Nicotine & tobacco research : official journal of the Society for Research on Nicotine and Tobacco
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This study investigates the independent and combined effects of smoking of parents and best friend on smoking and the intention to initiate or quit smoking in adolescents. ⋯ Parental smoking and best friend smoking have independent effects on adolescent smoking behaviors. Their combined effects on current and ever smoking were particularly large. Smoking prevention programs should pay special attention to adolescents with both best friend and parents who smoke.
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We assessed whether providing inpatient smokers with nicotine replacement therapy (NRT) to relieve withdrawal symptoms while hospitalized was associated with self-initiated NRT use soon after hospital discharge. ⋯ Smokers who received NRT during a hospitalization were more likely to use it after discharge compared with those who did not use NRT in hospital. By encouraging use of this effective cessation aid, supplementing counseling with NRT for hospitalized smokers may promote smoking cessation efforts after discharge.
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This study sought to determine the sociodemographic and behavioral factors associated with water pipe and smokeless tobacco (SLT) use among a population of medical students in the Pretoria area, South Africa. ⋯ These findings suggest that the use of alternative tobacco products is common among South African medical students and may form part of a pattern of risk-taking behavior. Furthermore, there appear to be cultural differences in the use of certain tobacco products.
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China produces and consumes more tobacco than any other country in the world and as such is at the forefront of the world tobacco epidemic. Many studies have recently emerged that directly or indirectly reference the acts of giving and sharing cigarettes as a major contributor to China's high tobacco usage. The goal of this report is to review relevant literature relating to sharing and gifting cigarettes as well as provide useful historic and cultural contexts. Important differences between the act of giving individual cigarettes and the gifting of packaged cigarettes are explored as well as explanations for how both these practices have influenced current tobacco control efforts. ⋯ Traditional tobacco control efforts should be combined with culture-specific approaches to reduce tobacco usage in China. The regular exchange of cigarettes normalizes smoking across society and promotes tobacco's acceptability. Great efforts should be taken not only to minimize these practices among males but also to discourage their adoption by females.
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To understand the reasons behind gifting and sharing cigarettes in China's rural areas and how these practices contribute to smoking initiation and hamper smoking cessation efforts. ⋯ Gifting and sharing cigarettes significantly contribute to smoking in rural China. Future tobacco control efforts should discourage both these activities to reduce tobacco usage. Tobacco control measures should also aim to inform adults about the health consequences of giving cigarettes to adolescents. Similarly, more information on the benefits of smoking cessation should be provided to China's rural elderly population. This information could lead to increased community support of cessation efforts and ultimately result in reductions in smoking in rural China.