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Unraveling the Smoking Conundrum
e v m a r t .i t w o o u c ii e c r v adults, according to Mailman School of most smokers star) smoking as teens,
Li March, New York City banned Public Health researchers. For years, this seemed like a logical wav to end
smoking in almost ecerv indoor work- many public health researchers hate adult smoking as ~~ell. But in a payer
place, including restaurants and bare believed that smoking prevention pro- in the March issue of the 3merican
The lu~~ was designed to protect gmum ,huuld Le aimed at teen-alter, Journal of Public Health, Di: Sheir~
employees Erom second-hand smoke, hecause those are the vean when Glied. professor and chairwoman of
thought to contribute to lung cancer smokers usually take up the hahit that health policy and management at
and heart disease in non-snrohers. :auaino with thew into adult}~ood_ I3nt Mailman, sumwuriaed her nun and
This Iaw is an acknowledgment that the Mailman researchers, while sup- others' research that indicates that
significant numbers of people smoke portive of adolescent smoking preven- while higher tobacco taxes do indeed
and put co-workers at risk. lion efforts, suggest that smoking pre- keep people from starting to smoke as
The Cact that so many adults still vention is more complicated than pre- teen-alters, the taxes may simply Iead - -
smoke (see chart on p. 6) points out viously believed. teens to postpone smoking initiation - _
that certain prevention efforts may not It was widely thought, Cor instance, into adulthood.
be effective. For example, the efforts to that higher cigarette. taxes might ren- L'sing data from a 1~-veer natimral
stop teen-alters from starting to smoke der cigarettes so expensive that teen- vouch survey that followed young peo- - - - -
may not keep them from starting as alters would never start smoking. Sinec ple., ages l4 (continued o? page 6) -
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Comm. No.
` Ref. To:
The Pain of Anesthesia Parkin Protects Neurons Raf' L°te_
6
~ ~ ~ ~ rt t{ ~ t.y~ ~ j ~ ff numbers of smokers who quit suggest ing later than Caucasian women. The percent) than Caucasian women (28
that encouraging adult cessation, mean age of smoking onset {or African percent) are smoking. The diverse con-
(corztinaed from page 1/ while difficult, may be at least as American women in the sune}" was texts and environments that interact
to 24~, Dr. Glied found that while a 10 effective along-term policy strategy 79.28 years: Caucasian women began with psychological and physiological
percent increase in cigarette taxes as reducing teen-age initiation." smoking at 18.21 }'ears. considerations to shape different tra-
leads to about a 1 percent decline in Meanwhile, the research of Dc Joyce The survey showed that smoking jectories to eigareue use need to be
adult smoking, taxes experienced dur- Moon Howard, assistant professor of rates also are higher for young better understood to gap design eftec-
ing youth are almost entirely unrelated five prevention initiatives, Dr. Moon
to adult smoking behavior. ~ ~ Howard says.
The research that Dr. Glied summa- AduR Caucasians, 25%` of men 21 °ip of women '`Because Afican Amercan women
rued is based on a small number of Adult African Americans: 2840 of men 21 % of women start smoking later, they are usually
studies and subjects but it raises the Adult Hispanles: 24°/p of men 12% of women not directly targeted by teen smoking
possibility that discouraging smoking High school students: 29% of males 28% of females prevention programs, such as school-
among young people may not result in based efforts." says Dc Moon Howard.
percentages appmnma~e Source' Amencan Wng Assocxavon, Tientlsm Tobacco Use, 2002
significant reductions in adult smok- "Smoking in earl}- adulthood-the
ing rates, Ur. Glied says. sociomedical science at Mailman, Caucasian women at every age group peak childbearing and child-raising
"If they are to have long-term adds another dimension to the issue. In until the mid-30s. For example, 28 years for women~arries health risks
effects, efforts to reduce smoking a paper published in the same issue of percent of Caucasian women ] 8 to 20 for the women and their children.
among teens need to be sustained into the American Journal of Public years old reported that they currently Determining why adult women take up
adulthood and should encompass Health, llr. Moon Howard analyzed smoked compared w$h 15 percent of smoking and deveL>piug prevention
changes in adult behavior rather tban data fcom the 2000 National Health African American women in that age and cessation interventions would
simply focusing on adolescent initia- Interview Survey and found that group. However, by ages 41 to 43, greatly benefit wometis hrallb.'~
lion." Dr. Glied says. "The increasing African American women star) smok- more African American women (36
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Perhaps adults who missed or were not affected by prevention programs will use study to determine whether using nicotine replacement or Zyban, a medication .
new anti-smoking laws as extra motivation to quit. Telephone calls to Columbia that reduces cravings, or a combination of the two, is most effective in prevent-
University's Smoking Cessation Clinic have increased in the last few months, ing relapses. The study includes afour-month comparison of medications with
although it is unclear whether the ban either alone or in conjunction with other placebos and six months of follow-up so the researchers can analyze the relapse
factors such as higher cigarette taxes Is responsible, says Dr. Lirio S. Covey, trend. The researchers are recruiting more than 700 smokers who want to quit.
associate professor of clinical psychology at P&S and director of the clinic. "We hope this study will show us the best way to help people stop smoking
But even quitting alone is not the answer because relapse is a major problem for good," Dr. Covey says. For more information, contact the Smoking Cessation
for former smokers, Dr. Covey says. She and her colleagues are conducting a Clinic at Columbia University at 212-543-5905.
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