Medicine and Health Sciences Commons^™

Are There Differences In The Smoking Identities Of Adolescents Boys And Girls?, Chizimuzo T.C. Okoli, Iris Torchalla, Pamela A. Ratner, Joy L. Johnson

Chizimuzo T.C. Okoli

Purpose:

To assess sex-disaggregated differences in youth characterizations of their own smoking behaviour

Background:

•Smoking identities represent psychosocial constructions of how adolescents who smoke perceive themselves in relation to their smoking behaviour (e.g, ex-smoker, social smoker, occasional smoker, e.t.c.)

•These smoking identities converge (or diverge) with established taxonomies used to describe youth smoking behaviour

•Few quantitative studies have examined differences in smoking identity between boys and girls

Is Exposure To Peer And Family Smoking Associated With Youths' Initial Smoking Experiences?, Chizimuzo T.C. Okoli, Chris G. Richardson, Joy L. Johnson

Chizimuzo T.C. Okoli

Background:

- Peers and family member’s smoking is associated with adolescent smoking.

- Sensitivity to the initial smoking experience, determined by positive (for e.g., feeling relaxed, high, and good) and/or negative (for e.g., feeling nervous, sick, coughing) symptoms upon initial smoking experimentation, is also associated with youth smoking.

- However, the effect of peer and family member’s smoking on the initial smoking experiences of adolescents has not been previously studied.

- We present the findings of a cross-sectional analysis assessing the association between exposure to smoking from peers and family members on the symptoms of the initial smoking experience of …

Assessing Secondhand Tobacco Smoke Exposure Among Persons With Severe And Persistent Mental Illness, Chizimuzo T.C. Okoli, Joy L. Johnson, Leslie Malchy

Chizimuzo T.C. Okoli

Background

• Secondhand tobacco smoke (SHS) exposure increases the risk for cancer, respiratory illness, and cardiovascular disease.

• Individuals with severe and persistent mental illness (SPMI) have a higher smoking prevalence than the general population, placing them at increased risk for related morbidity and mortality.

• Given the higher smoking prevalence in this population, the risk for SHS exposure among smokers and nonsmokers with SPMI should be an issue of concern. Yet, SHS exposure in this population is understudied.

• The purpose of our study was to examine the correlates of SHS exposure in this population. Our specific aims were …

The Tobacco Dependence Clinic (Tdc): Providing Smoking Cessation For A Drug Treatment Population, Milan Khara, Chizimuzo T.C. Okoli, Deanna Barlow, Catherine Hanley

Chizimuzo T.C. Okoli

BACKGROUND: Drug treatment populations are disproportionately affected by tobacco use morbidity and mortality. However, with adequate intervention, individuals in drug treatment settings can succeed in their efforts towards smoking cessation. The Tobacco Dependence Clinic (TDC) is a program that provides smoking cessation counseling and pharmacotherapy for clients through the Addiction Services program of the Vancouver Coastal Health Authority, British Columbia, Canada. OBJECTIVES: To a) describe smoking cessation services and programs provided by the TDC, and b) evaluate 26 week smoking cessation outcomes of drug treatment clients in the TDC. METHODS: Participants of the TDC program receive a structured 8 week …

Smoking Cessation And Drug Treatment: Identifying Gaps, Milan Khara, Chizimuzo T.C. Okoli, Ric M. Procyshyn, Joy Johnson, Alasdair Barr, Lorraine Greaves

Chizimuzo T.C. Okoli

BACKGROUND: An estimated 70% - 90% of individuals in drug treatment con-currently smoke cigarettes. Although individuals in drug treatment settings are motivated and can succeed in smoking cessation, there is still a lack of systematic knowledge regarding the long-term abstinence, methods employed for successful cessation, and the barriers to smoking cessation in this population.

OBJECTIVES: To: a) describe types of smoking cessation interventions (i.e., cognitive-behavioral and/or pharmacotherapy) employed in drug treatment settings, b) determine the effectiveness of such interventions, and c) identify gaps in knowledge regarding smoking cessation interventions among the drug treatment populations

METHODS: A comprehensive review of the …

Action Required: Revisiting Better Practices In Smoking Cessation Interventions For Pregnant Girls And Women, Chizimuzo T.C. Okoli, Lorraine Greaves, Joan Bottorff, Lenora Marcellus, Charmaine Enns, Richard Stanwick

Chizimuzo T.C. Okoli

Background

Despite considerable medical and research attention, smoking in pregnancy remains a serious public health problem, especially among young and disadvantaged women in high income countries and general populations of women in low and middle income countries. Facilitating successful and enduring smoking cessation during pregnancy and preventing relapse is therefore an ongoing public health challenge globally

Objectives

This Canadian project is aimed at better breaking the cycle of smoking during pregnancy, or quitting and relapsing during postpartum; especially for young, disadvantaged women. Equally, it will address the apparent blockages to effective uptake by health professionals, of research evidence and better …

Are Adolescents Smoking Identities Valid Descriptors Of Their Smoking Behaviour?, Chizimuzo T.C. Okoli, Chris G. Richardson, Pamela A. Ratner, Joy L. Johnson

Chizimuzo T.C. Okoli

Background: Studies have raised concerns regarding mismatches between researchers’ and adolescents’ characterizations of youth smoking behaviour; which may impede tobacco use prevention and cessation programs to reach their intended youth audience. Understanding how youth’s characterize their own smoking behaviour is an important factor for designing tailored interventions.

Objective: To address observations that youths’ smoking identities are valid descriptors of their smoking behaviour we examined the relationships between youths’ self-reported smoking identities, their perceived levels of addiction, and established taxonomies of smoking behaviour.

Methods: Cross-sectional data were collected on demographics, perceived extent of addiction to tobacco, smoking history, and self-reported smoking …