News by Subject Social & Behavior

Smokers were found to be 20 percent more likely to quit smoking when packs of cigarettes cost just one dollar more, according to a new public health study out of Drexel University.

A recent paper published in Age & Ageing, the scientific journal of the British Geriatrics Society, finds that current smoking in older people increases the risk of developing frailty, though former smokers did not appear to be at higher risk.

A new study conducted by scientists at UC San Francisco reports that tobacco companies have known for decades that, without counseling, NRT hardly ever works, and that consumers often use it to complement smoking. This insight from the formerly secret industry documents known as the "Tobacco Papers" reveals why companies that once viewed nicotine patches and gum as a threat to their cigarette sales now embrace them as a business opportunity, the researchers said.

Among US adults who were established smokers in the past five years, those who use e-cigarettes daily were significantly more likely to have quit cigarettes compared to those who have never tried e-cigarettes. Over half of daily e-cigarette users had quit smoking in the past five years, compared to 28 percent who had never tried e-cigarettes. This is one of the first studies to reveal the patterns of cessation prevalence among e-cigarette users.

The study showed that adolescents are using e-cigarettes at high rates, and many are using e-cigarettes before trying regular cigarettes or chewing tobacco. In addition, e-cigarette users were more likely to have used and be using other substances, with marijuana being the most common.

Smoking is increasing among pregnant women with depression in the United States. Smoking rates for pregnant women with depression climbed 2.5 percent from 2002 to 2014, in contrast to a decrease among other groups. More than one-third of pregnant women with depression smoke cigarettes compared to one out of 10 pregnant women without depression.

E-cigarettes are often perceived to be less harmful than their traditional counterparts, but they could still expose the people who 'vape' and those around them to harmful compounds. Researchers now report in ACS' journal Environmental Science & Technology that heavy use and secondhand emissions could lead to inhaled levels of toxins that exceed set exposure limits. But under typical use, secondhand exposure would have a lower impact on health than second- and third-hand cigarette smoke.

Tobacco manufacturers are offering retailers incentives to promote their products in a bid to mitigate the effects of the advertising ban, a University of Stirling study has found.

New research in the Journal of Nicotine & Tobacco Research highlighting how cheap tobacco is undermining public health initiatives designed to reduce smoking.