David B Abrams
David Abrams
Scroll
Professor of Social and Behavioral Sciences
-
Professional overview
-
Dr. David Abrams' career focuses on systems and social learning frameworks to inform population health enhancement. He has experience in testing theory, research design, measuring mechanisms of behavior change and outcome, and evaluating clinical trials (behavioral and pharmacological). His interests span topics from basic bio-behavioral mechanisms and clinical treatments to policy across risk factors and behaviors (e.g. tobacco/nicotine; alcohol, obesity, co-morbidity of medical and mental health), disease states (cancer; cardiovascular; HIV-AIDS), levels (biological, individual, organizational, worksite, community, global, and internet based), populations and disparities. His interests converge in the domain of implementation science to cost-efficiently inform evidence-based public health practice and policymaking.
Through transdisciplinary and translational research strategies, Dr. Abrams provides scientific leadership in tobacco control. His current focus is in strengthening global and United States tobacco and nicotine management strategies. Deaths of 1 billion smokers are estimated by 2100 caused overwhelmingly by use of combustible (smoked) tobacco products, not nicotine. Harm minimization is a key overarching systems strategy to speed the net public health benefit of emergent disruptive technologies for cleaner nicotine delivery. The goal is more rapid elimination of preventable deaths, disease burdens, and the widening gap in health disparities driven disproportionately by disparities in smoking.
Dr. Abrams was a professor and founding director of the Centers for Behavioral and Preventive Medicine at Brown University Medical School. He then directed the Office of Behavioral and Social Sciences Research at the National Institutes of Health (NIH). Until 2017, he was Professor of Health Behavior and Society at Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health and the founding Executive Director of the Schroeder National Institute of Tobacco Research and Policy Studies at Truth Initiative (formerly the American Legacy Foundation).
Dr. Abrams has published over 250 peer reviewed scholarly articles and been a Principal Investigator on numerous NIH grants. He is lead author of The Tobacco Dependence Treatment Handbook: A Guide to Best Practices. He has served on expert panels at NIH and National Academies of Sciences, Engineering and Medicine on Obesity, Alcohol Misuse and Ending the Tobacco Problem: A Blueprint for the Nation. He has also served on the Board of Scientific Advisors of the National Cancer Institute (NIH-NCI) and was President of the Society of Behavioral Medicine.
For a complete list of Dr. Abrams' published work, click here.
-
Education
-
BSc (Hons), Psychology and Computer Science, University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, South AfricaMS, Clinical Psychology, Rutgers University, New Brunswick, NJPhD, Clinical Psychology, Rutgers University, New Brunswick, NJPostdoctoral Fellow, Brown Medical School, Providence, RI
-
Honors and awards
-
Research Laureate Award, American Academy of Health Behavior (2014)Joseph W. Cullen Memorial Award for Tobacco Research, American Society for Preventive Oncology (2008)Distinguished Alumni Award: Rutgers University, The Graduate School, New Brunswick, NJ (2007)The Musiker-Miranda Distinguished Service Award, American Psychological Association (2006)Distinguished Service Award, Society of Behavioral Medicine (2006)Outstanding Research Mentor Award, Society of Behavioral Medicine (2006)Book of the Year Award: Tobacco Dependence Treatment Handbook. American Journal of Nursing (2005)Distinguished Scientist Award, Society of Behavioral Medicine (1998)
-
Areas of research and study
-
Behavioral ScienceChronic DiseasesEvaluationsImplementation and Impact of Public Health RegulationsImplementation sciencePopulation HealthPublic Health PedagogyPublic Health SystemsResearch DesignSystems IntegrationSystems InterventionsTobacco ControlTranslational science
-
Publications
Publications
Menthol brand switching among adolescents and young adults in the national youth smoking cessation survey
AbstractVillanti, A. C., Giovino, G. A., Barker, D. C., Mowery, P. D., Sevilimedu, V., & Abrams, D. B. (n.d.).Publication year
2012Journal title
American journal of public healthVolume
102Issue
7Page(s)
1310-1312AbstractThis study examines patterns of menthol and nonmenthol cigarette use from 2003 to 2005 in a cohort of smokers, aged 16 to 24 years in the National Youth Smoking Cessation Survey. At follow-up, 15.0% of baseline menthol smokers had switched to nonmentholated cigarettes; by contrast, 6.9% of baseline nonmenthol smokers had switched to mentholated cigarettes. Differences in switching patterns were evident by gender, race/ethnicity, parental education, and smoking frequency. These data support previous evidence that young smokers start with mentholated cigarettes and progress to nonmentholated cigarettes.Patterns of tobacco use and dual use in US young adults: The missing link between youth prevention and adult cessation
AbstractRath, J. M., Villanti, A. C., Abrams, D. B., & Vallone, D. M. (n.d.).Publication year
2012Journal title
Journal of Environmental and Public HealthVolume
2012AbstractFew studies address the developmental transition from youth tobacco use uptake to regular adulthood use, especially for noncigarette tobacco products. The current study uses online panel data from the Legacy Young Adult Cohort Study to describe the prevalence of cigarette, other tobacco product, and dual use in a nationally representative sample of young adults aged 18-34 (N = 4,201). Of the 23 of young adults who were current tobacco users, 30 reported dual use. Ever use, first product used, and current use were highest for cigarettes, cigars, little cigars, and hookah. Thirty-two percent of ever tobacco users reported tobacco product initiation after the age of 18 and 39 of regular users reported progressing to regular use during young adulthood. This study highlights the need for improved monitoring of polytobacco use across the life course and developing tailored efforts for young adults to prevent progression and further reduce overall population prevalence.The role of public policies in reducing smoking: The minnesota simsmoke tobacco policy model
AbstractLevy, D. T., Boyle, R. G., & Abrams, D. B. (n.d.).Publication year
2012Journal title
American journal of preventive medicineVolume
43Issue
5Page(s)
S179-S186AbstractBackground: Following the landmark lawsuit and settlement with the tobacco industry, Minnesota pursued the implementation of stricter tobacco control policies, including tax increases, mass media campaigns, smokefree air laws, and cessation treatment policies. Modeling is used to examine policy effects on smoking prevalence and smoking-attributable deaths. Purpose: To estimate the effect of tobacco control policies in Minnesota on smoking prevalence and smoking-attributable deaths using the SimSmoke simulation model. Methods: Minnesota data starting in 1993 are applied to SimSmoke, a simulation model used to examine the effect of tobacco control policies over time on smoking initiation and cessation. Upon validating the model against smoking prevalence, SimSmoke is used to distinguish the effect of policies implemented since 1993 on smoking prevalence. Using standard attribution methods, SimSmoke also estimates deaths averted as a result of the policies. Results: SimSmoke predicts smoking prevalence accurately between 1993 and 2011. Since 1993, a relative reduction in smoking rates of 29% by 2011 and of 41% by 2041 can be attributed to tobacco control policies, mainly tax increases, smokefree air laws, media campaigns, and cessation treatment programs. Moreover, 48,000 smoking-attributable deaths will be averted by 2041. Conclusions: Minnesota SimSmoke demonstrates that tobacco control policies, especially taxes, have substantially reduced smoking prevalence and smoking-attributable deaths. Taxes, smokefree air laws, mass media, cessation treatment policies, and youth-access enforcement contributed to the decline in prevalence and deaths averted, with the strongest component being taxes. With stronger policies, for example, increasing cigarette taxes to $4.00 per pack, Minnesota's smoking rate could be reduced by another 13%, and 7200 deaths could be averted by 2041.A randomized controlled trial of cognitive-behavioral treatment for depression versus relaxation training for alcohol-dependent individuals with elevated depressive symptoms
AbstractBrown, R. A., Ramsey, S. E., Kahler, C. W., Palm, K. M., Monti, P. M., Abrams, D., Dubreuil, M., Gordon, A., & Miller, I. W. (n.d.).Publication year
2011Journal title
Journal of Studies on Alcohol and DrugsVolume
72Issue
2Page(s)
286-296AbstractObjective: A previous pilot study found positive outcomes among alcohol-dependent individuals with elevated depressive symptoms who received cognitive-behavioral treatment for depression (CBT-D; n = 19) compared with a relaxation training control (RTC; n = 16). The current study represents a replication of this pilot study using a larger sample size and a longer follow-up assessment period. Method: Patients entering a partial hospital drug and alcohol treatment program who met criteria for alcohol dependence and elevated depressive symptoms (Beck Depression Inventory score ≥ 15) were recruited and randomly assigned to receive eight individual sessions of CBT-D (n = 81) or RTC (n = 84). Results: There were significant improvements in depressive and alcohol use outcomes over time for all participants. Compared with RTC, the CBT-D condition had significantly lower levels of depressive symptoms, as measured by the Beck Depression Inventory, at the 6-week follow-up. However, this effect was inconsistent because there were no differences in the Modified Hamilton Rating Scale for Depression between conditions at that time point and there were no significant differences at any other follow-up. No significant between-group differences on alcohol use outcomes were found. Conclusions: The current findings did not replicate the positive outcomes observed in the CBT-D condition in our previous pilot study. Possible explanations for why these findings were not replicated are discussed, as are theoretical and clinical implications of using CBT-D in alcohol treatment.A randomized trial of internet and telephone treatment for smoking cessation
AbstractGraham, A. L., Cobb, N. K., Papandonatos, G. D., Moreno, J. L., Kang, H., Tinkelman, D. G., Bock, B. C., Niaura, R. S., & Abrams, D. B. (n.d.).Publication year
2011Journal title
Archives of Internal MedicineVolume
171Issue
1Page(s)
46-53AbstractBackground: This study aimed to determine the relative effect of Internet and Internet plus telephone treatment for smoking cessation on smoking abstinence among US adults. A priori hypotheses were that Internet enhanced with tailored content and social support would outperform basic Internet (BI) and that enhanced Internet (EI) plus proactive telephone counseling would outperform the other conditions. Methods: The Quit Using Internet and Telephone Treatment (iQUITT) study used a 3-group randomized controlled design comparing BI, EI, and EI and telephone combined (EI+P). The trial was conducted from March 8, 2005, through November 30, 2008. Current adult smokers in the United States who smoked 5 or more cigarettes per day were recruited via search engines. Characteristics of the 2005 participants include mean (SD) age of 35.9 (10.8) years, 51.1% women, and 86.5% white. The follow-up assessment rate at 18 months was 68.2%. The main outcome measure was 30-day point prevalence abstinence measured at 3, 6, 12, and 18 months after randomization using intent-to-treat analysis. Results: At 18 months, the 30-day multiple point prevalence abstinence rate across all follow-up intervals was 3.5% (BI), 4.5% (EI), and 7.7% (EI+P), with EI+P significantly outperforming BI and EI. At 18 months, 30-day single point prevalence abstinence rates were 19.0% (BI), 17.4% (EI), and 19.6% (EI+P) and did not differ among the groups. Conclusions: Combined Internet and telephone treatment outperforms static and dynamic Internet interventions. Trial Registration: clinicaltrials.gov Identifier: NCT00282009.Biography
Abrams, D. (n.d.). In M. Gellman & J. Turner (Eds.), Encyclopedia of Behavioral Medicine (1–).Publication year
2011Development and validation of the online social support for smokers scale
AbstractGraham, A. L., Papandonatos, G. D., Kang, H., Moreno, J. L., & Abrams, D. B. (n.d.).Publication year
2011Journal title
Journal of medical Internet researchVolume
13Issue
3Page(s)
e69AbstractBackground: Social networks play an important role in smoking. Provision of social support during cessation is a cornerstone of treatment. Online social networks for cessation are ubiquitous and represent a promising modality for smokers to receive and provide the support necessary for cessation. There are no existing measures specific to online social support for smoking cessation. Objective: The objective was to develop a measure of social support to be used in online smoking cessation treatment research. Methods: Initial items for the Online Social Support for Smokers Scale (OS4) were based on existing theory and scales delineated in various taxonomies. Preliminary field analysis (N = 73) was conducted on 23 initial items to optimize the scale. Further development was conducted on a refined 15-item scale in the context of a large randomized trial of Internet and telephone cessation treatment with follow-ups at 3, 6, 12, and 18 months. In all, 1326 participants were randomized to an enhanced Internet arm that included a large online social network; psychometric analyses employed 3-month follow-up data from those reporting use of the enhanced Internet intervention at least once (n = 873). Items were subjected to a factor analysis, and the internal consistency reliability of the scale was examined along with construct and criterion validity. Other measures used in the study included demographics, nicotine dependence, partner support for cessation, general social support, social integration, stress, depression, health status, online community use, Internet use behaviors, intervention satisfaction, and 30-day point prevalence abstinence. Results: The final 12-item OS4 scale demonstrated high internal consistency reliability (Cronbach alphas .86-.89) across demographic and smoking strata of interest. The OS4 also demonstrated good construct and criterion validity, with the directionality of the observed associations providing support for most a priori hypotheses. Significant Pearson correlations were observed between the OS4 and the Partner Interaction Questionnaire (PIQ) Positive subscale (ρ = .24, P< .001). As hypothesized, participants with the highest OS4 scores were more likely to have actively participated in the enhanced Internet community and to have high levels of satisfaction with the enhanced Internet intervention. In logistic regression analyses, the OS4 was highly predictive of 30-day point-prevalence abstinence at 6, 12, and 18 months (all P values <.001). The odds of abstinence at 6 months rose by 48% for each standard unit increase in online social support (95% confidence interval [CI] 1.17 - 1.71), dropping only slightly to 37% at 12 and 18 months (95% CI 1.17 - 1.59). Conclusions: The OS4 is a brief, reliable, and valid instrument for measuring online social support for smoking cessation. Results should be replicated and extended, but this study suggests the OS4 can be used to advance theory, understand mechanisms, and potentially help to improve the tailoring of Internet-based smoking cessation treatments. It can also inspire development of similar measures for other online health-related intervention research.Food and drug administration regulation of tobacco: Integrating science, law, policy, and advocacy
Villanti, A. C., Vargyas, E. J., Niaura, R. S., Beck, S. E., Pearson, J. L., & Abrams, D. B. (n.d.).Publication year
2011Journal title
American journal of public healthVolume
101Issue
7Page(s)
1160-1162Modeling the future effects of a menthol ban on smoking prevalence and smoking-attributable deaths in the United States
AbstractLevy, D. T., Pearson, J. L., Villanti, A. C., Blackman, K., Vallone, D. M., Niaura, R. S., & Abrams, D. (n.d.).Publication year
2011Journal title
American journal of public healthVolume
101Issue
7Page(s)
1236-1240AbstractWe used a validated smoking simulation model and data from the 2003 Tobacco Use Supplement to the Current Population Survey to project the impact that a US menthol ban would have on smoking prevalence and smoking-attributable deaths. In a scenario in which 30% of menthol smokers quit and 30% of those who would have initiated as menthol smokers do not initiate, by 2050 the relative reduction in smoking prevalence would be 9.7% overall and 24.8% for Blacks; deaths averted would be 633252 overall and 237317 for Blacks.Online social networks and smoking cessation: A scientific research agenda
AbstractCobb, N. K., Graham, A. L., Byron, M. J., Niaura, R. S., Abrams, D. B., Workshop Participants, P., & Workshop Participants, P. (n.d.).Publication year
2011Journal title
Journal of medical Internet researchVolume
13Issue
4AbstractBackground: Smoking remains one of the most pressing public health problems in the United States and internationally. The concurrent evolution of the Internet, social network science, and online communities offers a potential target for high-yield interventions capable of shifting population-level smoking rates and substantially improving public health. Objective: Our objective was to convene leading practitioners in relevant disciplines to develop the core of a strategic research agenda on online social networks and their use for smoking cessation, with implications for other health behaviors. Methods: We conducted a 100-person, 2-day, multidisciplinary workshop in Washington, DC, USA. Participants worked in small groups to formulate research questions that could move the field forward. Discussions and resulting questions were synthesized by the workshop planning committee. Results: We considered 34 questions in four categories (advancing theory, understanding fundamental mechanisms, intervention approaches, and evaluation) to be the most pressing. Conclusions: Online social networks might facilitate smoking cessation in several ways. Identifying new theories, translating these into functional interventions, and evaluating the results will require a concerted transdisciplinary effort. This report presents a series of research questions to assist researchers, developers, and funders in the process of efficiently moving this field forward.Positive reactions to tobacco predict relapse after cessation
AbstractStrong, D. R., Leventhal, A. M., Evatt, D. P., Haber, S., Greenberg, B. D., Abrams, D., & Niaura, R. (n.d.).Publication year
2011Journal title
Journal of abnormal psychologyVolume
120Issue
4Page(s)
999-1005AbstractAmong chronic smokers, individual differences in subjective reactions to smoking may characterize important facets of nicotine dependence that relate to abstinence-induced craving, withdrawal symptom profiles, and risk for relapse. Although the negative reinforcing properties of smoking have achieved prominent positions in models of relapse (Baker, Brandon, & Chassin, 2004), vulnerability to relapse risk may also arise from seeking positive reinforcement from smoking (Shiffman & Kirchner, 2009). In this study, 183 cessation-motivated smokers provided subjective craving, positive and negative reactions to standardized cigarettes following overnight abstinence. Level of craving, negative mood, and positive mood after overnight abstinence were significantly predictive of withdrawal on quit-day. Increased positive reactions to smoking were uniquely predictive of relapse after quitting (Hazard Ratio = 1.22, p < .001). Individual differences in positive reactions to smoking may be important markers of neurobiological systems that promote dependence and interfere with cessation efforts.Quit attempts and quit rates among menthol and nonmenthol smokers in the United States
AbstractLevy, D. T., Blackman, K., Tauras, J., Chaloupka, F. J., Villanti, A. C., Niaura, R. S., Vallone, D. M., & Abrams, D. B. (n.d.).Publication year
2011Journal title
American journal of public healthVolume
101Issue
7Page(s)
1241-1247AbstractObjectives: We compared quit attempts and quit rates among menthol and nonmenthol cigarette smokers in the United States. Methods: We used data from the 2003 and 2006-2007 waves of the large, nationally representative Tobacco Use Supplement to the Current Population Survey with control for state-level tobacco control spending, prices, and smokefree air laws. We estimated mean prevalence, quit rates, and multivariate logistic regression equations by using self-respondent weights for menthol and nonmenthol smokers. Results: In 2003 and 2007, 70% of smokers smoked nonmenthol cigarettes, 26% smoked menthol cigarettes, and 4% had no preference. Quit attempts were 4.3% higher in 2003 and 8.8% higher in 2007 among menthol than nonmenthol smokers. The likelihood of quitting was 3.5% lower for quitting in the past year and 6% lower for quitting in the past 5 years in menthol compared with nonmenthol smokers. Quit success in the past 5 years was further eroded among menthol-smoking Blacks and young adults. Conclusions: Menthol smokers are more likely to make quit attempts, but are less successful at staying quit. The creation of menthol preference through marketing may reduce quit success.US attitudes about banning menthol in cigarettes: Results from a nationally representative survey
AbstractWinickoff, J. P., McMillen, R. C., Vallone, D. M., Pearson, J. L., Tanski, S. E., Dempsey, J. H., Healton, C., Klein, J. D., & Abrams, D. (n.d.).Publication year
2011Journal title
American journal of public healthVolume
101Issue
7Page(s)
1234-1236AbstractMenthol is a cigarette flavoring that makes smoking more appealing to smokers. The US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has regulatory authority to ban mentholated cigarettes to reduce youth uptake and encourage adult cessation. Survey findings indicate that more than half of all Americans (56.1%) and of Blacks alone (68.0% in one sample and 75.8% in another) support banning menthol. Endorsement of a ban-especially by Blacks, who have the highest rates of menthol cigarette use-would support FDA action to ban menthol to protect the public's health.Boosting Population Quits Through Evidence-Based Cessation Treatment and Policy
AbstractAbrams, D. B., Graham, A. L., Levy, D. T., Mabry, P. L., & Orleans, C. T. (n.d.).Publication year
2010Journal title
American journal of preventive medicineVolume
38Issue
3Page(s)
S351-363AbstractOnly large increases in adult cessation will rapidly reduce population smoking prevalence. Evidence-based smoking-cessation treatments and treatment policies exist but are underutilized. More needs to be done to coordinate the widespread, efficient dissemination and implementation of effective treatments and policies. This paper is the first in a series of three to demonstrate the impact of an integrated, comprehensive systems approach to cessation treatment and policy. This paper provides an analytic framework and selected literature review that guide the two subsequent computer simulation modeling papers to show how critical leverage points may have an impact on reductions in smoking prevalence. Evidence is reviewed from the U.S. Public Health Service 2008 clinical practice guideline and other sources regarding the impact of five cessation treatment policies on quit attempts, use of evidence-based treatment, and quit rates. Cessation treatment policies would: (1) expand cessation treatment coverage and provider reimbursement; (2) mandate adequate funding for the use and promotion of evidence-based state-sponsored telephone quitlines; (3) support healthcare systems changes to prompt, guide, and incentivize tobacco treatment; (4) support and promote evidence-based treatment via the Internet; and (5) improve individually tailored, stepped-care approaches and the long-term effectiveness of evidence-based treatments. This series of papers provides an analytic framework to inform heuristic simulation models in order to take a new look at ways to markedly increase population smoking cessation by implementing a defined set of treatments and treatment-related policies with the potential to improve motivation to quit, evidence-based treatment use, and long-term effectiveness.Exploring scenarios to dramatically reduce smoking prevalence: A simulation model of the three-part cessation process
AbstractLevy, D. T., Mabry, P. L., Graham, A. L., Orleans, C. T., & Abrams, D. B. (n.d.).Publication year
2010Journal title
American journal of public healthVolume
100Issue
7Page(s)
1253-1259AbstractObjectives. We used a simulation model to analyze whether the Healthy People 2010 goal of reducing smoking prevalence from the current 19.8% rate to 12% by 2010 could be accomplished by increasing quit attempts, increasing the use of treatments, or increasing the effectiveness of treatment. Methods. We expanded on previous versions of the tobacco control simulation model SimSmoke to assess the effects of an Increase in quit attempts, treatment use, and treatment effectiveness to reduce smoking prevalence. In the model, we considered increases in each of these parameters individually and in combination. Results. Individually, 100% increases in quit attempts, treatment use, and treatment effectiveness reduced the projected 2020 prevalence to 13.9%, 16.7%, and 15.9%, respectively. With a combined 100% increase in all components, the goal of a 12% adult smoking prevalence could be reached by 2012. Conclusions. If we are to come close to reaching Healthy People 2010 goals in the foreseeable future, we must not only induce quit attempts but also increase treatment use and effectiveness. Simulation models provide a useful tool for evaluating tne potential to reach public health targets.Interdisciplinary health sciences and health systems
Terpstra, J., Best, A., Abrams, D., & Moor, G. (n.d.). In R. Frodeman, C. Mitcham, & J. Klein (Eds.), Oxford Handbook of Interdisciplinarity (1–).Publication year
2010Menthol and non-menthol smoking: The impact of prices and smoke-free air laws
AbstractTauras, J. A., Levy, D., Chaloupka, F. J., Villanti, A., Niaura, R. S., Vallone, D., & Abrams, D. B. (n.d.).Publication year
2010Journal title
AddictionVolume
105Page(s)
115-123AbstractAims To examine the relationship between menthol and non-menthol prices and smoke-free air laws and the choice between menthol and non-menthol cigarettes among current smokers. Design, setting and participants Data were extracted from the nationally representative (USA) 2003 and 2006/07 Tobacco Use Supplements to the Current Population Survey. A total of 57383 adult smokers (aged 18+) were examined. Measurements A regression model was used to estimate the probability of being a menthol smoker conditional on being a current smoker who had a distinct preference for either non-menthol or menthol cigarettes. Cigarette prices, smoke-free air laws and socio-economic and demographic characteristics were examined as covariates. Findings The prices of menthol and non-menthol cigarettes were associated with the choice between menthol and non-menthol cigarettes. However, smokers did not find menthol and non-menthol cigarettes to be close substitutes for one another. Non-menthol cigarettes were found to be less of a substitute for menthol cigarettes than vice versa. Young adults and African Americans were less responsive to prices with respect to switching between menthol and non-menthol cigarettes than were older adults and non-African Americans, respectively. Conclusions The US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) is grappling with the issue of whether or not to ban menthol cigarettes. The findings from this study suggest that smokers do not find menthol and non-menthol cigarettes to be close substitutes. The strong preference for mentholated cigarettes may serve as a lever to reduce smoking prevalence when combined with increased access to effective cessation treatments.Modeling the Impact of Smoking-Cessation Treatment Policies on Quit Rates
AbstractLevy, D. T., Graham, A. L., Mabry, P. L., Abrams, D. B., & Orleans, C. T. (n.d.).Publication year
2010Journal title
American journal of preventive medicineVolume
38Issue
3Page(s)
S364-372AbstractBackground: Smoking-cessation treatment policies could yield substantial increases in adult quit rates in the U.S. Purpose: The goals of this paper are to model the effects of individual cessation treatment policies on population quit rates, and to illustrate the potential benefits of combining policies to leverage their synergistic effects. Methods: A mathematical model is updated to examine the impact of five cessation treatment policies on quit attempts, treatment use, and treatment effectiveness. Policies include: (1) expand cessation treatment coverage and provider reimbursement; (2) mandate adequate funding for the use and promotion of evidence-based, state-sponsored telephone quitlines; (3) support healthcare system changes to prompt, guide, and incentivize tobacco treatment; (4) support and promote evidence-based treatment via the Internet; and (5) improve individually tailored, stepped-care approaches and the long-term effectiveness of evidence-based treatments. Results: The annual baseline population quit rate is 4.3% of all current smokers. Implementing any policy in isolation is projected to increase the quit rate to between 4.5% and 6%. By implementing all five policies in combination, the quit rate is projected to increase to 10.9%, or 2.5 times the baseline rate. Conclusions: If fully implemented in a coordinated fashion, cessation treatment policies could reduce smoking prevalence from its current rate of 20.5% to 17.2% within 1 year. By modeling the policy impacts on the components of the population quit rate (quit attempts, treatment use, treatment effectiveness), key indicators are identified that need to be analyzed in attempts to improve the effect of cessation treatment policies.Novel nicotine delivery systems and public health: The rise of the "E-Cigarette"
Cobb, N. K., Byron, M. J., Abrams, D. B., & Shields, P. G. (n.d.).Publication year
2010Journal title
American journal of public healthVolume
100Issue
12Page(s)
2340-2342Reaching Healthy People 2010 by 2013. A SimSmoke Simulation
AbstractLevy, D. T., Mabry, P. L., Graham, A. L., Orleans, C. T., & Abrams, D. B. (n.d.).Publication year
2010Journal title
American journal of preventive medicineVolume
38Issue
3Page(s)
S373-S381AbstractBackground: Healthy People (HP2010) set as a goal to reduce adult smoking prevalence to 12% by 2010. Purpose: This paper uses simulation modeling to examine the effects of three tobacco control policies and cessation treatment policies-alone and in conjunction-on population smoking prevalence. Methods: Building on previous versions of the SimSmoke model, the effects of a defined set of policies on quit attempts, treatment use, and treatment effectiveness are estimated as potential levers to reduce smoking prevalence. The analysis considers the effects of (1) price increases through cigarette tax increases, (2) smokefree indoor air laws, (3) mass media/educational policies, and (4) evidence-based and promising cessation treatment policies. Results: Evidence-based cessation treatment policies have the strongest effect, boosting the population quit rate by 78.8% in relative terms. Treatment policies are followed by cigarette tax increases (65.9%); smokefree air laws (31.8%); and mass media/educational policies (18.2%). Relative to the status quo in 2020, the model projects that smoking prevalence is reduced by 14.3% through a nationwide tax increase of $2.00, by 7.2% through smokefree laws, by 4.7% through mass media/educational policies, and by 16.5% through cessation treatment policies alone. Implementing all of the above policies at the same time would increase the quit rate by 296%, such that the HP2010 smoking prevalence goal of 12% is reached by 2013. Conclusions: The impact of a combination of policies led to some surprisingly positive possible futures in lowering smoking prevalence to 12% within just several years. Simulation models can be a useful tool for evaluating complex scenarios in which policies are implemented simultaneously, and for which there are limited data.Relationships of personality and psychiatric disorders to multiple domains of smoking motives and dependence in middle-aged adults
AbstractKahler, C. W., Leventhal, A. M., Daughters, S. B., Clark, M. A., Colby, S. M., Ramsey, S. E., Boergers, J., Abrams, D. B., Niaura, R., & Buka, S. L. (n.d.).Publication year
2010Journal title
Nicotine and Tobacco ResearchVolume
12Issue
4Page(s)
381-389AbstractIntroduction: Individual differences in psychopathology and personality may associate with dependence on smoking for specific motivational reasons. However, the associations among psychopathology, personality, and smoking dependence and motives have not been examined simultaneously in studies to date, leaving it unclear whether specific patterns of affective and behavioral functioning are associated with specific aspects of smoking dependence. Methods: The present study examined these associations in 296 current smokers aged 35-43 years. Smoking dependence and motives were assessed with structured interview, the Fagerström Test for Nicotine Dependence, and the Wisconsin Inventory of Smoking Dependence Motives. Results: Regardless of the measure of smoking dependence tested, a lifetime history of major depression and high levels of trait stress reaction were consistently related to greater current smoking dependence severity. Substance dependence showed significant associations with some measures of smoking dependence but had relatively few effects when entered in models along with depression history and trait stress reaction. In multivariate models, alcohol dependence and conduct disorder history did not show unique significant associations with smoking dependence nor did trait aggression, alienation, control, or harm avoidance. Discussion: Results indicate little specificity in the associations of particular psychiatric diagnoses or personality traits with specific self-reported facets of smoking dependence. It appears that orga general vulnerability to depression and negative emotions is the most robust indicator of vulnerability to high levels of self-reported smoking dependence, regardless of which dimensions of smoking dependence are analyzed.Smoking-cessation interventions for U.S. young adults: A systematic review
AbstractVillanti, A. C., McKay, H. S., Abrams, D. B., Holtgrave, D. R., & Bowie, J. V. (n.d.).Publication year
2010Journal title
American journal of preventive medicineVolume
39Issue
6Page(s)
564-574AbstractContext: Studies have demonstrated the importance of quitting smoking before age 30 years to avoid tobacco-related mortality but little attention has been paid to developing evidence-based smoking-cessation interventions for young adults, as distinct from adolescents and older-aged adults. The objective of this study was to conduct a systematic review of smoking-cessation interventions for U.S. young adults (aged 1824 years). Evidence acquisition: Electronic searches were conducted in CINAHL, the Cochrane Library, EMBASE, PsycINFO, PubMed, Scopus, and Sociological Abstracts to identify eligible interventions through August 31, 2009. Two independent coders critically evaluated the methodology and findings of all retrieved articles. Data analysis was conducted in 2010. Evidence synthesis: Twelve RCTs and two nonrandomized studies met the inclusion criteria; these studies varied with respect to sample size, intervention, outcomes assessed, and smoking measures. Pooled results for two studies based on social cognitive theory indicated that they were effective in promoting short-term abstinence at 13-month follow-up and 46-month follow-up. Four studies had a significant positive impact on smoking cessation: two in the short term and two at 6 months or more. Conclusions: There is limited evidence demonstrating efficacy of smoking-cessation interventions for U.S. young adults. There were no pharmacologic interventions included in this review. Promising interventions were brief, with extended support via telephone and electronic media. Further high-quality studies using standardized smoking measures and additional studies outside the college setting are needed to identify and tailor effective smoking-cessation interventions for at-risk young adults in the U.S.Social network structure of a large online community for smoking cessation
AbstractCobb, N. K., Graham, A. L., & Abrams, D. B. (n.d.).Publication year
2010Journal title
American journal of public healthVolume
100Issue
7Page(s)
1282-1289AbstractObjectives. We evaluated the social network structure of QuitNet, one of the largest online communities for behavior change, and compared its characteristics to other known social networks. Methods. Using modern network analysis methods, we identified QuitNet members who were active during a 60-day period, along with their ties. We then derived multiple subgroups, such as key players and integrators, from connections and communication patterns. Results. Among 7569 participants, we identified 103592 connections to other members. Metrics of social network integration were associated with increased likelihood of being female, being older, having been in the system longer, and not smoking. Conclusions. The QuitNet community is a large-scale social network with the characteristics required for sustainability of social support and social influence to promote smoking cessation and abstinence. These characteristics include persistence of members over time, heterogeneity of smoking status, and evidence of rich, bidirectional communications. Some of the influential subgroups we identified may provide targets for future network-level Interventions.A prospective study of weight gain during the college freshman and sophomore years
Lloyd-Richardson, E., Bailey, S., Fava, J., Wing, R., & Abrams, D. (n.d.).Publication year
2009Journal title
American Journal of Preventive MedicineVolume
48Issue
3Page(s)
256-61Negative affect, stress, and smoking in college students: unique associations independent of alcohol and marijuana use
Magid, V., Colder, C., Stroud, L., Nichter, M., Nichter, M., & Abrams, D. (n.d.).Publication year
2009Journal title
Addictive BehaviorsVolume
34Issue
11Page(s)
973-5