Association of Spontaneous and Induced Self-Affirmation With Smoking Cessation in Users of a Mobile App: Randomized Controlled Trial.

Background: Most smokers attempt to stop using cigarettes numerous times before successfully quitting. Cigarette cravings may undermine perceived competence to quit and thus constitute psychological threats to the individual's self-concept. Self-affirmation may promote smoking cessation by offsetting these threats.

Dropout and Abstinence Outcomes in a National Text Messaging Smoking Cessation Intervention for Pregnant Women, SmokefreeMOM: Observational Study.

Background: Population-level text messaging smoking cessation interventions may reduce racial and ethnic differences in smoking among pregnant women.

Objective: Our objective was to examine racial and ethnic differences in dropout, response, and abstinence rates among users of a US national, publicly available text messaging cessation intervention targeting pregnant women, SmokefreeMOM.

Methods: Participants were online subscribers to SmokefreeMOM who set a prospective quit date within the 9 months before their due date.

Engagement and Short-term Abstinence Outcomes Among Blacks and Whites in the National Cancer Institute's SmokefreeTXT Program.

Introduction: Text-messaging programs for smoking cessation improve abstinence outcomes in the general population. However, little is known about engagement and abstinence outcomes among African Americans in text-messaging smoking cessation programs. The current study compares engagement and abstinence between Blacks and Whites in the National Cancer Institute's SmokefreeTXT program.

Impact of the Society for Research on Nicotine and Tobacco Health Disparities Network's Scholarship on Professional Development of Its Recipients.

Introduction: Diversifying the workforce is an important strategy to reducing health disparities. Since 2007, the Society for Research on Nicotine and Tobacco (SRNT) Health Disparities Network has funded a travel scholarship to promote inclusion, professional development, and diversity among investigators interested in tobacco-related health disparities research. This study examined indicators of productivity among former scholarship recipients.

A content analysis of smartphone apps for adolescent smoking cessation.

Adolescent cigarette smokers have an increased risk of sustained smoking into adulthood. Smartphone applications (apps) for smoking cessation are a promising treatment resource. However, research on apps for adolescent smoking cessation is limited.

Treatment choice among veterans with PTSD symptoms and substance-related problems: Examining the role of preparatory treatments in trauma-focused therapy.

Although common practice in Veterans Affairs (VA) PTSD clinics, it is unclear whether preparatory treatment improves trauma-focused treatment (TFT) completion and outcomes. Furthermore, little is known about whether treatment-seeking veterans in naturalistic settings would chose to prioritize preparatory treatment if given the option of a phase-based approach or direct access to TFT, and how substance-related problems (SRPs) influence this treatment choice. The first aim of this study was to explore how co-occurring SRPs (ranging from none to moderate/severe) influence PTSD treatment choices in a naturalistic setting where veterans were offered a choice between a phase-based approach (i.

Smoking cessation among men following cancer diagnosis: a matched cohort study.

Purpose: Cigarette smoking among cancer survivors increases the risk of recurrence and secondary cancers. We sought to investigate smoking cessation following diagnosis of cancer compared to those not diagnosed with cancer. We also investigated cessation following diagnosis of a smoking-related and non-smoking-related cancer separately.

Attentional bias in opioid users: A systematic review and meta-analysis.

Background: Opioid use in the United States is a national public health emergency. The primary treatment for opioid use disorder (OUD) is medication assisted treatment (MAT). Although effective in improving treatment outcomes in OUD, there is a need to develop behavioral treatments adjunctive to MAT.

A scoping review and meta-analysis of psychosocial and pharmacological treatments for cannabis and tobacco use among African Americans.

The rates of co-occurring cannabis and tobacco use are higher among African Americans relative to other racial/ethnic groups. One plausible approach to treating co-use among African Americans is to examine the effectiveness of treatments for the sole use of cannabis and tobacco to identify effective approaches that might be combined to treat the dual use of these substances. The current meta-analysis sought to include studies that reported cannabis and/or tobacco use outcomes from randomized clinical trials (RCTs) with 100% African American samples.

Pro-tobacco advertisement exposure among African American smokers: An ecological momentary assessment study.

Introduction: Many African Americans live in communities with a disproportionately high density of tobacco advertisements compared to Whites. Some research indicates that point-of-sale advertising is associated with impulse purchases of cigarettes and smoking. Ecological Momentary Assessment (EMA) can be used to examine associations between tobacco advertisement exposure and smoking variables in the natural environment.

Colorectal Cancer Screening Uptake's Association With Psychosocial and Sociodemographic Factors Among Homeless Blacks and Whites.

The homeless represent an extremely disadvantaged population that fare worse than minority groups in access to preventive services and health, and minority groups fare worse than Whites. Early detection screening for colorectal cancer (CRC) saves lives, but empirical data about CRC screening practices among homeless Blacks and Whites are limited. Psychosocial risk factors may serve as a barrier to CRC screening completion among homeless Black individuals.

Using a Media Campaign to Increase Engagement With a Mobile-Based Youth Smoking Cessation Program.

Purpose: To describe the impact of the National Cancer Institute's promotion of its youth smoking cessation program, Smokefree Teen (SFT).

Design: We provide a description of campaign strategies and outcomes as a means to engage a teen audience in cessation resources using a cost-effective approach.

Setting: The campaign occurred nationally, using traditional (TV and radio), online, and social media outreach.

Characterizing Blunt Use Among Twitter Users: Racial/Ethnic Differences in Use Patterns and Characteristics.

Background: Young adult Twitter users are exposed to and often participate in tweets that promote risky behaviors, such as blunt use. Blunts are hollowed out cigars or cigarillos that are filled with marijuana.

Objectives: The current study was designed to determine the use patterns and characteristics of African American, Hispanic and White young adult Twitter users who reported past month blunt use.

A Review of Hip Hop-Based Interventions for Health Literacy, Health Behaviors, and Mental Health.

Objective: African-American children and adolescents experience an undue burden of disease for many health outcomes compared to their White peers. More research needs to be completed for this priority population to improve their health outcomes and ameliorate health disparities. Integrating hip hop music or hip hop dance into interventions may help engage African-American youth in health interventions and improve their health outcomes.

Effect of attentional retraining on cognition, craving, and smoking in African American smokers.

African American cigarette smokers have lower rates of cessation than Whites and live in communities with a higher number of tobacco advertisements. Exposure to smoking cues may promote smoking and undermine cessation. It may be possible to reduce attention to smoking cues ("attentional bias").

Depression Symptoms Among Homeless Smokers: Effect of Motivational Interviewing.

Background: Tobacco use is higher among homeless individuals than the general population. Homeless individuals are also more likely to have symptoms of depression. Depression symptoms may add to the burden of homelessness by increasing psychological distress and serve as a barrier to quitting smoking.

Black Cigarette Smokers Report More Attention to Smoking Cues Than White Smokers: Implications for Smoking Cessation.

Introduction: Black cigarette smokers have lower rates of smoking cessation compared with Whites. However, the mechanisms underlying these differences are not clear. Many Blacks live in communities saturated by tobacco advertisements.

A critical review of the literature on attentional bias in cocaine use disorder and suggestions for future research.

Cocaine use disorder (CUD) continues to be an important public health problem, and novel approaches are needed to improve the effectiveness of treatments for CUD. Recently, there has been increased interest in the role of automatic cognition such as attentional bias (AB) in addictive behaviors, and AB has been proposed to be a cognitive marker for addictions. Automatic cognition may be particularly relevant to CUD, as there is evidence for particularly robust AB to cocaine cues and strong relationships to craving for cocaine and other illicit drugs.

The acute tobacco withdrawal syndrome among black smokers.

Black smokers have greater difficulty quitting tobacco than White smokers, but the mechanisms underlying between-race differences in smoking cessation are not clear. One possibility is that Black smokers experience greater acute withdrawal than Whites. We investigated whether Black (n = 104) and White smokers (n = 99) differed in abstinence-induced changes in self-report, physiological, and cognitive performance measures.