Differences in smoking cessation behaviors and vaping status among adult daily smokers with and without depression, anxiety, and alcohol use: Findings from the 2018 and 2020 International Tobacco Control Four Country Smoking and Vaping (ITC 4CV) Surveys.

This study examined differences in quit attempts, 1-month quit success, and vaping status at follow-up among a cohort of 3709 daily smokers with and without depression, anxiety, and regular alcohol use who participated in both the 2018 and 2020 International Tobacco Control Four Country Smoking and Vaping (ITC 4CV) Surveys. At baseline, a survey with validated screening tools was used to classify respondents as having no, or one or more of the following: 1) depression, 2) anxiety, and 3) regular alcohol use. Multivariable adjusted regression analyses were used to examine whether baseline (2018) self-report conditions were associated with quit attempts; quit success; and vaping status by follow-up (2020).

Does perceived vaping addiction predict subsequent vaping cessation behaviour among adults who use nicotine vaping products regularly?

Background: This study aimed to investigate whether perceived vaping addiction is a predictor of quitting nicotine vaping product (NVP) use among adults who have ever smoked and currently vape exclusively or predominantly in four countries: Australia, Canada, the US, and England.

Method: Data analysed (n = 574) came from participants (aged 18 + ) who completed the International Tobacco Control (ITC) Four Country Smoking and Vaping survey in 2018 and again in 2020. Baseline inclusion criteria were: (1) currently not smoking or non-daily smoking; and (2) using NVPs daily/weekly for a period of at least 4 months.

Does Self-Reported smoking cessation fatigue predict making quit attempts and sustained abstinence among adults who smoke Regularly?

Background: Quitting smoking is difficult and many people who smoke experience cessation fatigue (CF) as a result of multiple failed attempts. This study examined the association of CF with making and sustaining a smoking quit attempt.

Methods: Data analysed were 4,139 adults (aged 18 years or older) who smoked daily or weekly and participated in the 2018 and 2020 International Tobacco Control Four Country Smoking and Vaping Surveys (ITC 4CV) conducted in Australia, Canada, England, and the US.

Support for banning sale of smoked tobacco products among adults who smoke: findings from the International Tobacco Control Four Country Smoking and Vaping Surveys (2018-2022).

Background: Many people continue to smoke despite strong policies to deter use, thus stronger regulatory measures may be required. In four high-income countries, we examined whether people who smoke would support a total ban on smoked tobacco products under two differing policy scenarios.

Methods: Data were from 14 363 adults (≥18) who smoked cigarettes (≥monthly) and participated in at least one of the 2018, 2020 or 2022 International Tobacco Control Four Country Smoking and Vaping Surveys in Australia, Canada, England and the USA.

Do Australians use the prescription pathway when using nicotine vaping products to quit smoking?

Background: In Australia, nicotine vaping products (NVPs) are only legally available to those with a prescription from a doctor. We investigated the proportion of people using NVPs to quit smoking who had a prescription, and whether this increased following regulatory changes in 2021 that strengthened the prescription requirement.

Methods: Australian data from the 2018, 2020 and 2022 International Tobacco Control (ITC) Project Survey were analysed using GEE models with Poisson regressions to analyze differences between years.

A qualitative study of using nicotine products for smoking cessation after discharge from residential drug and alcohol treatment in Australia.

Introduction: Tobacco smoking is highly prevalent among alcohol and other drugs (AOD) service clients and, despite interest in quitting, abstinence is rarely sustained. Nicotine products may assist after discharge from residential treatment services, but little is known about client receptivity to them. This study examined AOD withdrawal service clients' experiences of two types of nicotine products for smoking cessation post-discharge, combination nicotine replacement therapy (cNRT) and nicotine vaping products (NVP).

Future nicotine use preferences of current cigarette smokers: Findings from the 2020 International Tobacco Control Four Country Smoking and Vaping Survey.

Introduction: Consumer preferences should be important factors that are considered when developing health policies and interventions. This paper examines the prevalence of, and factors associated with, consumer preferences regarding smoking behaviour 1 to 2 years in the future.

Methods: At least weekly cigarette smokers in the 2020 wave of the International Tobacco Control Four Country Smoking and Vaping Survey (USA, Canada, England and Australia) (N = 8642) were asked if they preferred to continue to smoke or to quit with or without an alternative nicotine product (ANP) over the next 1-2 years.

Does alcohol consumption elevate smoking relapse risk of people who used to smoke? Differences by duration of smoking abstinence.

Background: Past research indicates dual users of tobacco and alcohol find it harder to quit smoking and may be more likely to relapse. This study investigated whether post-quit alcohol use predicted smoking relapse among ex-smokers, and whether this relationship varied by length of smoking abstinence.

Method: The study included 1064 ex-smokers (18+ years) from Canada (n = 340), US (n = 314), England (n = 261), and Australia (n = 149) who participated in the 2018 and 2020 International Tobacco Control Four Country Smoking and Vaping Survey, and we conducted analyses using multivariable logistic regression.

Support for nicotine reduction in cigarettes: findings from the 2016 and 2020 ITC Four Country Smoking and Vaping Surveys.

Introduction: The USA and New Zealand have sought to establish a product standard to set a maximum nicotine level for cigarettes to reduce their addictiveness. This study examined support for very low nicotine cigarettes (VLNCs) in Australia, Canada, England and the USA between 2016 and 2020.

Methods: Repeated cross-sectional data were analysed from participants who currently smoke, formerly smoked or vaped and/or currently vape in the 2016 (n=11 150) and/or 2020 (n=5432) International Tobacco Control (ITC) Four Country Smoking and Vaping Survey.

Associations between smokers' knowledge of causes of smoking harm and related beliefs and behaviors: Findings from the International Tobacco Control (ITC) Four Country Smoking and Vaping Survey.

Background: Most smokers know that smoking is harmful to health, but less is known about their understanding of what causes the harms. The primary aim was to examine smokers' perceptions of the relative contributions to smoking-related morbidity from combustion products, nicotine, other substances present in unburned tobacco, and additives. A secondary aim was to evaluate the association of these perceptions with nicotine vaping product use intentions, and quitting motivation/intentions.

'Quitlink': Outcomes of a randomised controlled trial of peer researcher facilitated referral to a tailored quitline tobacco treatment for people receiving mental health services.

Objective: The aim of this study was to test the effectiveness of a tailored quitline tobacco treatment ('Quitlink') among people receiving support for mental health conditions.

Methods: We employed a prospective, cluster-randomised, open, blinded endpoint design to compare a control condition to our 'Quitlink' intervention. Both conditions received a brief intervention delivered by a peer researcher.

The need for a personalized, core digital resource to facilitate health self-management.

High quality healthcare is becoming increasingly unaffordable and inaccessible. To reverse this trend, people need to self-manage as much of their health as possible. They need to take appropriate preventive actions and use health services in a timely and efficient manner.

Individual and Conjoint Factors Associated With Beliefs About the Harmfulness of Nicotine Replacement Therapies Relative to Combustible Cigarettes Among People Who Smoke: Findings From the 2020 ITC Four Country Smoking and Vaping Survey.

Introduction: This study examined individual and conjoint factors associated with beliefs about the harmfulness of nicotine replacement therapies (NRTs) relative to combustible cigarettes (CCs).

Aims And Methods: Data analyzed came from 8642 adults (≥18 years) who smoked daily/weekly and participated in the 2020 ITC Four Country Smoking and Vaping Survey in Australia (n = 1213), Canada (n = 2633), England (n = 3057), and United States (n = 1739). Respondents were asked: "Compared to smoking cigarettes, how harmful do you think nicotine replacement products are?" Responses were dichotomized into "much less" versus otherwise for analysis using multivariable logistic regression models, complemented by decision-tree analysis to identify conjoint factors.

Trends in alcohol expenditure in Australia from 1984 to 2015-2016: An exploratory study.

Introduction: Excessive alcohol use is associated with non-communicable diseases and social problems, such as work absence, financial problems and family violence. Expenditure and expenditure shares on alcohol are valuable measures to monitor financial activities on this risk behaviour. The aim of this paper is to report trends in alcohol expenditure in Australia over the last two decades.

A critique of the Australian National Health and Medical Research Council CEO statement on electronic cigarettes.

This paper critically analyses a statement by Australia's National Health and Medical Research Council (NHMRC) on e-cigarettes in May 2022 that will be used to guide national policy. We reviewed the evidence and the conclusions drawn in the NHMRC Statement. In our view, the Statement is not a balanced reflection of the benefits and risks of vaping because it exaggerates the risks of vaping and fails to compare them to the far greater risks of smoking; it uncritically accepts evidence of harms from e-cigarettes while adopting a highly sceptical attitude towards evidence of their benefits; it incorrectly claims that the association between adolescent vaping and subsequent smoking is causal; and it understates the evidence of the benefits of e-cigarettes in assisting smokers to quit.

Do Current Smokers and Ex-Smokers Who Use Nicotine Vaping Products Daily Versus Weekly Differ on Their Reasons for Vaping? Findings from the 2020 ITC Four Country Smoking and Vaping Survey.

This study examined reasons why adults who currently smoke or formerly smoked cigarettes use nicotine vaping products (NVPs) by vaping frequency (daily vs. weekly) stratified by smoking status. This cross-sectional study included 3070 adults from the 2020 ITC Four Country Smoking and Vaping Survey (Australia, Canada, England, United States) who reported using a NVP (vaping) at least weekly and who either currently smoke ( = 2467) or formerly smoked ( = 603).

Perceived Health and Capacity to Cope With Stress in Recent Ex-smokers: Impact of Vaping Versus Quitting All Nicotine.

Introduction: Little is known about the continued use of nicotine following smoking cessation on perceived well-being in comparison to complete cessation of nicotine use.

Aims And Methods: To explore aspects of perceived well-being and coping among recent ex-smokers as a function of vaping status. Ever-daily smokers in the International Tobacco Control 4 country smoking and vaping surveys in 2016 (w1 N = 883) and 2018 (w2 N = 1088).

The value of compassionate support to address smoking: A qualitative study with people who experience severe mental illness.

Introduction: People experiencing severe mental illness (SMI) smoke at much higher rates than the general population and require additional support. Engagement with existing evidence-based interventions such as quitlines and nicotine replacement therapy (NRT) may be improved by mental health peer worker involvement and tailored support. This paper reports on a qualitative study nested within a peer researcher-facilitated tobacco treatment trial that included brief advice plus, for those in the intervention group, tailored quitline callback counseling and combination NRT.

Associations between nicotine vaping uptake and cigarette smoking cessation vary by smokers' plans to quit: longitudinal findings from the International Tobacco Control Four Country Smoking and Vaping Surveys.

Background And Aims: Most population studies that evaluate the relationship between nicotine vaping and cigarette cessation focus on limited segments of the smoker population. We evaluated vaping uptake and smoking cessation considering differences in smokers' plans to quit.

Design: Longitudinal International Tobacco Control (ITC) Four Country Smoking and Vaping Surveys were conducted in 2016, 2018 and 2020.