Smoke-Free School Policy and Exposure to Secondhand Smoke: A Quasi-Experimental Analysis.

Introduction: Tobacco control prevention efforts are important to protect people from exposure to dangerous tobacco smoke, support cessation, and reduce tobacco-use initiation. While smoke-free laws have been a widespread tobacco control strategy, little work has been done to examine the impact of smoke-free school policies. The objective of this study is to evaluate the impact of provincial smoke-free school ground policies on youth-reported exposure to secondhand smoke (SHS) on school property.

Patterns and predictors of state adult obesity prevention legislation enactment in US states: 2010-2013.

Objective: This study examined bill- and state-level factors associated with enactment of adult obesity prevention legislation in US states.

Methods: A review of bills in the Rudd Center for Food Policy and Obesity's legislative database identified 487 adult obesity prevention bills, or proposed legislation, introduced between 2010 and 2013. Multilevel models were constructed to examine bill- and state-level characteristics associated with enactment.

Gender equality and smoking: a theory-driven approach to smoking gender differences in Spain.

Background: The intersection between gender and class can aid in understanding gender differences in smoking.

Aim: To analyse how changes in gender inequality relate to differences in smoking prevalence by gender, education and birth cohort in Spain over the past five decades (1960-2010).

Methods: The Gender Inequality Index (GII) was calculated in 5-year intervals from 1960 to 2010.

Meeting the online educational needs of international health promoters: an evaluation of a comprehensive, multilingual global training program in tobacco control.

Introduction: An evaluation of a global online training program in tobacco control offered in multiple languages was conducted to identify ways in which the varied online educational needs of its international participants could be more effectively met.

Methods: An online survey was administered to a sample of training participants to solicit feedback regarding course content and delivery. In addition, participants' training site usage patterns were examined.

The impact of inter-survey differences in the definition of current smokeless tobacco use on comparability of US national and state-specific prevalence estimates, 2009-2011.

Background: We assessed how varying definitions of adult current smokeless tobacco (SLT) use affected overall prevalence estimates.

Methods: National prevalence estimates were from five surveys: 2009-2010 National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES), 2009-2010 National Adult Tobacco Survey (NATS), 2010-2011 Tobacco Use Supplement of the Current Population Survey (TUS-CPS), 2010 National Survey on Drug Use and Health (NSDUH), and 2010 National Health Information Survey (NHIS). State-specific prevalence estimates were from three surveys: 2009-2010 NATS, 2010-2011 TUS-CPS, and 2010 Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System (BRFSS).

The effect of MPOWER on smoking prevalence.

Objective: To examine the effect of varying levels of comprehensive tobacco control on smoking in a global context.

Methods: Using data from WHO's Reports on the Global Tobacco Epidemic, scatter plots were produced to visualise the relationship between comprehensive tobacco control policy (2008 MPOWER composite score) and change in current tobacco smoking between 2006 and 2009. Fixed-effect regression models assessed the effect of changes in each MPOWER measure on changes in current tobacco smoking between 2006 and 2009.

'Excuse me, sir. Please don't smoke here'. A qualitative study of social enforcement of smoke-free policies in Indonesia.

Objective: District policies were recently put into place in Indonesia prohibiting smoking in public spaces. This study sought to (1) assess participants' general knowledge of secondhand smoke (SHS) dangers; (2) assess participants' awareness of and specific knowledge of smoke-free (SF) policies; and (3) assess the extent to which such policies are socially enforced and gather examples of successful social enforcement.

Methods: Qualitative in-depth interviews and focus group discussions were conducted in Bogor and Palembang cities with both community members and key informants such as government officials, non-government agency staff, religious leaders and health workers.

Impact of the removal of light and mild descriptors from cigarette packages in Ontario, Canada: switching to "light replacement" brand variants.

Objective: This study assessed cessation and brand switching among smokers in Ontario, Canada after tobacco companies' voluntary removal of 'light' and 'mild' descriptors from cigarette packages.

Method: We analyzed longitudinal data on brand preference and cessation from a cohort of smokers (n=632) in the Ontario Tobacco Survey in Canada from 2006 to 2008 with a longitudinal regression model.

Results: While cessation differed by brand variant prior to the ban (7% light vs.

Regionalization of the surgical care of children: a risk-adjusted comparison of hospital surgical outcomes by geographic areas.

Background: There is an ongoing debate among pediatric surgeons regarding the need or lack thereof to centralize the surgical care of children to high-volume children's centers. Risk-adjusted comparisons of hospitals performing pediatric surgery are needed.

Methods: Admissions from 2006 to 2010 from two national administrative databases were analyzed.

Patient tobacco use in optometric practice: a Canada-wide study.

Purpose: A national census survey of optometrists in Canada measured knowledge of ocular diseases associated with smoking cigarettes and current practice behaviors related to addressing tobacco use with patients, including prevention and cessation. Optometrists were also asked to identify tools to assist addressing tobacco use with patients.

Methods: An online bilingual (English/French) survey was developed and an e-mail with a link to the survey was sent to all 4528 optometrists registered in Canada.

Understanding the sources of normative influence on behavior: the example of tobacco.

Despite extensive research on social norms, the sources of norm formation are not well understood. Social exposure to a behavior (defined as the composite of ways through which people see that behavior in their social, physical, and symbolic environments) can serve as a source of normative influence. Using tobacco as a case study, we propose that research should move beyond categories of individuals as sources of norms and focus on a broader range of sources of normative influences.

Occupational secondhand smoke is the main determinant of hair nicotine concentrations in bar and restaurant workers.

Objective: To evaluate the relative contribution of occupational vs. non-occupational secondhand tobacco smoke exposure to overall hair nicotine concentrations in non-smoking bar and restaurant employees.

Method: We recruited 76 non-smoking employees from venues that allowed smoking (n=9), had mixed policies (smoking and non-smoking areas, n=13) or were smoke-free (n=2) between April and August 2008 in Santiago, Chile.

Prepaid monetary incentives-Predictors of taking the money and completing the survey: Results from the International Tobacco Control (ITC) Four Country Survey.

Prepaid monetary incentives are used to address declining response rates in random-digit-dial surveys. There is concern among researchers that some respondents will accept the prepayment but not complete the survey. There is little research to understand check cashing and survey completing behaviors among respondents who receive pre-payment.

What's the healthiest day?: Circaseptan (weekly) rhythms in healthy considerations.

Background: Biological clocks govern numerous aspects of human health, including weekly clocks-called circaseptan rhythms-that typically include early-week spikes for many illnesses.

Purpose: To determine whether contemplations for healthy behaviors also follow circaseptan rhythms.

Methods: We assessed healthy contemplations by monitoring Google search queries (2005-2012) in the U.

Waterpipe cafes in Baltimore, Maryland: Carbon monoxide, particulate matter, and nicotine exposure.

Waterpipe smoking has been growing in popularity in the United States and worldwide. Most tobacco control regulations remain limited to cigarettes. Few studies have investigated waterpipe tobacco smoke exposures in a real world setting.

Poly-tobacco use among adults in 44 countries during 2008-2012: evidence for an integrative and comprehensive approach in tobacco control.

Introduction: The concurrent use of multiple tobacco products (i.e., poly-tobacco use) might hinder efforts to reduce overall tobacco use, particularly considering that use of some non-cigarette tobacco products may be popular in some regions due to social, cultural, or economic reasons.

Characterizing periodic messaging interventions across health behaviors and media: systematic review.

Background: Periodic prompts serve as tools for health behavior interventions to encourage and maintain behavior changes. Past literature reviews have examined periodic messages targeting specific behaviors (smoking, physical activity, diet, etc) or media (telephone, email, face-to-face, newsletter, etc) and have found them to be effective in impacting health behavior in the short term.

Objective: Our goal was to review the literature related to periodic messaging and prompts in order to explore typical characteristics, assess the role of prompt timing, identify common theoretical models used, and identify characteristics associated with the effectiveness of periodic prompts.

The role of cocoa as a cigarette additive: opportunities for product regulation.

Introduction: The 2009 Family Smoking Prevention and Tobacco Control Act prohibited the use of characterizing flavors in cigarettes; however, some of these flavors are still used in cigarettes at varying levels. We reviewed tobacco industry internal documents to investigate the role of one of these flavors, cocoa, with the objective of understanding its relationship to sensory and risk perception, promotion of dependence, and enhancement of attractiveness and acceptability.

Methods: We used the Legacy Tobacco Documents Library to identify documents relevant to our research questions.

The priority group index: a proposed new method incorporating high risk and population burden to identify target populations for public health interventions.

Context: Selection of priority groups is important for health interventions. However, no quantitative method has been developed.

Objectives: To develop a quantitative method to support the process of selecting priority groups for public health interventions based on both high risk and population health burden.

Do celebrity cancer diagnoses promote primary cancer prevention?

Objective: Celebrity cancer diagnoses generate considerable media coverage of and increase interest in cancer screening, but do they also promote primary cancer prevention?

Methods: Daily trends for smoking cessation-related media (information-availability) and Google queries (information-seeking) around Brazilian President and smoker Lula da Silva's laryngeal cancer diagnosis announcements were compared to a typical period and several cessation awareness events.

Results: Cessation media coverage was 163% (95% confidence interval, 54-328) higher than expected the week after the announcement but returned to typical levels the second week. Cessation queries were 67% (95% confidence interval, 40-96) greater the week after Lula's announcement, remaining 153% (95% confidence interval, 121-188), 130% (95% confidence interval, 101-163) and 71% (95% confidence interval, 43-100) greater during the second, third, and fourth week after the announcement.

Country tobacco laws and article 11 of the WHO Framework Convention on Tobacco Control: a review of tobacco packaging and labeling regulations of 25 countries.

Background: Urgent, evidence-based tobacco control efforts have been advocated by the WHO through the Framework Convention on Tobacco Control (FCTC) articles and guidelines. The level of implementation of these guidelines varies by country and region. This paper identifies areas of alignment and non-alignment of country tobacco laws with respect to the FCTC's article 11 requirements, which lists guidelines for regulating tobacco packaging and labeling.