UW Center for Tobacco Research and Intervention
For the first time, Wisconsin tobacco users can send a quick text to sign up for free services from the Wisconsin Tobacco Quit Line. People who want to quit smoking, vaping, or chewing nicotine can now text READY to 200-400 to begin. Within a few moments, the tobacco user receives a text back from the …
Installment seven in our series on BREATHE 2 collaborators Years ago, Dr. Barbara Bowers fought for acceptance. “I was the only qualitative researcher in my school and in the health sciences on campus,” she said. “Qualitative research was looked down upon and I had to constantly defend it.” Many journals didn’t accept qualitative research or didn’t understand …
The Governor’s State Council on Alcohol and Other Drug Abuse (SCAODA) last month voted to adopt a policy that recommends integrating Tobacco Use Disorders into Wisconsin Substance Use Disorder treatment services, and to make it a standard of practice at recovery centers. SCAODA was established by state statute to advise all state departments on all …
What leads smokers who are unwilling to try to quit smoking to change their minds and then try to quit? Researchers explored this question in a new paper based on UW-CTRI data which showed that increases in two factors—the time before smokers light up their first cigarette each morning, and the belief they can quit—predicted …
UW-CTRI collaborator Carlos Roberto Jaén, MD, PhD, recently co-authored a USA Today article calling on CMS to cover phone calls that deliver primary-care treatment of COVID-19 and other medical needs since many insurers weren’t covering those calls if they didn’t involve a video element. But, given the sudden crush of COVID-19 cases and the need …
During the COVID-19 pandemic, smokers living with disease can be especially susceptible to the effects of the coronavirus, and they are expressing concern. “COVID-19 is on the top of people’s minds and Quit Line callers are bringing up the topic during coaching calls,” said Wisconsin Tobacco Quit Line Coordinator Kate Kobinsky. “Coaches are reporting that …
May is Mental Health Awareness Month, and The Wisconsin Department of Health Services has awarded a grant to UW-CTRI Researcher Dr. Bruce Christiansen to extend his Bucket Approach to help behavioral-health patients quit smoking. The Bucket Approach, developed jointly by the state’s Bureau of Prevention Treatment and Recovery (BPTR) and UW-CTRI, is an evidence-based tobacco …
UW-CTRI Research Specialist Marika Rosenblum has had her first manuscript accepted for publication, the capstone on six years of total service at UW-CTRI, the Cancer Center Cessation Initiative (C3I), and the VA as she heads to the University of Illinois at Chicago (UIC) to conduct her graduate work. The paper, “Motives for Smoking in Those With …
Years ago, when Brian Williams was the drummer of his high school garage band, not many who watched them perform would have guessed he’d go on to be a doctor and innovative researcher. After all, the band was called “Jerkwater” and they played music that was “kind of heavy,” Williams said with a laugh. “There …
Richard started smoking in high school and continued on-and-off for more than 40 years. He would plan his day around smoking and spend quite a bit of time taking drags. He said his car was a trigger to light up, part of his daily ritual. “It was hard for me to kick it, I just …