Counseling nondaily smokers about secondhand smoke as a cessation message: a pilot randomized trial.

Introduction: Nondaily smoking represents a substantial and growing fraction of smokers, many of whom do not consider themselves smokers or at risk of tobacco-related diseases and, so, may be less responsive to counseling content contained in traditional cessation interventions. This study compares the effects brief counseling interventions (<20 min) focused on the harm smoking does to themselves (harm to self, HTS) versus the harm their secondhand smoke (SHS) does to others (harm to others, HTO) among nondaily smokers.

Methods: Randomized trial of 52 nondaily smokers (smoked in the past week, but not daily) recruited between September 2009 and June 2010; 40 completed the study.

Social smoking implications for public health, clinical practice, and intervention research.

Background: Social smoking is increasingly prevalent and poses a challenge to traditional cessation practices. Tobacco companies conducted extensive research on social smokers long before health authorities did and marketed products to promote this smoking behavior.

Purpose: Research is described and mechanisms identified that are used to promote social smoking to help improve cessation strategies in this growing group.

Prevalence and risk factors for depressive symptoms in persons with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease.

Background: Although depression is a risk factor for adverse outcomes in chronic illness, little is known about the prevalence or risk factors for depressive symptoms in chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD).

Objective: To determine the prevalence of depressive symptoms in COPD as compared to other chronic illnesses and to identify risk factors for depressive symptoms in COPD.

Design And Patients: Cross-sectional study of 18,588 persons (1,736 subjects with self-reported COPD), representing a sample of the US population aged > or =50 years who participated in the 2004 Health and Retirement Survey.