UW-CTRI colleagues presented (or were co-authors on) 12 unique sets of findings at the upcoming Society for Research on Nicotine and Tobacco 2024 Annual Conference March 20-23 in Edinburgh, Scotland. Here’s a rundown of UW-CTRI involvement.
Preconference Workshops
1. Drs. Adrienne Johnson, Hasmeena Kathuria, and Brian Williams, preconference workshop. Tobacco Treatments Across the Ages. This workshop, co-chaired by Dr. Krysten Bold (Yale) and Dr. Alana Rojewski (Medical School of South Carolina), focused on treatment approaches and challenges for individuals across the age spectrum—especially for youth and older adults. Williams provided a clinical perspective on assessment and treatment considerations for tobacco use among youth. Johnson presented findings from a scoping review on health-related outcomes and tobacco treatment efficacy among older adults and briefly discuss special treatment considerations for this age group. Kathuria provided a clinical perspective on assessment and treatment considerations among older adults, including those with co-morbid medical conditions.
- Bold K, Rojewski A, Kleykamp B, Villanti A, Williams B, Johnson A, Kathuria H, Rigotti N. Tobacco Treatments Across the Ages. Pre-conference workshop co-chaired by Dr. Krysten Bold and Dr. Alana Rojewski. Society for Research on Nicotine or Tobacco Conference. Edinburgh, Scotland. March 2023.
2. Dr. Megan Piper, preconference workshop. Optimization of Smoking Cessation Interventions via the Multiphase Optimization Strategy (MOST): Basic Concepts, Practical Considerations, and New Developments. The workshop was chaired by Dr. Linda M. Collins (New York University). It began with an introduction to the multiphase optimization strategy (MOST), an engineering-inspired framework for intervention optimization, presented by Dr. Kate Guastaferro (New York University) and Dr. Collins. After that was a panel discussion featuring three investigators active in optimization of smoking cessation interventions, including Piper.
- Collins LM, Guastaferro K, Piper ME, Cantrell J, Kimber C, Strayhorn JC. Optimization of Smoking Cessation Interventions via the Multiphase Optimization Strategy (MOST): Basic Concepts, Practical Considerations, and New Developments. Pre-conference workshop chaired by Dr. Linda M. Collins. Society for Research on Nicotine or Tobacco Conference. Edinburgh, Scotland. March 2023.
Presentation
3. Dr. Megan Piper also was a co-author on a paper session by Dr. James Yang of the University of Texas. They used wearable sensors to collect physiological data (e.g., heart rate) to determine the right timing to deliver intervention messages. They found that the average heart rate before vaping is higher and there is an increasing trend in the heart rate before the vaping event. The fact that there is a development of increasing heart rate shows that there is time to intervene as this physiological signal emerges.
- Yang J, Piper ME, Buu Y-PA. Statistical Methods for Predicting E-Cigarette Use Events Based on Beat-To-Beat Interval (BBI) Data Collected From Wearable Devices. Presentation. Society for Research on Nicotine or Tobacco Conference. Edinburgh, Scotland. March 2023.
Posters
4. Drs. Megan Piper and Tom Piasecki, poster. What Motivates E-Cigarette or Very Low Nicotine Cigarette Use During a Switching Study? Based on QUITS data, participants who vaped were more likely to vape at work or in a public place but more likely to smoke their own cigarettes when they were outside. When smoking their own cigarettes, they rated product use as more satisfying, enjoyable, and successful at alleviating craving than when they vaped. Participants who smoked cigarettes with very low nicotine content were more likely to smoke their own regular cigarettes when they were around people vaping and reported obtaining more satisfaction from their usual brand than from very-low nicotine cigarettes. This illustrates the difficulty in creating an alternative product to cigarettes that both works and won’t harm users.
- Piper ME, Piasecki T, Donny E, Jorenby DE. What Motivates E-Cigarette or Very Low Nicotine Cigarette Use During a Switching Study? Poster. Society for Research on Nicotine or Tobacco Conference. Edinburgh, Scotland. March 2023.
5. Dr. Jen Betts, Dr. Jess Cook, Kate Kobinsky, Dr. Tim Baker, Dr. Megan Piper, poster. Understanding the Motivational Dynamics for Smoking and Vaping Among Dual Users and Exclusive Smokers. Vaping alleviated withdrawal, including cigarette and e-cigarette craving, in dual users. Puff topography did not differ between participants who both smoked and vaped versus participants who only smoked cigarettes. Factors such as greater craving to vape, positive vaping expectancies, change in negative emotions before and after vaping, heaviness of vaping, and relative dependence on e-cigarettes compared to cigarettes may be mechanisms that sustain e-cigarette use. These results may inform efforts to treat vaping or to enhance the harm-reducing effects of switching from smoking to vaping.
- Betts J, Cook J, Kobinsky K, Baker TB, Jorenby DE, Piper ME. Understanding the Motivational Dynamics for Smoking and Vaping Among Dual Users and Exclusive Smokers. Poster. Society for Research on Nicotine or Tobacco Conference. Edinburgh, Scotland. March 2023.
6. Drs. Megan Piper and Tim Baker were also co-authors on a poster by Dr. Johanna Streck of Harvard. This paper found that the prevalence of daily cigarette smoking among people with Tobacco Use Disorder was 10 times higher than the prevalence of daily cigarette smoking without Tobacco Use Disorder.
- Streck J, Parker M, Cruz M, Cruz R, Rosen R, Baker TB, Piper ME, Weinberger AH. Prevalence of Cigarette Smoking with and without Tobacco Use Disorder Among Adults in the United States: 2010-2021. Poster. Society for Research on Nicotine or Tobacco Conference. Edinburgh, Scotland. March 2023.
7. Drs. Tim Baker and Jess Cook were co-authors on a poster by Dr. Elias Klemperer of the University of Vermont. They found that greater reduction in cigarettes per day was associated with increased odds of quitting. However, counseling to reduce cigarettes per day by half appeared backfire in some cases if participants didn’t meet goals and became discouraged. As such, interventions to reduce cigarettes per day might be improved by strategies that mitigate the de-motivating effects of failing to reduce by half.
- Klemperer EM, Coleman S, Baker TB, Cook J. When Does Smoking Reduction Counseling Decrease Cessation? An Exploratory Analysis of a Randomized Factorial Trial of Motivation-Phase Interventions for People Who are Not Ready to Quit. Poster. Society for Research on Nicotine or Tobacco Conference. Edinburgh, Scotland. March 2023.
8. Dr. Tim Baker, Todd Hayes-Birchler, and Dr. Megan Piper are co-authors on a poster by Dr. Andrew Brouwer from the University of Michigan. They found that Personalized transition propensities based on urinary tobacco exposure biomarkers may inform cigarette cessation interventions. Future work should consider associations of biomarkers and transitions for nicotine salt-based e-cigarettes.
- Brouwer AF, Shafie-Khorassani F, Jorenby DE, Baker TB, Benowitz NL, Hayes-Birchler T, Piper ME. Continuous Associations of Urinary Tobacco Exposure Biomarker Concentrations and Transitions Between Cigarette and E-Cigarette Use in the Exhale Cohort. Poster. Society for Research on Nicotine or Tobacco Conference. Edinburgh, Scotland. March 2023.
9. Dr. Danielle McCarthy was a co-author on a poster by Dr. Nayoung Kim from the University of Alabama. They examined data from the 2015-2019 National Survey on Drug Use and Health and found notable disparities in both tobacco screening and the receipt of tobacco cessation advice among diverse patient groups, with rates generally lower for patients from disadvantaged and racially or ethnically minoritized populations. Substance use and dependence are inconsistently related to tobacco screening and the receipt of quit advice.
- Kim N and McCarthy D. Disparities in Healthcare Provider Tobacco Cessation Practices for Us Adults Who Smoke: An Examination of Patient Demographics and Substance Use. Poster. Society for Research on Nicotine or Tobacco Conference. Edinburgh, Scotland. March 2023.
10. Dr. Hasmeena Kathuria was a co-author on a poster by Dr. Brian Hurley of Baystate Medical Center. They interviewed inpatients and found that, while patients were initially optimistic about quitting while in the hospital, after discharge this quickly transitioned to feelings of being overwhelmed due to anxiety, life stressors, and medical concerns in the first few days after hospitalization. They said concerns about optimal medication use were common.
- Hurley B, Riska K, Mazor K, Kathuria H, Granaudo K, Pack Q. “The Anxiety is Unbelievale,” The Emotional and Mental States of Patients Attempting to Quit Smoking as They Transition from Hospital to Home. Poster. Society for Research on Nicotine or Tobacco Conference. Edinburgh, Scotland. March 2023.
11. Dr. Hasmeena Kathuria was also a co-author on a poster by Dr. Karen Riska from Baystate Medical Center. They interviewed inpatients and found that patients leaving the hospital prefer early morning, upbeat, and frequent texts. They incorporated these findings into their program and are currently testing an updated system alongside a pharmacotherapy treatment for smoking cessation in a randomized trial.
- Riska KL, Hurley B, Sadasivim R, Balakrishnan K, Mazor K, Kathuria H, Rosal M, Granaudo K, Pack QR. A Hospital-To-Home Smoking Intervention: Development and Key Adaptations of an Existing Text Message Program to Meet the Transitional Needs of Patients Who Smoke. Poster. Society for Research on Nicotine or Tobacco Conference. Edinburgh, Scotland. March 2023.
12. Dr. Jennifer Bird and Mara Minion were co-authors on a poster by Dr. Ramzi Salloum (University of Florida). They found that, while C3I cancer centers reported plans to sustain tobacco treatment specialists, project leads, IT team members, IT resources, and training, these centers did not always report sufficient financial resources to maintain these program aspects, which will likely hinder sustainment. Moreover, the sustainability of tobacco treatment programs may be enhanced by continued reporting of reach, effectiveness, and cost-effectiveness metrics. However, not all centers have plans or means to report these metrics.
- Bird JE, Minion M, Montague M, Hohl SD, LeLaurin J, Ramly E, Fleisher L, Shelley D, Ostroff JS, Warren G, Salloum RG. Evaluation of Sustainability Plans for Tobacco Treatment Programs Participating in the Cancer Center Cessation Initiative. Poster. Society for Research on Nicotine or Tobacco Conference. Edinburgh, Scotland. March 2023.
