pro-smoking social context factors (i.e., exposure to other smokers, places where smoking was allowed), cigarette availability, and smoking lapse during a quit attempt.

METHODS

Ecological momentary assessments (EMA) were gathered from a multiethnic sample of 365 smokers engaged in a quit attempt. A multilevel structural equation model estimated a latent variable for SES indicated by income, education, health insurance, and employment, associations among EMAs for pro-smoking social contexts and cigarette availability, and indirect effects of SES through, pro-smoking social contexts and cigarette availability to subsequent smoking lapse.

RESULTS

Lower SES scores were associated with a higher likelihood of smoking lapse. Decomposition of the path from SES to smoking lapse into indirect effects showed significant paths through exposure to places where smoking is allowed and cigarette availability. Additionally, significant serial indirect paths from SES through both exposure to other smokers and places where smoking was allowed, in turn, through cigarette availability, and, ultimately, to smoking lapse were noted.

CONCLUSIONS

Consistent with models positing that SES influences health behaviors via contextual factors, the current study demonstrated that low SES smokers attempting to quit experienced greater pro-smoking social contexts that affected subsequent risk for lapse.

Mixed-methods economic evaluation of the implementation of tobacco treatment programs in National Cancer Institute-designated cancer centers

Background

The Cancer Center Cessation Initiative (C3I) was launched in 2017 as a part of the NCI Cancer Moonshot program to assist NCI-designated cancer centers in developing tobacco treatment programs for oncology patients. Participating centers have implemented varied evidence-based programs that fit their institutional resources and needs, offering a wide range of services including in-person and telephone-based counseling, point of care, interactive voice response systems, referral to the quitline, text- and web-based services, and medications.

Methods

We used a mixed methods comparative case study design to evaluate system-level implementation costs across 15 C3I-funded cancer centers that reported for at least one 6-month period between July 2018 and June 2020. We analyzed operating costs by resource category (e.g., personnel, medications) concurrently with transcripts from semi-structured key-informant interviews conducted during site visits. Personnel salary costs were estimated using Bureau of Labor Statistics wage data adjusted for area and occupation, and non-wage benefits. Qualitative findings provided additional information on intangible resources and contextual factors related to implementation costs.

Results

Median total monthly operating costs across funded centers were $11,045 (range: $5129–$20,751). The largest median operating cost category was personnel ($10,307; range: $4122–$19,794), with the highest personnel costs attributable to the provision of in-person program services. Monthly (non-zero) cost ranges for other categories were medications ($17–$573), materials ($6–$435), training ($96–$516), technology ($171–$2759), and equipment ($10–$620). Median cost-per-participant was $466 (range: $70–$2093) and cost-per-quit was $2688 (range: $330–$9628), with sites offering different combinations of program components, ranging from individually-delivered in-person counseling only to one program that offered all components. Site interviews provided context for understanding variations in program components and their cost implications.

Conclusions

Among most centers that have progressed in tobacco treatment program implementation, cost-per-quit was modest relative to other prevention interventions. Although select centers have achieved similar average costs by offering program components of various levels of intensity, they have varied widely in program reach and effectiveness. Evaluating implementation costs of such programs alongside reach and effectiveness is necessary to provide decision makers in oncology settings with the important additional information needed to optimize resource allocation when establishing tobacco treatment programs.

The Validity of MotionSense HRV in Estimating Sedentary Behavior and Physical Activity under Free-Living and Simulated Activity Settings

MotionSense HRV is a wrist-worn accelerometery-based sensor that is paired with a smartphone and is thus capable of measuring the intensity, duration, and frequency of physical activity (PA). However, little information is available on the validity of the MotionSense HRV. Therefore, the purpose of this study was to assess the concurrent validity of the MotionSense HRV in estimating sedentary behavior (SED) and PA. A total of 20 healthy adults (age: 32.5 ± 15.1 years) wore the MotionSense HRV and ActiGraph GT9X accelerometer (GT9X) on their non-dominant wrist for seven consecutive days during free-living conditions. Raw acceleration data from the devices were summarized into average time (min/day) spent in SED and moderate-to-vigorous PA (MVPA). Additionally, using the Cosemed K5 indirect calorimetry system (K5) as a criterion measure, the validity of the MotionSense HRV was examined in simulated free-living conditions. Pearson correlations, mean absolute percent errors (MAPE), Bland–Altman (BA) plots, and equivalence tests were used to examine the validity of the MotionSense HRV against criterion measures. The correlations between the MotionSense HRV and GT9X were high and the MAPE were low for both the SED (r = 0.99, MAPE = 2.4%) and MVPA (r = 0.97, MAPE = 9.1%) estimates under free-living conditions. BA plots illustrated that there was no systematic bias between the MotionSense HRV and criterion measures. The estimates of SED and MVPA from the MotionSense HRV were significantly equivalent to those from the GT9X; the equivalence zones were set at 16.5% for SED and 29% for MVPA. The estimates of SED and PA from the MotionSense HRV were less comparable when compared with those from the K5. The MotionSense HRV yielded comparable estimates for SED and PA when compared with the GT9X accelerometer under free-living conditions. We confirmed the promising application of the MotionSense HRV for monitoring PA patterns for practical and research purposes.

Intersectionality and Smoking Cessation: Exploring Various Approaches for Understanding Health Inequities

OBJECTIVE

Many marginalized groups smoke at higher rates and have greater difficulty quitting than less marginalized groups. Most research on smoking cessation inequities has focused on a single sociodemographic attribute (eg, race or socioeconomic status), yet individuals possess multiple attributes that may increase risk. The current study used an intersectionality framework to examine how the interplay between multiple marginalized attributes may impact smoking cessation outcomes.

METHODS

A diverse sample of 344 adults enrolled in a smoking cessation program and reported on sociodemographic attributes (eg, race/ethnicity, gender, income) and continuous smoking abstinence on their quit date and at 1, 2, and 4 weeks postquit date. A Cox proportional hazard regression model was used to estimate whether intersectional links among race/ethnicity, gender, and income were related to smoking cessation outcomes.

RESULTS

Lower household income may be related to higher risk of smoking cessation failure. There were no significant interactions among race/ethnicity, gender, and income in predicting relapse. Pairwise intersectional group differences suggested some groups may be at higher risk of relapse. Number of marginalized sociodemographic attributes did not predict relapse.

CONCLUSIONS

Intersectionality may be a promising framework for addressing health inequities, and may help elucidate how to best design and target intervention efforts for individuals characterized by sociodemographic intersections that concur particularly high risk for poor tobacco cessation outcomes.

IMPLICATIONS

Despite an overall decline in smoking rates, socioeconomic inequities in smoking prevalence and cancer mortality are widening. Efforts targeting tobacco cessation should incorporate new theory to capture the complex set of factors that may account for tobacco cessation inequities (eg, multiple aspects of identity that may influence access to tobacco cessation treatment and exposure to certain stressors that impede cessation efforts). Intersectionality may be a promising framework for addressing health inequities in tobacco use and cessation and may help elucidate how to best design and target intervention efforts for individuals that concur particularly high risk for poor tobacco cessation outcomes.

Evaluation of Revised US Preventive Services Task Force Lung Cancer Screening Guideline Among Women and Racial/Ethnic Minority Populations

Importance

Lung cancer incidence and mortality disproportionately affect women and racial/ethnic minority populations, yet screening guidelines for the past several years were derived from clinical trials of predominantly White men. To reflect current evidence, the US Preventive Services Task Force (USPSTF) has revised the eligibility criteria, which may help to ameliorate sex- and race/ethnicity-related disparities in lung cancer screening.

Objective

To determine the changes associated with the revised USPSTF guideline for lung cancer screening eligibility among female, Black, and Hispanic populations using a large nationwide survey.

Design, Setting, and Participants

This cross-sectional study included respondents to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System who were 50 to 80 years of age with a smoking history in 19 states that used the optional lung cancer screening module. The change in eligibility among female, male, Black, Hispanic, and White participants was examined. Eligibility by sex and race/ethnicity was compared with a reference population. Data were collected from January 1, 2017, to December 31, 2018, and analyzed from May 8 to June 11, 2020.

Exposures

Self-reported sex, race/ethnicity, age, and smoking history.

Main Outcomes and Measures

Lung cancer screening eligibility using the revised USPSTF criteria. The previous criteria included current or past smokers (within 15 years) who were 55 to 80 years of age and had a smoking history of more than 30 pack-years. In the revised criteria, age was modified to 50 to 80 years; smoking history, to 20 pack-years.

Results

Among 40 869 respondents aged 50 to 80 years with a smoking history, 21 265 (52.0%) were women, 3430 (8.4%) were Black, and 1226 (30.0%) were Hispanic (mean [SD] age, 65.6 [7.9] years). The revised criteria increased eligibility for the following populations: men (29.4% to 38.3% [8.9% difference]; P < .001), women (25.9% to 36.4% [10.5% difference]; P < .001), White individuals (31.1% to 40.9% [9.8% difference]; P < .001), Black individuals (16.3% to 28.8% [12.5% difference]; P < .001), and Hispanic individuals (10.5% to 18.7% [8.2% difference]; P < .001). The odds of eligibility were lower for women compared with men (adjusted odds ratio [AOR], 0.88; 95% CI, 0.79-0.99; P = .04) and for Black (AOR, 0.43; 95% CI, 0.33-0.56; P < .001) and Hispanic populations (AOR, 0.70; 95% CI, 0.62-0.80; P < .001) compared with the White population.

Conclusions and Relevance

The revised USPSTF guideline may likely increase lung cancer screening rates for female, Black, and Hispanic populations. However, despite these potential improvements, lung cancer screening inequities may persist without tailored eligibility criteria.

A time-varying model of the dynamics of smoking lapse

OBJECTIVE

The majority of smokers who make a quit attempt experience their first lapse within the first week of quitting, yet limited research to date has examined how the strength and direction of the relationship between smoking risk factors and lapse may change over longer periods of time. Time-varying effect modeling (TVEM) was used to address this gap.

METHOD

A diverse sample (N = 325) of adult smokers completed ecological momentary assessments of risk factors for lapse for 28 days after quitting. TVEM was used to examine the relationship between risk factors (abstinence self-efficacy, positive affect, positive coping expectancies, smoking expectancies, motivation, negative affect, stress, and urge) and lapse for 28 days postquit.

RESULTS

Some associations were stable (e.g., negative affect, motivation), whereas others varied over time. Abstinence self-efficacy, positive affect, and positive coping expectancies were most strongly associated with lapse between Days 3 and 8 postquit. The association of urge with lapse was strongest between Days 4 and 10, as well as near the end of the quit attempt. Stress was also most strongly associated with lapse near the beginning and end of the postquit period and was the only predictor associated with lapse on quit date. The strength of the association between smoking expectancies and lapse increased over time.

CONCLUSION

There may be periods during a quit attempt when certain risk factors are more strongly related to lapse. This work has relevance for tailoring interventions designed to deliver intervention components in particular contexts or times of need. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2020 APA, all rights reserved).

QuitSMART Utah: an implementation study protocol for a cluster-randomized, multi-level Sequential Multiple Assignment Randomized Trial to increase Reach and Impact of tobacco cessation treatment in Community Health Centers

BACKGROUND

Tobacco use remains the leading cause of death and disability in the USA and is disproportionately concentrated among low socioeconomic status (SES) populations. Community Health Centers (CHCs) are a key venue for reaching low SES populations with evidence-based tobacco cessation treatment such as Quitlines. Electronic health record (EHR)-based interventions at the point-of-care, text messaging (TM), and phone counseling have the potential to increase Quitline reach and are feasible to implement within CHCs. However, there is a lack of data to inform how, when, and in what combination these strategies should be implemented. The aims of this cluster-randomized trial are to evaluate multi-level implementation strategies to increase the Reach (i.e., proportion of tobacco-using patients who enroll in the Quitline) and Impact (i.e., Reach × Efficacy [efficacy is defined as the proportion of tobacco-using patients who enroll in Quitline treatment that successfully quit]) and to evaluate characteristics of healthcare system, providers, and patients that may influence tobacco-use outcomes.

METHODS

This study is a multilevel, three-phase, Sequential Multiple Assignment Randomized Trial (SMART), conducted in CHCs (N = 33 clinics; N = 6000 patients). In the first phase, clinics will be randomized to two different EHR conditions. The second and third phases are patient-level randomizations based on prior treatment response. Patients who enroll in the Quitline receive no further interventions. In phase two, patients who are non-responders (i.e., patients who do not enroll in Quitline) will be randomized to receive either TM or continued-EHR. In phase three, patients in the TM condition who are non-responders will be randomized to receive either continued-TM or TM + phone coaching.

DISCUSSION

This project will evaluate scalable, multi-level interventions to directly address strategic national priorities for reducing tobacco use and related disparities by increasing the Reach and Impact of evidence-based tobacco cessation interventions in low SES populations.

TRIAL REGISTRATION

This trial was registered at ClinicalTrials.gov (NCT03900767) on April 4th, 2019.

Socioeconomic indicators as predictors of smoking cessation among Spanish-Speaking Mexican Americans

Objective: Smoking-related illnesses are the leading cause of death among Latinos, and within this ethnic group, Mexican Americans are the largest subgroup in the U.S. Understanding the factors associated with successful smoking cessation could inform interventions for this population. Although socioeconomic status (SES) is a powerful predictor of cessation outcomes in the general U.S. population, it has generally been a poor predictor of quitting smoking among Latinos. Within a sample of Spanish-speaking Mexican Americans (n = 199), this study examined a broad array of objective and subjective indicators of SES (i.e. income, education, employment, subjective social status, financial strain, insurance status) as predictors of smoking cessation. Design: Data for the current study came from a longitudinal cohort study examining the pathways linking the social determinants of health with smoking cessation. Generalized estimating equation modeling examined the association of each predictor variable with smoking abstinence across quit day, and the 3 and 26-weeks post-quit time points. Results: Results indicated that both low financial strain and insurance status predicted an increased likelihood of abstinence when controlling for covariates in the intention-to-treat analyses (p = .02 and p = .01, respectively). However, these models only approached significance in the multiple imputation analyses (all ps > .05). Other indicators of SES (i.e. income, education, employment) that have been predictive of cessation in other populations were not predictive of abstinence in this sample. Conclusions: These findings suggest that SES may indeed influence smoking cessation among Spanish-speaking Mexican Americans similarly to its influence in other populations, but that capturing the construct of SES may require assessing a broader range of SES indicators. Specifically, low financial strain and having insurance predicted a greater likelihood of achieving smoking abstinence, whereas other indicators of SES (i.e. income, education) were not predictive.

Tobacco-related knowledge following a comprehensive tobacco-free workplace program within behavioral health facilities: Identifying organizational moderators

OBJECTIVE

Although smoking prevalence rates among behavioral health consumers is nearly five times that of the general population, evidence-based policies and practices to address tobacco use are uncommon within behavioral health settings. This study assessed changes in non-clinical, general staff and clinician tobacco-related knowledge following brief education provided as part of a comprehensive tobacco-free workplace program implementation and explored organizational moderators of pre- to post-education knowledge change.

METHODS

Fifteen behavioral health facilities, comprising hundreds of individual clinics in Texas, participated in a one (for general staff) or two (for clinicians) hour educational session.

RESULTS

There were large effect sizes in general staff knowledge gain within each consortium, and large effect sizes in clinician knowledge gain in all but one consortium. Knowledge of the requirements for change, perceived availability of resources, and total number of client contacts moderated general staff knowledge gain. Value in the change and total number of client contacts moderated training effectiveness among clinicians.

CONCLUSIONS

We conclude that a brief tobacco-related education for behavioral health employees was effective in increase attendee knowledge.

PRACTICE IMPLICATIONS

Attention to organization-level factors moderating knowledge gain has the potential to guide and improve program implementation.

Evaluation of the Taking Texas Tobacco Free Workplace Program within behavioral health centers

Despite the health benefits of tobacco control and cessation initiatives, tobacco users with behavioral health disorders (BHDs) have less access to evidence-based tobacco dependence treatment. Academic-community partnerships can help guide the translation of tobacco-related research findings and evidence-based guidelines into real-world applications. Through a comprehensive, evidence-based, multilevel, and multicomponent program, Taking Texas Tobacco Free (TTTF) facilitated the implementation of tobacco-free workplaces at 18 local mental health authorities in Texas, comprising over 250 individual community behavioral health centers. Compared with preprogram implementation, key accomplishments postimplementation include: (1) educated over 5,000 employees (nonclinical staff and providers) on the hazards of tobacco use and benefits of quitting, particularly among people with BHD; providers were additionally trained on the use of evidence based practices (EBPs; i.e. 5A's model, use of pharmacotherapy) to identify and treat tobacco use among people with BHD; (2) providers' significant increase in conducting tobacco-use assessments and using EBPs; (3) significant decrease in nonclinical staff tobacco use; (4) increase in quit attempts among consumers as evidenced by the demand for nicotine replacement therapy; and (5) reach to over 115,000 community members through outreach and education about the benefits of quitting tobacco use and maintaining a healthy lifestyle. TTTF demonstrated that the implementation of a comprehensive tobacco-free workplace program in behavioral health settings is feasible and beneficial, facilitating the capacity building of healthcare professionals and enhancing their resulting engagement in EBPs, and promoting healthier lifestyles among employees, consumers, and community members as a whole.

Brain Responses to Cigarette-Related and Emotional Images in Smokers During Smoking Cessation: No Effect of Varenicline or Bupropion on the Late Positive Potential

Introduction

Varenicline and bupropion are two effective smoking cessation pharmacotherapies. Researchers have hypothesized that they might be effective, in part, because they reduce cue reactivity and cue-induced cravings. Here, we used event-related potentials (ERPs) to directly measure brain responses to cigarette-related and other motivationally relevant images during a pharmacologically aided quit attempt.

Methods

Smokers involved in a 12-week placebo-controlled double-blind clinical trial of smoking cessation medications (varenicline, bupropion, placebo) took part in the study. We assessed participants at two time points: 24 h (n = 140) and 4 weeks (n = 176) after the quit date. At both sessions, we measured the amplitude of the late positive potential (LPP), an ERP component reliably associated with motivational relevance, and self-reported tonic craving using the brief version of the Questionnaire of Smoking Urges (QSU-Brief).

Results

At both sessions, emotional and cigarette-related images evoked significantly larger LPPs than neutral images. Neither drug type nor smoking abstinence altered this effect at either session. At both sessions, varenicline and bupropion significantly reduced self-reported tonic craving relative to the placebo condition.

Conclusions

While both varenicline and bupropion reduced self-reported tonic craving, neither medication altered the amplitude of the LPP to cigarette-related or emotional pictures in smokers attempting to quit. These medications may influence abstinence by means other than by reducing neuroaffective responses to cigarette-related cues. Smokers should be prepared for the likelihood that even after several weeks of successful abstinence, once treatment ends, cigarette-related cues may remain motivationally relevant and trigger cravings that might lead to relapse.

Implications

Bupropion and varenicline do not alter electrophysiological responses, as measured by the LPP, to cigarette-related and emotional images. These findings help explain why cigarette-related cues can trigger relapse when smoking cessation medication treatments end.

The use of ambulatory assessment in smoking cessation

Ambulatory assessment of smoking behavior has greatly advanced our knowledge of the smoking cessation process. The current article first provides a brief overview of ecological momentary assessment for smoking cessation and highlights some of the primary advantages and scientific advancements made from this data collection method. Next, a discussion of how certain data collection tools (i.e., smoking topography and carbon monoxide detection) that have been traditionally used in lab-based settings are now being used to collect data in the real world. The second half of the paper focuses on the use of wearable wireless sensors to collect data during the smoking cessation process. Details regarding how these sensor-based technologies work, their application to newer tobacco products, and their potential to be used as intervention tools are discussed. Specific focus is placed on the opportunity to utilize novel intervention approaches, such as Just-In-Time Adaptive Interventions, to intervene upon smoking behavior. Finally, a discussion of some of the current challenges and limitations related to using sensor-based tools for smoking cessation are presented, along with suggestions for future research in this area.

Pharmacological intervention and abstinence in smokers undergoing cessation treatment: A psychophysiological study

As a composite concept, negative affect comprises various aversive emotional experiences, such as irritability and nervousness. It is a critical motivational factor that helps maintain smoking behavior, and contributes significantly to smoking cessation failure as a core withdrawal symptom. Prior research has indicated an important role of nicotinic mechanisms in negative affect processing. The most effective smoking cessation medication, varenicline, targets nicotinic acetylcholine receptors (nAChRs) as a partial agonist, while another first-line cessation medication, bupropion, has shown antagonistic effects on nAChRs. Therefore, it is possible that both medications work to reduce smoking behavior through modulating negative affect processing. To evaluate this hypothesis, we examined the impact of varenicline tartrate and bupropion hydrochloride sustained-release on electrophysiological responses to affective, cigarette-related, and neutral cues before and during smoking cessation treatment in a randomized placebo-controlled clinical trial. The participants were 206 smokers, a subset of 294 participants that were enrolled in a larger smoking cessation clinical trial who were randomly assigned to one medication group for 12weeks. Orbicularis oculi (startle eyeblink response) and corrugator supercilii facial electromyographic (EMG) reactivity toward emotional pictures (i.e., pleasant and unpleasant) in a picture-viewing task were measured before treatment and 2 and 6weeks after treatment was started. The startle and corrugator EMG activities increase with the exposure to unpleasant cues, and served as indices for negative emotional reactivity (NER). We found that after 6weeks, drug reduced startle-related NER in the varenicline group, but not in the bupropion or placebo group. Independent of medication treatment, lower baseline NER, as measured by the corrugator EMG activity, predicted a higher likelihood of smoking abstinence 1 and 3months after quitting smoking. These findings indicate the important roles of varenicline in negative affect processing and negative emotional reactivity in the course of smoking cessation.

Beyond Cue Reactivity: Non-Drug-Related Motivationally Relevant Stimuli Are Necessary to Understand Reactivity to Drug-Related Cues

Neurobiological models of addiction posit that drug use can alter reward processes in two ways: (1) by increasing the motivational relevance of drugs and drug-related cues and (2) by reducing the motivational relevance of non-drug-related rewards. Here, we discuss the results from a series of neuroimaging studies in which we assessed the extent to which these hypotheses apply to nicotine dependence. In these studies, we recorded smokers’ and nonsmokers’ brain responses to a wide array of motivationally relevant visual stimuli that included pleasant, unpleasant, cigarette-related, and neutral images. Based on these findings, we highlight the flaws of the traditional cue reactivity paradigm and we conclude that responses to non-drug-related motivationally relevant stimuli should be used to appropriately gauge the motivational relevance of cigarette-related cues and to identify smokers attributing higher motivational relevance to drug-related cues than to non-drug-related rewards. Identifying these individuals is clinically relevant as they achieve lower rates of long-term smoking abstinence when attempting to quit. Finally, we show how this approach may be extended beyond nicotine dependence to inform theoretical and clinical research in the study of obesity.

Implications

The cue reactivity paradigm (ie, comparing responses evoked by drug-related cues to those evoked by neutral cues) cannot provide conclusive information about the motivational relevance of drug-related cues. Responses to non-drug-related motivationally relevant stimuli should be used to appropriately gauge the level of motivational relevance that substance-dependent individuals attribute to drug-related cues.

Diabetes in older people: position statement of The Hong Kong Geriatrics Society and the Hong Kong Society of Endocrinology, Metabolism and Reproduction

Following a survey on the clinical practice of geriatricians in the management of older people with diabetes and a study of hypoglycaemia in diabetic patients, a round-table discussion with geriatricians and endocrinologists was held in January 2015. Consensus was reached for six domains specifically related to older diabetic people: (1) the considerations when setting an individualised diabetic management; (2) inclusion of geriatric syndrome screening in assessment; (3) glycaemic and blood pressure targets; (4) pharmacotherapy; (5) restrictive diabetic diet; and (6) management goals for nursing home residents.

The association of positive emotion and first smoking lapse: An ecological momentary assessment study

OBJECTIVE

Individuals attempting to quit smoking typically have poor success rates, and the majority fail to maintain long-term abstinence. Although a large body of evidence documents the impact of negative affect on reducing abstinence, there is a much smaller body of research on positive emotions, which could be an important mechanism that is associated with successful cessation. As such, this study examined positive emotions in real-time via ecological momentary assessment (EMA) to determine whether discrete positive emotions were uniquely related to 2 cessation milestones: quit day lapse and first lapse.

METHOD

Participants were 391 smokers who received tobacco cessation treatment. EMAs were completed pre- and postquit, and positive emotion was assessed with 3 items (enthusiastic, happy, and relaxed) rated on 5-point Likert scales. Analyses examined the associations of the means and slopes of each emotion on the current day with the likelihood of lapse on the following day.

RESULTS

When controlling for relevant covariates, prequit positive emotions were not related to quit day lapse. However, postquit positive emotions were associated with first lapse. Specifically, high levels of happiness and relaxation, as well as increasing levels of enthusiasm, happiness, and relaxation were related to a lower likelihood of next day lapse.

CONCLUSIONS

These are some of the first real-time, real-world data to demonstrate that distinct positive emotions are associated with a lower risk of lapse during the postquit period among smokers attempting to quit. (PsycINFO Database Record

How well are we managing fragility hip fractures? A narrative report on the review with the attempt to setup a Fragility Fracture Registry in Hong Kong

INTRODUCTION

In setting up a disease registry for fragility fractures in Hong Kong, we conducted a retrospective systematic study on the management of fragility hip fractures. Patient outcomes were compared with the standards from our orthopaedic working group and those from the British Orthopaedic Association that runs a mature fracture registry in the United Kingdom.

METHODS

Clinical data on fragility hip fracture patients admitted to six acute major hospitals in Hong Kong in 2012 were captured. These included demographics, pre- and post-operative assessments, discharge details, complications, and 1-year follow-up information. Analysis was performed according to the local standards with reference to those from the British Orthopaedic Association.

RESULTS

Overall, 91.0% of patients received orthopaedic care within 4 hours of admission and 60.5% received surgery within 48 hours. Preoperative geri-orthopaedic co-management was received by 3.5% of patients and was one of the reasons for the delayed surgery in 22% of patients. Only 22.9% were discharged with medication that would promote bone health. Institutionalisation on discharge significantly increased by 16.2% (P<0.001). Only 35.1% of patients attended out-patient follow-up 1 year following fracture, and mobility had deteriorated in 69.9% compared with the premorbid state. Death occurred in 17.3% of patients within a year of surgery compared with 1.6% mortality rate in a Hong Kong age-matched population.

CONCLUSIONS

The efficiency and quality of acute care for fragility hip fracture patients was documented. Regular geri-orthopaedic co-management can enhance acute care. Much effort is needed to improve functional recovery, prescription of bone health medications, attendance for follow-up, and to decrease institutionalisation. A Fracture Liaison Service is vital to improve long-term care and prevent secondary fractures.

Mindfulness predicts lower affective volatility among African Americans during smoking cessation

Recent research suggests that mindfulness benefits emotion regulation and smoking cessation. However, the mechanisms by which mindfulness affects emotional and behavioral functioning are unclear. One potential mechanism, lower affective volatility, has not been empirically tested during smoking cessation. This study examined longitudinal associations among mindfulness and emotional responding over the course of smoking cessation treatment among predominantly low-socioeconomic status (SES) African American smokers, who are at high risk for relapse to smoking and tobacco-related health disparities. Participants (N = 399, 51% female, mean age = 42, 48% with annual income <$10,000) completed a baseline measure of trait mindfulness. Negative affect, positive affect, and depressive symptoms were assessed at five time points during smoking cessation treatment (up to 31 days postquit). Volatility indices were calculated to quantify within-person instability of emotional symptoms over time. Over and above demographic characteristics, nicotine dependence, and abstinence status, greater baseline trait mindfulness predicted lower volatility of negative affect and depressive symptoms surrounding the quit attempt and up to 1 month postquit, ps < 0.05. Although volatility did not mediate the association between greater mindfulness and smoking cessation, these results are the first to show that mindfulness is linked to lower affective volatility (or greater stability) of negative emotions during the course of smoking cessation. The present study suggests that mindfulness is linked to greater emotional stability and augments the study of mindfulness in diverse populations. Future studies should examine the effects of mindfulness-based interventions on volatility and whether lower volatility explains effects of mindfulness-based treatments on smoking cessation.

The influence of personality traits on smokers' affect, withdrawal and cessation intervention outcome

The personality traits of harm avoidance (HA), novelty seeking (NS), and reward dependence (RD), as measured by the Tridimensional Personality Questionnaire (TPQ), have been linked to smoking behavior. The extent to which these traits are associated with smoking withdrawal and cessation outcome is unclear. We sought to address this question among 131 treatment-seeking smokers who were randomly assigned to either a smoking cessation treatment (four 30-min behavioral counseling sessions) or a control condition. We found that HA was positively associated with baseline depressive symptoms, baseline negative affect, and post-quit withdrawal, and negatively associated with positive affect at both baseline and post-quit. Additionally, we found that smokers with higher HA scores were more likely to be abstinent. NS was negatively associated with post-quit positive affect and positively associated with post-quit negative affect and withdrawal. RD was not found to be related to any outcome measures. Our findings suggest that, despite experiencing greater baseline and post-quit negative affect, smokers higher in trait harm avoidance are more likely to quit smoking. The treatment and theoretical ramifications of these findings are discussed.

Positive smoking outcome expectancies mediate the relation between alcohol consumption and smoking urge among women during a quit attempt

Social learning models of addiction hypothesize that situational factors interact with cognitive determinants to influence a person's motivation to use substances. Ecological momentary assessment was used to examine the association between alcohol consumption, smoking outcome expectancies, and smoking urge during the first 7 days of a smoking quit attempt. Participants were 113 female smokers who enrolled in a study that tested an individually tailored smoking cessation treatment. Participants carried a palm-top personal computer for 7 days and were instructed to complete 4 random assessments each day and to initiate an assessment when they were tempted to smoke. Multilevel mediational analyses were used to examine (a) the effects of alcohol consumption before time j and positive smoking outcome expectancies at time j on smoking urge at time j + 1 (Model 1) and (b) the effects of alcohol consumption before time j and smoking urge at time j on positive smoking outcome expectancies at time j + 1 (Model 2). Model 1 found a significant effect of alcohol consumption before time j on smoking urge at time j + 1 (p = .04), and this effect was significantly mediated by positive smoking outcome expectancies at time j (p < .0001). Model 2 failed to find a significant effect of alcohol consumption before time j on positive smoking outcome expectancies at time j + 1. The findings suggest that alcohol consumption is significantly associated with increased positive smoking outcome expectancies that, in turn, are associated with increased smoking urge in women seeking to quit smoking.

The Association of Pain With Smoking and Quit Attempts in an Electronic Diary Study of Cancer Patients Trying to Quit

INTRODUCTION

The purpose of this electronic daily diary study was to examine the relation of pain to smoking and quit attempts among 34 cancer patients with pain enrolled in a smoking cessation program.

METHODS

Electronic daily diary assessments of pain and smoking were collected at the end of each day for a 2-week period during smoking cessation treatment. Pain experienced throughout the day was measured on a scale from 1 to 5, from "no pain" to "pain as bad as you can imagine." Smoking was defined as the number of cigarettes smoked per day.

RESULTS

Linear multilevel modeling was used in examining associations between pain and smoking. A within-person pain and smoking association was found, such that greater daily pain was linked to greater daily smoking within individuals, controlling for baseline symptoms, nicotine dependence, smoking urge, age, and gender. No between-person pain and smoking association was observed. Additionally, cancer patients with higher average pain across the 2-week assessment period were less likely to make a quit attempt (defined as a day on which participants smoked no cigarettes) during the study period.

CONCLUSIONS

The findings of this study add to a nascent literature on pain and smoking by providing initial evidence that pain may be a barrier to quitting among cancer patients who smoke and have pain. Future research examining the effectiveness of integrated pain and smoking cessation treatment in this population may be warranted.

Reinforcement sensitivity underlying treatment-seeking smokers' affect, smoking reinforcement motives, and affective responses

Nicotine dependence has been suggested to be related to reinforcement sensitivity, which encompasses behavioral predispositions either to avoid aversive (behavioral inhibition) or to approach appetitive (behavioral activation) stimuli. Reinforcement sensitivity may shape motives for nicotine use and offer potential targets for personalized smoking cessation therapy. However, little is known regarding how reinforcement sensitivity is related to motivational processes implicated in the maintenance of smoking. Additionally, women and men differ in reinforcement sensitivity, and such difference may cause distinct relationships between reinforcement sensitivity and motivational processes for female and male smokers. In this study, the authors characterized reinforcement sensitivity in relation to affect, smoking-related reinforcement motives, and affective responses, using self-report and psychophysiological measures, in over 200 smokers before treating them. The Behavioral Inhibition/Activation Scales (BIS/BAS; Carver & White, 1994) was used to measure reinforcement sensitivity. In female and male smokers, BIS was similarly associated with negative affect and negative reinforcement of smoking. However, positive affect was positively associated with BAS Drive scores in male smokers, and this association was reversed in female smokers. BIS was positively associated with corrugator electromyographic reactivity toward negative stimuli and left frontal electroencephalogram alpha asymmetry. Female and male smokers showed similar relationships for these physiological measures. These findings suggest that reinforcement sensitivity underpins important motivational processes (e.g., affect), and gender is a moderating factor for these relationships. Future personalized smoking intervention, particularly among more dependent treatment-seeking smokers, may experiment to target individual differences in reinforcement sensitivity. (PsycINFO Database Record

Predicting quit attempts among homeless smokers seeking cessation treatment: an ecological momentary assessment study

INTRODUCTION

Homeless adults are more likely to smoke tobacco and are less likely to successfully quit smoking than smokers in the general population, despite comparable numbers of cessation attempts and desire to quit. To date, studies that have examined smoking cessation in homeless samples have used traditional lab/clinic-based assessment methodologies. Real-time assessment of key variables may provide new insights into the process of quitting among homeless smokers.

METHODS

The purpose of the current study was to identify predictors of a quit attempt using real-time assessment methodology during the 6 days prior to a scheduled quit attempt among homeless adults seeking care at a shelter-based smoking cessation clinic. Parameters for multiple variables (i.e., motivation for quitting, smoking expectancies, quit self-efficacy, smoking urges, negative affect, positive affect, restlessness, hostility, and stress) were calculated and were used as predictors of biochemically verified quit date abstinence (i.e., ≥13hr abstinent) using logistic regression analyses.

RESULTS

Participants (n = 57) were predominantly male (59.6%), non-White (68.4%), and smoked an average of 18 cigarettes per day. A total of 1,132 ecological momentary assessments (83% completion rate) were collected at random times (i.e., up to 4 assessments/day) during the 6 days prior to a scheduled quit attempt. Results indicated that declining (negative slope) negative affect, restlessness, and stress predicted quit date abstinence. Additionally, increasing positive coping expectancies across the prequit week predicted quit date abstinence.

CONCLUSIONS

Study findings highlight multiple variables that may be targeted during the precessation period to increase smoking cessation attempts in this difficult to treat population of smokers.

Positive smoking outcome expectancies mediate the association between negative affect and smoking urge among women during a quit attempt

Ecological momentary assessment was used to examine associations between negative affect, positive smoking outcome expectancies, and smoking urge during the first 7 days of a smoking quit attempt. Participants were 302 female smokers who enrolled in an individually tailored smoking cessation treatment study. Multilevel mediation analysis was used to examine the temporal relationship among the following: (a) the effects of negative affect and positive smoking outcome expectancies at 1 assessment point (e.g., time j) on smoking urge at the subsequent time point (e.g., time j + 1) in Model 1; and, (b) the effects of negative affect and smoking urge at time j on positive smoking outcome expectancies at time j + 1 in Model 2. The results from Model 1 showed a statistically significant effect of negative affect at time j on smoking urge at time j + 1, and this effect was mediated by positive smoking outcome expectancies at time j, both within- and between-participants. In Model 2, the within-participant indirect effect of negative affect at time j on positive smoking outcome expectancies at time j + 1 through smoking urge at time j was nonsignificant. However, a statistically significant indirect between-participants effect was found in Model 2. The findings support the hypothesis that urge and positive smoking outcome expectancies increase as a function of negative affect, and suggest a stronger effect of expectancies on urge as opposed to the effect of urge on expectancies.

Prequit fMRI responses to pleasant cues and cigarette-related cues predict smoking cessation outcome

INTRODUCTION

The reasons that some smokers find it harder to quit than others are unclear. Understanding how individual differences predict smoking cessation outcomes may allow the development of more successful personalized treatments for nicotine dependence. Theoretical models suggest that drug users might be characterized by increased sensitivity to drug cues and by reduced sensitivity to nondrug-related natural rewards. We hypothesized that baseline differences in brain sensitivity to natural rewards and cigarette-related cues would predict the outcome of a smoking cessation attempt.

METHODS

Using functional magnetic resonance imaging, we recorded prequit brain responses to neutral, emotional (pleasant and unpleasant), and cigarette-related cues from 55 smokers interested in quitting. We then assessed smoking abstinence, mood, and nicotine withdrawal symptoms during the course of a smoking cessation attempt.

RESULTS

Using cluster analysis, we identified 2 groups of smokers who differed in their baseline responses to pleasant cues and cigarette-related cues in the posterior visual association areas, the dorsal striatum, and the medial and dorsolateral prefrontal cortex. Smokers who showed lower prequit levels of brain reactivity to pleasant stimuli than to cigarette-related cues were less likely to be abstinent 6 months after their quit attempt, and they had higher levels of negative affect during the course of the quit attempt.

CONCLUSIONS

Smokers with blunted brain responses to pleasant stimuli, relative to cigarette-related stimuli, had more difficulty quitting smoking. For these individuals, the lack of alternative forms of reinforcement when nicotine deprived might be an important factor underlying relapse. Normalizing these pathological neuroadaptations may help them achieve abstinence.

Ecological momentary assessment of sleep, symptoms, and mood during chemotherapy for breast cancer

OBJECTIVE

This study examined the association of sleep before and during a chemotherapy (CT) cycle for breast cancer with symptoms and mood during a CT cycle.

METHODS

Twenty women undergoing CT for breast cancer completed the Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index (PSQI) 1 h prior to a CT infusion. For 3 weeks following infusion, participants estimated sleep efficiency, minutes to sleep (sleep latency), number of nocturnal awakenings (sleep fragmentation (SF)), and sleep quality (SQ) each morning and rated symptoms (nausea, fatigue, numbness, and difficulty thinking) and mood three times daily (morning, afternoon, and evening) via ecological momentary assessments using automated handheld computers.

RESULTS

The results showed that disturbed sleep (PSQI score > 5) prior to CT infusion was associated with greater fatigue, and more negative and anxious mood throughout the 3-week CT cycle, and good pre-CT infusion sleep (PSQI score < 5) buffered anxious mood in the first days following infusion. Time-lagged analyses controlling for mood/symptom ratings reported the previous evening revealed that longer sleep latency and greater SF were associated with greater daytime fatigue; poorer SQ and greater SF were antecedents of worse morning negative mood, and greater SF was associated with feeling more passive and drowsy. No evening symptom or mood ratings were related to subsequent SQ.

CONCLUSIONS

These findings suggest that disturbed sleep before and after a CT infusion exacerbates fatigue, and negative, anxious, and drowsy mood during a CT cycle. Reducing sleep disturbance may be an important way to improve quality of life during CT.

The influence of discrimination on smoking cessation among Latinos

BACKGROUND

Although studies have shown a cross-sectional link between discrimination and smoking, the prospective influence of discrimination on smoking cessation has yet to be evaluated. Thus, the purpose of the current study was to determine the influence of everyday and major discrimination on smoking cessation among Latinos making a quit attempt.

METHODS

Participants were 190 Spanish speaking smokers of Mexican Heritage recruited from the Houston, TX metropolitan area who participated in the study between 2009 and 2012. Logistic regression analyses were conducted to evaluate the associations of everyday and major discrimination with smoking abstinence at 26 weeks post-quit.

RESULTS

Most participants reported at least some everyday discrimination (64.4%), and at least one major discrimination event (56%) in their lifetimes. Race/ethnicity/nationality was the most commonly perceived reason for both everyday and major discrimination. Everyday discrimination was not associated with post-quit smoking status. However, experiencing a greater number of major discrimination events was associated with a reduced likelihood of achieving 7-day point prevalence smoking abstinence, OR=.51, p=.004, and continuous smoking abstinence, OR=.29, p=.018, at 26 weeks post-quit.

CONCLUSIONS

Findings highlight the high frequency of exposure to discrimination among Latinos, and demonstrate the negative impact of major discrimination events on a smoking cessation attempt. Efforts are needed to attenuate the detrimental effects of major discrimination events on smoking cessation outcomes.

Individual and combined effects of multiple high-risk triggers on postcessation smoking urge and lapse

INTRODUCTION

Negative affect, alcohol consumption, and presence of others smoking have consistently been implicated as risk factors for smoking lapse and relapse. What is not known, however, is how these factors work together to affect smoking outcomes. This paper uses ecological momentary assessment (EMA) collected during the first 7 days of a smoking cessation attempt to test the individual and combined effects of high-risk triggers on smoking urge and lapse.

METHODS

Participants were 300 female smokers who enrolled in a study that tested an individually tailored smoking cessation treatment. Participants completed EMA, which recorded negative affect, alcohol consumption, presence of others smoking, smoking urge, and smoking lapse, for 7 days starting on their quit date.

RESULTS

Alcohol consumption, presence of others smoking, and negative affect were, independently and in combination, associated with increase in smoking urge and lapse. The results also found that the relationship between presence of others smoking and lapse and the relationship between negative affect and lapse were moderated by smoking urge.

CONCLUSIONS

The current study found significant individual effects of alcohol consumption, presence of other smoking, and negative affect on smoking urge and lapse. Combing the triggers increased smoking urge and the risk for lapse to varying degrees, and the presence of all 3 triggers resulted in the highest urge and lapse risk.

Effects of resistance training on central blood pressure in obese young men

Central blood pressure is a predictor of the risk of cardiovascular disease (CVD), and the effects of resistance training (RT) on central blood pressure are largely unknown. This study explored the effects of high-intensity RT on central blood pressure, indices of arterial stiffness and wave reflection and inflammatory/atherogenic markers in overweight or obese, sedentary young men. Thirty-six participants were randomized to RT (12 weeks of training, 3/wk, n=28) or control groups (C, 12 weeks of no training, n=8) and assessed for changes in central and brachial blood pressures, augmentation index (AIx), carotid-femoral pulse wave velocity (cfPWV), carotid intima-media thickness (cIMT), body composition, lipids and inflammatory/atherogenic markers. High-intensity RT resulted in decreased central and brachial systolic/diastolic blood pressures (all P0.03), despite not altering AIx (P=0.34) or cfPWV (P=0.43). The vascular endothelial growth factor increased (P=0.03) after RT, without any change in cIMT, C-reactive protein, oxidized LDL (oxLDL) or other inflammatory markers (all P0.1). Changes in the central systolic blood pressure (cSBP) were positively correlated with changes in oxLDL (r=0.42, P=0.03) and soluble E-selectin (r=0.41, P=0.04). In overweight/obese young men, high-intensity RT decreases cSBP, independently of weight loss and changes in arterial stiffness. The cardioprotective effects of RT may be related to effects on central blood pressure.

Randomized trial of a presurgical scheduled reduced smoking intervention for patients newly diagnosed with cancer

OBJECTIVE

Cancer patients who smoke are advised to quit smoking to reduce treatment complications and future cancer risk. This study's main objective was to evaluate the efficacy of a novel, presurgical cessation intervention in newly diagnosed cancer patients scheduled for surgical hospitalization.

METHOD

We conducted a parallel-arm, randomized controlled trial comparing the efficacy of our hospital-based, tobacco cessation "best practices" treatment model (BP; cessation counseling and nicotine replacement therapy) with BP enhanced by a behavioral tapering regimen (scheduled reduced smoking; BP + SRS) administered by a handheld computer before hospitalization for surgery. Cessation outcomes were short (hospital admission and 3 months) and longer-term (6 months) biochemically verified smoking abstinence. We hypothesized that BP + SRS would be superior to BP alone. One hundred eighty-five smokers were enrolled.

RESULTS

Overall, 7-day-point prevalence, confirmed abstinence rates at 6 months for BP alone (32%) and BP + SRS (32%) were high; however, no main effect of treatment was observed. Patients who were older and diagnosed with lung cancer were more likely to quit smoking.

CONCLUSION

Compared to best practices for treating tobacco dependence, a presurgical, scheduled reduced smoking intervention did not improve abstinence rates among newly diagnosed cancer patients.reserved).

The late positive potential (LPP) in response to varying types of emotional and cigarette stimuli in smokers: a content comparison

Identifying neural mechanisms associated with addiction has substantially improved the overall understanding of addictive processes. Indeed, research suggests that drug-associated cues may take advantage of neural mechanisms originally intended for emotional processing of stimuli relevant to survival. In this study, we investigated cortical responses to several categories of emotional cues (erotic, romance, pleasant objects, mutilation, sadness, and unpleasant objects) as well as two types of smoking-related cues (people smoking and cigarette-related objects). We recorded ERPs from 180 smokers prior to their participation in a smoking cessation clinical trial and assessed emotional salience by measuring the amplitude of the late positive potential (LPP; 400 to 600 ms after picture onset). As expected, emotional and cigarette-related pictures prompted a significantly larger LPP than neutral pictures. The amplitude of the LPP increased as a function of picture arousal level, with high-arousing erotic and mutilation pictures showing the largest response in contrast to low-arousing pleasant and unpleasant objects, which showed the smallest response (other than neutral). Compared to females, male participants showed larger LPPs for high-arousing erotic and mutilation pictures. However, unlike emotional pictures, no difference was noted for the LPP between cigarette stimuli containing people versus those containing only objects, suggesting that in contrast to emotional objects, cigarette-related objects are highly relevant for smokers. We also compared the smokers to a small (N=40), convenience sample of never-smokers. We found that never-smokers had significantly smaller LPPs in response to erotic and cigarette stimuli containing only objects compared to smokers.

Alcohol consumption and urges to smoke among women during a smoking cessation attempt

Laboratory and ad libitum smoking studies have indicated that alcohol consumption increases the frequency and intensity of smoking urges. However, few studies have examined the relation between smoking urges and alcohol use in natural settings during a quit attempt. The purpose of this study was to examine the relationships between smoking urge and alcohol use in women who reported drinking on at least one occasion during the first 7 days of a smoking quit attempt (N = 134). Participants were asked to use a palmtop computer to complete assessments that recorded smoking urges and recent alcohol use. Multilevel analyses examined the relation between smoking urge parameters and alcohol use. Smoking urges were higher during assessments where alcohol had been recently consumed compared to assessments where no alcohol had been consumed. Interestingly, the first urge rating of the day was higher and urges were more volatile on days where alcohol would eventually be consumed as compared to days where no alcohol was consumed. A closer examination of urge parameters on drinking days indicated that smoking urge trajectory was significantly flatter and urge volatility was significantly higher following alcohol consumption. However, smoking urge trajectory also flattened later in the day on nondrinking days. The findings suggest that there may be reciprocal relations between smoking urge and alcohol use (e.g., higher initial urges and more volatile urges may increase the likelihood of alcohol use, and alcohol use may impact within-day smoking urge parameters), and these relations could potentially impact smoking cessation and relapse.

The CHRNA3 rs578776 Variant is Associated with an Intrinsic Reward Sensitivity Deficit in Smokers

A compromised brain reward system has been postulated as a key feature of drug dependence. We examined whether several polymorphisms of genes found to regulate nicotinic acetylcholine receptor (nAChR) and dopamine expression were related to an intrinsic reward sensitivity (IRS) deficit we previously identified among a subgroup of smokers using event-related potentials (ERPs). We examined genetic polymorphisms within the CHRNA5-A3-B4 gene cluster (CHRNA3 rs578776, CHRNA5 rs16969968, LOC123688 rs8034191, and CHRNA3 rs1051730), the ANKK1 gene (rs1800497), and the D2 dopamine receptor gene (DRD2 rs1079597, DRD2 rs1799732) from 104 smokers of European ancestry in a smoking cessation trial. Prior to treatment, we recorded ERPs evoked by emotional (both pleasant and unpleasant), neutral, and cigarette-related pictures. Smokers were assigned to two groups (IRS+/IRS-) based on the amplitude of the late positive potential (LPP) component to the pictures, a neural marker of motivational salience. Smokers (n = 42) with blunted brain responses to intrinsically rewarding (pleasant) pictures and enhanced responses to cigarette pictures were assigned to the IRS- group, while smokers (n = 62) with the opposite pattern of LPP responding were assigned to the IRS+ group. Carriers of the protective minor T allele (T/T, C/T) of the CHRNA3 rs578776 were less likely to be members of the IRS- group than those homozygous for the at-risk C allele (C/C). The CHRNA3 rs578776 polymorphism did not differ on questionnaires of nicotine dependence, depressed mood, or trait affective disposition and did not predict abstinence at 6 months after the quit date. These results suggest that polymorphisms of genes influencing nAChR expression are related to an endophenotype of reward sensitivity in smokers.

Beyond cue reactivity: blunted brain responses to pleasant stimuli predict long-term smoking abstinence

Identifying addicts with higher risk of relapse would provide the opportunity to implement individualized interventions and increase cessation success rates. Unfortunately, the ability to predict the long-term success of drug cessation treatments continues to elude researchers. We tested whether brain responses to emotional and cigarette-related pictures were predictive of the ability to abstain from smoking. Smokers interested in quitting (n=180) participated in a smoking cessation clinical trial. Before the initiation of any treatment, we recorded event-related potentials (ERPs) evoked by emotional (both pleasant and unpleasant), neutral, and cigarette-related images. Cluster analysis was used to assign smokers to two groups based on the amplitude of the late positive potential (LPP) to the experimental stimuli. While both groups showed enhanced responses to cigarette-related cues, one group (n=81) also showed blunted brain responses to intrinsically pleasant stimuli. Smokers in the latter group were significantly less likely to be abstinent at 10, 12 and 24 weeks after their quit date. In conclusion, using ERPs, a direct measure of brain activity, we found that smokers with blunted brain responses to intrinsically pleasant stimuli had lower rates of long-term smoking abstinence. This response offers a new biomarker for identifying smokers at higher risk of relapse and for testing the efficacy of new interventions aimed at normalizing brain reward systems' responses to intrinsically pleasant stimuli.