Publications by authors named "Michael Eriksen"

Introduction: Comprehensive smoke-free (SF) policies reduce secondhand smoke exposure and improve population-level health outcomes. However, some decision-makers heed the tobacco industry's argument that SF policies negatively impact the hospitality sector. This study examines the intermediate economic impact of the Republic of Georgia's SF legislation (effective since early 2018) on the hospitality sector in Georgia.

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During the coronavirus pandemic, it was imperative that real-time, rapidly changing guidance on continuously evolving critical health information about COVID-19 be communicated. This case study highlights how understandable and actionable COVID-19 health information was systematically developed and disseminated to support highly vulnerable refugee, immigrant, and migrant (RIM) communities in Clarkston, Georgia. Our approach was grounded in community-based participatory research (CBPR) incorporating Cultural and Linguistically Appropriate Services (CLAS) standards, plain language and health literacy guidelines, and health communication science to improve the understandability and usability of COVID-19 micro-targeted messaging for RIM communities.

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Introduction: Significant changes occurred in the way people socialize and interact with each other since China reported its first COVID-19 cases. However, little is known about how smoking behaviors may have changed due to the COVID-19 pandemic in China. The aim of this study was to assess changes in smoking behavior and intention to quit during the early stage of the COVID-19 pandemic in China and to investigate the associated factors.

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Background: African Americans have a higher incidence of early-onset stroke and poorer stroke-related outcomes than other race/ethnic groups.

Objectives: Our two-arm, randomized controlled trial was implemented to assess efficacy of the nurse-led Stroke Counseling for Risk Reduction (SCORRE) intervention in reducing stroke risk in young African American adults by improving accuracy of perceived stroke risk and lifestyle behaviors (i.e.

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Article Synopsis
  • * JUUL was found to be the most popular e-cigarette brand, with 65.2% of youth, 60.7% of young adults, and 25.6% of adults reporting usage; youth and young adults consumed a higher percentage of JUUL in the past 30 days compared to other brands.
  • * Youth JUUL users were more likely to vape shortly after waking, while youth who smoke
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The adoption of comprehensive tobacco policies by colleges and universities may help reduce student tobacco use. To this end, The American Cancer Society's Tobacco-Free Generation Campus Initiative (TFGCI) awarded grants to 106 higher learning institutions to adopt 100% tobacco-free campus policies. This study measured changes in student tobacco use, reported exposure to secondhand smoke, and support for types of tobacco policies among five TFGCI grantee institutions who implemented 100% tobacco-free policies.

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Background: Tobacco use is the leading cause of preventable morbidity and mortality. Adults with low income and members of certain racial and ethnic minority groups are less likely to quit, and therefore, they experience profound tobacco-related health disparities. Mindfulness training can increase the rates of smoking cessation and lapse recovery, and telehealth and SMS text messaging have the potential to provide more accessible treatment.

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Objective: To examine the prospective associations between e-cigarette use and subsequent onset of various modes of cannabis use during a 12-month follow-up period among US adolescents.

Methods: Data were from the Wave 4 (2017, baseline) and Wave 4.5 (12-month follow-up) surveys of the Population Assessment of Tobacco and Health (PATH) Study, a nationally representative, longitudinal cohort study.

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Background: Many states have legalized recreational cannabis use for adults. However, no study has examined how this policy may interact with youth vaping to influence cannabis use among US adolescents. This study investigates whether the association between baseline e-cigarette use and subsequent cannabis use differs by state recreational cannabis legalization status.

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Background: Public health officials have classified smoking as a risk factor for COVID-19 disease severity. Smokers generally have less trust in health experts than do nonsmokers, leading to reduced risk perceptions. This study addresses smokers' trust in information sources about COVID-19 and how trust is associated with perceived COVID-19 susceptibility and severity among smokers.

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For more than 30 years, the network of Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC)-funded Prevention Research Centers (PRCs) has worked with local communities and partners to implement and evaluate public health interventions and policies for the prevention of disease and promotion of health. The COVID-19 pandemic tested the PRC network's ability to rapidly respond to multiple, simultaneous public health crises. On April 28, 2020, to assess the network's engagement with activities undertaken in response to the early phase of the pandemic, PRC network leadership distributed an online survey to the directors of 34 currently or formerly funded PRCs, asking them to report their PRCs' engagement with predetermined activities across 9 topical areas and provide case studies exemplifying that engagement.

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Introduction: E-cigarette use may be associated prospectively with subsequent cannabis use among U.S. adolescents.

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Vulnerable refugee communities are disproportionately affected by the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic; existing longstanding health inequity in these communities is exacerbated by ineffective risk communication practices about COVID-19. Culturally and linguistically appropriate health communication following health literacy guidelines is needed to dispel cultural myths, social stigma, misinformation, and disinformation. For refugee communities, the physical, mental, and social-related consequences of displacement further complicate understanding of risk communication practices grounded in a Western cultural ethos.

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Objectives: To assess the levels of secondhand smoke (SHS) exposure before and after the implementation of the Tobacco Free Cities (TFC) initiative.

Design: City-wide representative, cross-sectional surveys (Tobacco Questions for Surveys, TQS) were conducted in each participating city before and after the implementation of TFC.

Setting: Five large Chinese cities (Chengdu, Chongqing, Wuhan, Xiamen and Xi'an) participated in the TFC initiative.

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Introduction: China is the world's largest e-cigarette manufacturer. It also has the world's largest smoking population. Although smoking is strongly associated with e-cigarette use, the prevalence of e-cigarette use is low among Chinese smokers compared with smokers in countries such as the US and UK.

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Regulatory authorities have devoted increasing attention and resources to a range of issues surrounding the regulation of novel nicotine and tobacco products. This review highlights the inherent complexity of evaluating prospective policies that pertain to products that heat solutions containing nicotine, but not tobacco leaf, sometimes referred to as electronic nicotine delivery systems (ENDS). The US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) is compelled to incorporate a set of public health criteria in their decision making, collectively referred to as the Population Health Standard.

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The dramatic increase in youth use of electronic nicotine delivery systems (ENDS; e.g., e-cigarettes) in the United States has focused regulatory efforts to address this concern while still encouraging smokers to switch completely to lower risk products or quit all tobacco product use.

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Article Synopsis
  • Adults with mental health conditions (MHC) show higher rates of electronic nicotine delivery systems (ENDS) use, with serious psychological distress (SPD) amplifying this trend, especially among never smokers.
  • The study analyzed data from 2018 involving nearly 5,900 participants to explore the relationship between MHC, SPD, and ENDS usage patterns.
  • Findings suggest that those with MHC use ENDS primarily for relaxation and stress relief, indicating a distinct motivation compared to individuals without MHC.
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Background: With 15.6 million smokers, Vietnam is one of the top 10 largest cigarette-consuming countries in the world. Unfortunately, smoking cessation programs are still scarce in Vietnam.

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China is the largest cigarette consuming country in the world. The emergence of electronic nicotine delivery systems (ENDS) in China may have important implications for the Chinese tobacco market. Unfortunately, research on ENDS in China, while growing, is still limited.

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Background: The objective was to examine the reasons smokers have discontinued or chosen not to use electronic nicotine delivery systems (ENDS).

Methods: Data were obtained from a national probability sample of 1843 US adult current smokers who were not current ENDS users pooled from the 2017 and 2018 annual, cross-sectional Tobacco Products and Risk Perceptions Surveys. Participants reported their ENDS use, reasons for discontinuing or not initiating ENDS use, quit smoking intentions, perceptions, and use intentions.

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Introduction: If dual use of cigarettes and e-cigarettes is a transition state to tobacco and nicotine use cessation, it may be a tolerable temporary condition. But, if a long-term behavior, dual use may increase tobacco harm to the population as a whole, and efforts should aim to reduce it as much as possible. To develop effective tobacco control policy, the changes in dual use of e-cigarettes and cigarettes need to be better understood.

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This survey study examines the changing attitudes regarding the perceived harm of electronic nicotine delivery systems (ENDS) among smokers, nonsmokers, and ENDS users from 2017 to 2018.

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