#6786TOBACCO ABUSE BY US TROOPS IN IRAQ TWICE NATIONAL AVERAGE(Tuesday, October 28, 2:30 PM EST)
The prevalence of tobacco use by US military deployed to Iraq is more than twice the national average. Researcher Michael A. Wilson of the United States Navy surveyed 408 Marines and sailors deployed in Iraq to assess the prevalence of tobacco abuse and usage patterns related to service. Overall, 260 (64 percent) of the Marines and sailors surveyed used some form of tobacco. Of those, 213 (52 percent) smoked cigarettes, 145 (36 percent) used smokeless tobacco (dip, chew), and 98 (24 percent) used both. For all tobacco abusers, 74 percent expressed a desire to quit using tobacco. Researchers conclude that the prevalence of tobacco abuse during deployment to Iraq is significantly higher than the national average of 29.6 percent reported in a 2006 national survey. The rate of usage also was higher than the 38.9 percent reported for troops returning from Iraq, based on a 2004 survey.
#6973NEW YORK SMOKERS FEEL IMPACT OF STATE TOBACCO CONTROL PROGRAM(Tuesday, October 28, 2:30 PM EST)
New York residents who smoke are feeling the effects of the tobacco reduction strategies imposed by the New York Department of Health Tobacco Control Program (DOH-TCP). In a recent survey, researchers from North Shore-LIJ Center for Tobacco Control asked 277 New York residents attending a smoking cessation program why they intended to quit smoking. Of the participants, 33 percent of women and 8 percent of men cited greater social pressure to quit smoking, while 42 percent of women and 26 percent of men wanted to quit due to odor from tobacco use. Thirty percent of men and 17 percent of women reported wanting to quit because of pressure from their doctor, while 29 percent of men and 34 percent of women are quitting due to high cigarette prices. Furthermore, 16 percent of men and 11 percent of women cited quitting because there are fewer places where smoking is still permitted. Researchers conclude that the strategies imposed by the DOH-TCP, including increasing cigarette taxes, banning smoking at work, and educating health-care providers and the public about tobacco dependence, are having an impact on smokers in New York.
#7183SMOKING LINKED TO PULMONARY FIBROSIS IN MEN(Wednesday, October 29, 1:00 PM EST)
Swedish researchers have identified a strong association between smoking and the development of idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF) in men. The research team investigated a national sample of 172 patients with severe pulmonary fibrosis, of which 133 were judged as having IPF, as well as 745 randomly sampled control subjects from the general population. All participants answered a postal questionnaire about their smoking habits. Results showed that men who smoked were 3.5 times more likely to develop severe pulmonary fibrosis compared with control subjects.