Tobacco.org

• Using The Internet To Help Young Smokers Quit 

The University of Illinois at Chicago is leading a $2.9 million National Cancer Institute project to increase demand for evidence-based, Internet-based smoking cessation treatment among young adults.

"Even though many young adults think about quitting and actually want to stop smoking, they tend not to use what we know works - evidence-based approaches to quitting," said psychology professor Robin Mermelstein, director of UIC's Institute for Health Research and Policy and principal investigator of the five-year study.

Young adults between the ages of 18 and 24 have the highest rates of smoking compared to any other age group, but they have among the lowest rates of quitting, according to Mermelstein.

A multidisciplinary team of investigators from UIC, the University of Iowa and the American Legacy Foundation will work with GDS&M Idea City advertising agency to develop interactive, Internet-based ads and evaluate what messages motivate young smokers to use the evidence-based stop smoking program www.BecomeAnEx.org. . . .

The four-part study will develop Internet-based ads, evaluate if the ads are reaching young adults and driving them to Internet-based cessation programs, determine if the approaches are effective, and find out if those who used the Internet-based program were successful in stopping smoking.

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Online Genetic Testing Appears to Have Benefits 

Online genetic testing for lung cancer appears to offer some benefits to patients, according to U.S. researchers who evaluated the use of an online test among 44 smokers.

"Up until now we have had a clear model for genetic testing. You see a professional genetics counselor, undergo a battery of tests and that professional helps you interpret your results," Saskia Sanderson, who conducted the study while at the social and behavioral research branch of the U.S. National Human Genome Research Institute, said in a news release from the American Association for Cancer Research.

"That model is coming under increasing pressure as more and more genetic information is generated, and as a greater number of genetic tests become available on the Internet," Sanderson added.

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• Alternative cigarette raises concerns  

Authorities will have to watch out for nicotine gel, an alternative cigarette that looks set to attract smokers but may be harmful to health.

By just rubbing the gel in one's hands, one will be able to experience having a cigarette within 30 seconds.

The nicotine gel is touted as a solution to people who feel the urge to smoke in smoking-free places.

"The problem is that there is no research to confirm that this product is really safe," Thailand Health Promotion Institute president Dr Hatai Chitanondh said yesterday, "This is not a certified quit-smoking product."

According to him, the nicotine gel is already available at more than 400 retail shops in Malaysia. Despite its ban in Thailand, the product has the potential to find its way to Thai smokers via Internet advertisements.

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Smoking Pack Year Calculator  

Smoking Pack Year Calculator

* 1.0

* Maulik Shah

* Medical . . .

Medical Standard Calculator -For Health Professionals -General Public for private use

The risk of developing a smoking related illness is linked to lifetime tobacco exposure. Cigarettes, cigars, pipes, rollups all contain different amounts of tobacco. People can smoke more than one type, a person's smoking habit can change over time. So how do you measure a patient's lifetime tobacco exposure and their risk of developing a smoking related disease?

Calculating an individual's smoking pack year history is the international medical standard, used by health professionals across the world. It quantifies tobacco exposure and strongly correlates with the likelihood of developing a smoking related disease.

This calculator is based on the international definition of Pack Years. Conversions between cigarettes, cigars, pipes, loose tobacco is not an exact science. The approximations used in this calculator are based on accepted conversion rates. More information is provided in the app.

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• 10 characters who know smoking is cool  

For too long, political correctness has choked expression much like smoking might choke someone’s lungs. Back in the good old days, it was common for prominent pillars of society to be seen smoking: baseball players, gangsters, Popeye. Now it’s incredibly frowned upon, because “smoking may slowly kill you,” if you believe “proven medical facts.” But there are a proud few in gaming who celebrate their freedom to poison themselves, even if it means a T-rating and a lower life expectancy. Plus they offer helpful hints on the lesser known positives of tobacco. . . .

CHEN: Medicine in the Age of Twitter  

About 15 years ago, during my residency and just as the first blogs were starting up, I took care of a patient in his mid-40s whom I'll call Eddie. In a waiting room filled with elderly patients crippled by vascular disease, Eddie looked out of place. Until you looked closer at his fingers and toes. Parts of them had been amputated.

Eddie suffered from Buerger's disease . . .

Eddie wanted desperately to quit. Over the two years that I cared for him, he tried at least a dozen times. But his already challenging task was made even more difficult by his isolation. Eddie lived alone, estranged from his family, with friends and co-workers who grew increasingly unsympathetic to his plight. . . .

But his visits to the clinic always seemed to cheer him up. He responded, it seemed, to my encouragement, and each time he left, he renewed his vow to quit smoking. But weeks would pass and his enthusiasm would wane. If I contacted him by phone, his momentum might continue another few days, but finding a mutually convenient, quiet moment to talk on a regular basis was exceedingly difficult. . . .

Social media platforms can turn 10- or 20-minute doctor's visits into an ongoing dialogue, where sources of information and, potentially, support are continually available to the patient and the doctor. "Platforms like Twitter can be powerful if doctors are a lot more active in disseminating their expertise," Dr. Khozin said. "Patients are being bombarded with information online, but I don't think all that information necessarily empowers them. You also need expertise."

Social media has kept me connected with colleagues and a few former patients, allowed me to stay up-to-date with certain health care and medical education issues, and helped me to keep abreast of Web-based resources that might be useful to those I care for. It has also taught me a tremendous amount about the experiences of patients and caregivers, information I'm not sure I would have had access to had I not been engaged online. . . .

Doctor or patient, you are never alone in the twitterverse or blogosphere; there is always someone who is willing to offer some help or lend some support. It's a world that I think might have made all the difference for a patient like Eddie.

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• NYC suit claiming Internet cigarette taxes fails  

New York's top court says New York City lacks legal standing to sue Internet cigarette retailers for lost taxes under state business laws.

The Court of Appeals says the city and state now charge $4.25 per pack in excise taxes, which are owed by purchasers in New York.

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Website set up ahead of spike in tobacco tax  

The 2009 Florida Legislature passed "Protecting Florida's Health Act," which levies a surcharge on both cigarettes and tobacco products, excluding cigars.

The surcharge on both cigarettes and tobacco products will be administered, collected and enforced by the Department of Business and Professional Regulation's Division of Alcoholic Beverages and Tobacco.

In preparation for the July 1, 2009 effective date, ABT launched a new Web page to help educate cigarette manufacturers, distributors, wholesalers, retailers and the public. The new Web page provides helpful information about the new legislation including frequently asked questions, payment options, required documents and much more.

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• Croatian smoking ban sparks debate among bloggers  

Croatia began enforcing a smoking ban in public places on May 6th. The law allows smoking outside facilities -- offices, bars, restaurants, and cafes -- but not indoors.

While some employers are lukewarm about the law, restaurant and bar owners are outraged, fearing that they will lose clientele. Restaurateurs have reportedly started an initiative to put Croatia on the list of countries that discriminate against smokers.

The blog community is divided, yet passionate, about the issue. Non-smokers are exhilarated, painting the law as a very positive step towards improving the nation's health, while smokers consider it repressive.

Nepusac praises the "healthiest law that was ever passed" in Croatia and warns that the tobacco industry is "trying to act through the restaurant and bar owners" to reverse the law. He finds their attempt outrageous, claiming they "promote the old myth that smoking is something entirely normal while non-smoking is not". He calls on everybody to support the government's stand, which reflects "civilisation, awareness and societal health".

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To Quit Smoking, Try Logging On  

Internet- and computer-based smoking cessation programs are a cost-effective alternative to more expensive telephone hotlines or counseling services for smokers who are trying to quit, according to a new study.

"With the rising cost of health care, there is a need to look for less expensive health programs that are effective," study co-author Joel Moskowitz, director of the Center for Family and Community Health at the University of California, Berkeley, School of Public Health, said in a university news release. "What we found in our meta-analysis was that Web- and computer-based programs, once they're up and running, are a worthy alternative."

The researchers analyzed the findings of 22 trials, involving almost 30,000 participants, that compared smokers who used Web- or computer-based smoking cessation programs with those who tried to quit on their own.

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Gulfnews: Over 10,000 pledge to quit smoking 

Dubai: More than 10,000 people pledged to stop smoking on World No Tobacco Day last Sunday and pledges are still coming in although the day has passed, a senior doctor said.

"It has been a successful initiative by all standards," said Dr Wedad Al Maidour, Head of the National Tobacco Control Committee, Ministry of Health, in a statement.

Besides launching the campaign in labour accommodations, shopping malls, in schools, to housewives and passive smokers, it also went online on Facebook and Twitter, said Dr Prem Jagyasi, managing director of ExHealth, and one of the coordinators of the programme.

He said the response has been fantastic though it is being held for the first time in the UAE and that there are 450 Facebook members promoting the anti-smoking campaign.

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Evidence supports use of Web- and computer-based programs to help adults quit smoking 

Available evidence supports the use of online or other computer-based smoking cessation programs for helping adults quit smoking, according to a meta-analysis of previously published studies appearing in the May 25 issue of Archives of Internal Medicine, one of the JAMA/Archives journals.

"Smoking is the single greatest cause of preventable disease and premature death," the authors write as background information in the article. Currently recommended smoking cessation strategies include individual or group counseling, medications and telephone quit-line counseling.

Seung-Kwon Myung, M.D., M.S., then at the University of California, Berkeley, and now at the National Cancer Center, Goyang, South Korea, and colleagues identified 22 randomized controlled trials of Web- and computer-based programs published between 1989 and 2008. . . .

individuals assigned to use computer- or Web-based programs were about 1.5 times more likely to quit smoking than those assigned to control groups. Abstinence rates were higher among intervention groups than control groups after six to 10 months (11.7 percent vs. 7 percent) and 12 months (9.9 percent vs. 5.7 percent) of follow-up. The effects of these programs were similar to those of counseling interventions, the authors note.

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Effects of Web- and Computer-Based Smoking Cessation Programs: Meta-analysis of Randomized Controlled Trials 

Conclusion

The meta-analysis of RCTs indicates that there is sufficient clinical evidence to support the use of Web- and computer-based smoking cessation programs for adult smokers.

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Site aims to clear confusion on smoking ban 

Nebraska health officials looking ahead to the statewide smoking ban taking effect on June 1 have developed a tool to help businesses make the transition.

The Nebraska Department of Health and Human Services has set up a Web site at www.smokefree.ne.gov.

It includes a summary of the law and other resources.

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Evidence Supports Use of Online-Based Programs to Help Adults Quit Smoking 

Available evidence supports the use of online or other computer-based smoking cessation programs for helping adults quit smoking, according to a meta-analysis of previously published studies appearing in the May 25 issue of Archives of Internal Medicine.

"Smoking is the single greatest cause of preventable disease and premature death," the authors wrote as background information in the article. Currently recommended smoking cessation strategies include individual or group counseling, medications, and telephone quit-line counseling.

Seung-Kwon Myung, MD, then with the University of California, Berkeley, California, and now with the National Cancer Center, Goyang, South Korea, and colleagues identified 22 randomised controlled trials of Web- and computer-based programs published between 1989 and 2008.

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