Jennifer Cantrell
Jennifer Cantrell
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Associate Professor of Social and Behavioral Sciences
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Professional overview
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Jennifer Cantrell, DrPH, MPA, is an Associate Professor in the Department of Social and Behavioral Sciences at the NYU School of Global Public Health. Her research investigates emerging trends in tobacco and nicotine use and industry marketing, and explores clinical, countermarketing and policy interventions to diminish tobacco's appeal and promote health equity.
Dr. Cantrell currently leads a National Cancer Institute (NCI)-funded grant (R01CA268932) that uses Multiphase Optimization STrategy (MOST) to optimize cessation treatment for smokers living with HIV in clinical care. This study uses MOST, implementation science and decision analysis to test four interventions targeting multilevel barriers to quitting for people living with HIV, with the aim of developing a cost-effective, scalable and sustainable treatment package delivered in HIV clinical care. In other funded research, Dr. Cantrell uses diverse data sources and methods to explore evolving tobacco and nicotine use patterns and the commercial determinants that drive use. Her research also examines innovative digital counter-marketing strategies with a focus on achieving optimal exposure levels and effective counter-messaging.
Dr. Cantrell is a Co-Investigator with the National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA)-funded R25 training grant on Optimization of Behavioral and Biobehavioral Interventions (PI: Linda Collins). She is Chair of Early Career Faculty Outreach for the NYU Center for the Advancement and Dissemination of Intervention Optimization (CADIO), which trains investigators in intervention optimization methodologies worldwide. She has also served on the Advisory Committees for the Treatment Network and the Health Equity Network for the Society for Research on Nicotine and Tobacco. Dr. Cantrell has published over 70 scientific articles and co-authored a chapter on “Communication, Marketing and Tobacco-related Disparities” in the NCI Monograph 22: A Socioecological Approach to Tobacco-related Disparities. Her research has been published in the American Journal of Public Health, Addiction, Nicotine & Tobacco Research and other leading journals, and featured in media outlets such as The Wall Street Journal, NPR, and The Boston Globe. She also received the highly competitive National Institutes of Health Loan Repayment Program award from the National Institute of Minority Health and Health Disparities for her work on tobacco disparities and health equity.
Prior to joining NYU GPH, Dr. Cantrell was a Managing Director and Scientist at Truth Initiative, a national non-profit research and education organization focused on tobacco use prevention and cessation, where she evaluated and conducted research on national anti-smoking mass media efforts, including the award-winning truth® campaign and the Centers for Disease Control’s Tips for Former Smokers campaign. As part of this work, she led the development of the winning proposal for the 2017 Berreth Award for Excellence in Public Health Communication. She earned her DrPH from Columbia University’s Mailman School of Public Health and her MPA from Columbia University School of International and Public Affairs. She completed postdoctoral training in the NIDA program for Behavioral Science Training in Drug Abuse Research at National Development Research Institutes in New York, NY. -
Areas of research and study
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Alcohol, Tobacco and Driving PoliciesBehavioral ScienceHealth DisparitiesPopulation HealthPublic Health PolicySocial BehaviorsSocial epidemiology
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Publications
Publications
Effects of the truth FinishIt brand on tobacco outcomes
AbstractEvans, W. D., Rath, J. M., Hair, E. C., Snider, J. W., Pitzer, L., Greenberg, M., Xiao, H., Cantrell, J., & Vallone, D. (n.d.).Publication year
2018Journal title
Preventive Medicine ReportsVolume
9Page(s)
6-11AbstractSince 2000, the truth campaign has grown as a social marketing brand. Back then, truth employed branding to compete directly with the tobacco industry. In 2014, the launch of truth FinishIt reflected changes in the brand's strategy, the tobacco control environment, and youth/young adult behavior. Building on a previous validation study, the current study examined brand equity in truth FinishIt, as measured by validated multi-dimensional scales, and tobacco related attitudes, beliefs, and behavior based on two waves of the Truth Longitudinal Cohort data from 2015 and 2016. A fixed effects logistic regression was used to estimate the change in brand equity between panel survey waves 3 and 4 on past 30-day smoking among ever and current smokers. Additional models determined the effects of brand equity predicting tobacco attitudes/use at follow up among the full sample. All analyses controlled for demographic factors. A one-point increase in the brand equity scale between the two waves was associated with a 66% greater chance of not smoking among ever smokers (OR 1.66, CI 1.11–2.48, p < 0.05) and an 80% greater chance of not smoking among current smokers (OR 1.80, CI 1.05–3.10, p < 0.05). Higher overall truth brand equity at wave 3 predicted less smoking at wave 4 and more positive anti-tobacco attitudes. Being male, younger, and non-white predicted some of the tobacco related attitudes. Future research should examine long-term effects of brand equity on tobacco use and how tobacco control can optimize the use of branding in campaigns.Electronic cigarette advertising at the point-of-sale : A gap in tobacco control research
AbstractGanz, O., Cantrell, J., Moon-Howard, J., Aidala, A., Kirchner, T. R., & Vallone, D. (n.d.).Publication year
2015Journal title
Tobacco controlVolume
24Issue
E1Page(s)
e110-e112Abstract~Estimating the Pathways of an Antitobacco Campaign
AbstractHair, E. C., Cantrell, J., Pitzer, L., Bennett, M. A., Romberg, A. R., Xiao, H., Rath, J. M., Halenar, M. J., & Vallone, D. (n.d.).Publication year
2018Journal title
Journal of Adolescent HealthVolume
63Issue
4Page(s)
401-406AbstractPurpose: This study examined mechanisms through which the truth campaign, a national mass media antismoking campaign, influences smoking-related attitudes, and progression of tobacco use over time in youth and young adults. Methods: Structural equation modeling tested causal pathways derived from formative research and behavioral theory with a nationally representative longitudinal sample of 15–21-year-olds (n = 8747) over 24 months. Data were collected from 2014 to 2016, and analyses were conducted in 2017. Results: Greater ad awareness predicted strengthening of attitudes targeted by the campaign (i.e., feelings of independence from tobacco, antitobacco industry sentiment, decreasing acceptance of social smoking, and decreasing acceptance of smoking imagery), and attitude changes were significantly associated with greater support for an antitobacco social movement (e.g., agreement to the item “I would be part of a movement to end smoking”). Greater social movement support predicted a slower rate of progression on smoking intensity after two years of the campaign. Conclusions: Findings suggest that engaging youth and young adults in a cause-based social movement for promoting health can be a powerful strategy to drive positive behavior change. Messages targeting attitudes that resonate with values important to this age group, including independence and connectedness, are particularly effective. Investments in national antitobacco public education campaigns are key policy interventions which continue to help prevent tobacco use among youth and young adults.Evaluation of response to incentive recruitment strategies in a social media-based survey
AbstractIchimiya, M., Muller-Tabanera, H., Cantrell, J., Bingenheimer, J. B., Gerard, R., Hair, E. C., Donati, D., Rao, N., & Evans, W. D. (n.d.).Publication year
2023Journal title
Digital HealthVolume
9AbstractObjective: This study aimed to examine varying incentives on acceptance to participate in an online survey on social media and to identify related demographic factors. Methods: The study used Facebook and targeted its users aged 18 to 24 years in the United States. During recruitment, participants were randomized to one of the three types of incentives for survey completion, (1) a $5 gift card, (2) a lottery for a $200 gift card, and (3) a $5 gift card plus a lottery for a $200 gift card. Acceptance rates for survey participation were compared across three incentives using percentages, 95% logit-transformed confidence intervals, and Pearson’s chi-squared tests. The survey asked about cognition and behaviors around smoking and vaping. Results: The ads had 1,782,931 impressions, 1,104,139 reaches, and 11,878 clicks. The average ad frequency was 1.615, and the click-through rate was 0.67%. Males clicked less than females when seeing the ads. The acceptance rates for the three incentives were 63.7%, 37.2%, and 64.6%, respectively. A Chi-square test confirmed that the lottery-only group had a lower acceptance rate compared to those guaranteed an incentive, including the gift card group and the gift card and lottery group. Further analyses indicated that males did not opt into the survey as often as females when given the lottery-only incentive option, and those who did not meet their financial expenses opted into the survey more often than those who had more money than their expenses when given the lottery-only incentive option. Conclusions: This study suggests that incentives guaranteed to all participants, even if the incentive's value is small, may lead to higher acceptance rates compared to a lottery for a greater incentive in social media-based surveys.Evidence of the impact of the truth finishit campaign
AbstractVallone, D., Cantrell, J., Bennett, M., Smith, A. A., Rath, J. M., Xiao, H., Greenberg, M., & Hair, E. C. (n.d.).Publication year
2018Journal title
Nicotine and Tobacco ResearchVolume
20Issue
5Page(s)
543-551AbstractIntroduction: Over the past decade, public education mass media campaigns have been shown to be successful in changing tobacco-related attitudes, intentions, and behaviors among youth and young adults. In 2014, the national truth® campaign re-launched a new phase of the campaign targeted at a broad audience of youth and young adults, aged 15-21, to help end the tobacco epidemic. Methods: The study sample for this analysis is drawn from the Truth Longitudinal Cohort (TLC), a probability-based, nationally representative cohort designed to evaluate the relationship between awareness of truth media messages and changes in targeted attitudes, beliefs, and behaviors over time. The sample for this study was limited to those with data at baseline and three subsequent follow-up surveys (n = 7536). Results: Logistic regression models indicate that truth ad awareness is significantly associated with increases in targeted anti-tobacco attitudes as well as reduced intentions to smoke over time, holding constant baseline attitudes and intentions. Results also suggest a dose-response relationship in that higher levels of truth ad awareness were significantly associated with higher likelihood of reporting agreement across all five attitudinal constructs: anti-smoking imagery, anti-social smoking sentiment, anti-tobacco social movement, anti-tobacco industry sentiment, and independence. Conclusions: Longitudinal results indicate a significant dose-response relationship between awareness of the new phase of the truth campaign and campaign-targeted attitudes and intentions not to smoke among youth and young adults. Implications: Findings from this study confirm that a carefully designed anti-tobacco public education campaign aimed at youth and young adults is a key population-level intervention within the context of an expanding tobacco product landscape and a cluttered media environment. As tobacco use patterns shift and new products emerge, evidence-based public education campaigns can play a central role in helping the next generation to reject tobacco. Public education mass media campaigns are a key component to changing tobacco use attitudes and behavior, particularly among youth and young adults.Examining differences in cigarette smoking prevalence among young adults across national surveillance surveys
AbstractMesseri, P., Cantrell, J., Mowery, P., Bennett, M., Hair, E., & Vallone, D. (n.d.).Publication year
2019Journal title
PloS oneVolume
14Issue
12AbstractAccurate smoking prevalence data is critical for monitoring, surveillance, and evaluation. However, estimates of prevalence vary across surveys due to various factors. This study examines smoking prevalence estimates for 18–21 year olds across six U.S. national telephone, online and in-person surveys for the years 2013 and 2014. Estimates of ever smoking ranged from 35% to 55%. Current smoking ranged from 16% to 30%. Across the three modalities, household surveys were found to yield the highest estimates of smoking prevalence among 18 to 21 year olds while online surveys yielded the lowest estimates, and this was consistent when stratifying by gender and race/ethnicity. Assessments of the joint effect of gender, race/ethnicity, educational attainment and survey mode indicated that the relative differences in the likelihood of smoking were consistent across modes for gender and education groups. However, the relative likelihood of smoking among minority groups compared with non-Hispanic Whites varied across modes. Gender and racial/ethnic distributions for most surveys significantly differed from the U.S. Census. Over and underrepresentation of certain demographic subpopulations, variations in survey question wording, and social desirability effects may explain modality differences in smoking estimates observed in this study. Further research is needed to evaluate the effect of survey mode on variation in smoking prevalence estimates across national surveys, particularly for young adult populations.Examining perceptions about IQOS heated tobacco product : Consumer studies in Japan and Switzerland
AbstractHair, E. C., Bennett, M., Sheen, E., Cantrell, J., Briggs, J., Fenn, Z., Willett, J. G., & Vallone, D. (n.d.).Publication year
2018Journal title
Tobacco controlVolume
27Page(s)
s70-s73AbstractObjective To examine consumer perceptions, attitudes and behaviours regarding the heated tobacco product, IQOS, as well as to document the product's marketing strategies to determine its potential for appealing to youth and young adults. Method Truth Initiative, in collaboration with Flamingo, collected qualitative data via: (1) expert interviews, (2) semiotic analysis of IQOS packing and marketing materials, and (3) 12 focus groups with adults in Switzerland (ages 19-44 years; June 6-9, 2016) and Japan (ages 20-39 years; June 22-24, 2016) (n=68 for both groups). Results Expert interviews and IQOS packing and marketing analyses revealed the product is being marketed as a clean, chic and pure product, which resonated very well in Japan given the strong cultural values of order, cleanliness, quality and respect for others. Focus groups results indicated Japanese IQOS users used the product for socialising with non-smokers. Focus group participants in both Japan and Switzerland reported lower levels of satisfaction with the product relative to combustible cigarettes, although many found the product packaging to be appealing. While participants identified several benefits and barriers related to IQOS, few reported any potential health benefits of use compared with combustible tobacco products. Conclusion IQOS was marketed as a sophisticated, high tech and aspirational product. Because youth and young adults are more interested in such product positioning, this approach raises some concern about youth appeal. This research shows cultural factors appeared to affect the appeal of this messaging, indicating that prevalence and uptake data will likely not be similar from country to country.Exploring smoking cessation attitudes, beliefs, and practices in occupational health nursing
AbstractGanz, O., Fortuna, G., Weinsier, S., Campbell, K., Cantrell, J., & Furmanski, W. L. (n.d.).Publication year
2015Journal title
Workplace Health and SafetyVolume
63Issue
7Page(s)
288-296AbstractThe purpose of this study was to explore occupational health nurses' attitudes, beliefs, and practices regarding the delivery of smoking cessation services to workers. The study included 707 members of the American Association of Occupational Health Nurses (AAOHN) who completed a one-time survey during the fall of 2012. Results indicated that occupational health nurses believed that evidence-based treatments are at least somewhat effective and that they should provide smoking cessation services to their workers; however, a majority of occupational health nurses reported that they did not have appropriate smoking cessation training or guidelines in their workplaces. Occupational health nurses would benefit from training in the use of smoking cessation guidelines and evidence-based smoking cessation interventions, which could be used in their clinical practice. Employers should ensure that workplace policies, such as providing coverage for cessation services, facilitate smokers' efforts to quit. Employers can benefit from many of these policies through cost savings via reduced health care costs and absenteeism.Geospatial exposure to point-of-sale tobacco : Real-time craving and smoking-cessation outcomes
AbstractKirchner, T. R., Cantrell, J., Anesetti-Rothermel, A., Ganz, O., Vallone, D. M., & Abrams, D. B. (n.d.).Publication year
2013Journal title
American journal of preventive medicineVolume
45Issue
4Page(s)
379-385AbstractBackground: Little is known about the factors that drive the association between point-of-sale marketing and behavior, because methods that directly link individual-level use outcomes to real-world point-of-sale exposure are only now beginning to be developed. Purpose: Daily outcomes during smoking cessation were examined as a function of both real-time geospatial exposure to point-of-sale tobacco (POST) and subjective craving to smoke. Methods: Continuous individual geospatial location data collected over the first month of a smoking-cessation attempt in 2010-2012 (N=475) were overlaid on a POST outlet geodatabase (N=1060). Participants' mobility data were used to quantify the number of times they came into contact with a POST outlet. Participants recorded real-time craving levels and smoking status via ecological momentary assessment (EMA) on cellular telephones. Results: The final data set spanned a total of 12,871 days of EMA and geospatial tracking. Lapsing was significantly more likely on days with any POST contact (OR=1.19, 95% CI=1.18, 1.20), and increasingly likely as the number of daily POST contacts increased (OR=1.07, 95% CI=1.06, 1.08). Overall, daily POST exposure was significantly associated with lapsing when craving was low (OR=1.22, 95% CI=1.20, 1.23); high levels of craving were more directly associated with lapse outcomes. Conclusions: These data shed light on the way mobility patterns drive a dynamic interaction between individuals and the POST environment, demonstrating that quantification of individuals' exposure to POST marketing can be used to identify previously unrecognized patterns of association among individual mobility, the built environment, and behavioral outcomes.GPH's Answer to the Public Health Challenge of Behavior Change: A Paradigm Shift - Invited Panel Speaker on Optimizing Novel Interventions for Quitting Smoking (ONIQS) for People Living with HIV
AbstractCantrell, J. (n.d.).Publication year
2023AbstractMy presentation was part of a 4-person panel focused on intervention optimizationHarnessing Youth and Young Adult Culture : Improving the Reach and Engagement of the truth® Campaign
AbstractHair, E., Pitzer, L., Bennett, M., Halenar, M., Rath, J., Cantrell, J., Dorrler, N., Asche, E., & Vallone, D. (n.d.).Publication year
2017Journal title
Journal of Health CommunicationVolume
22Issue
7Page(s)
568-575AbstractThe national youth and young adult tobacco prevention mass media campaign, truth®, relaunched in 2014 with the goal of creating “the generation that ends smoking.” The objective of this study was to assess whether the strategy of airing truth ads during popular, culturally relevant televised events was associated with higher ad and brand awareness and increases in social media engagement. Awareness of six truth advertisements that aired during popular television events and self-reported social media engagement were assessed via cross-sectional online surveys of youth and young adults aged 15–21 years. Social engagement was also measured using separate Twitter and YouTube metrics. Logistic regression models predicted self-reported social engagement and any ad awareness, and a negative binomial regression predicted the total social media engagement across digital platforms. The study found that viewing a popular televised event was associated with higher odds of ad awareness and social engagement. The results also indicate that levels of social media engagement for an event period are greater than for a nonevent period. The findings demonstrate that premiering advertisements during a popular, culturally relevant televised event is associated with higher awareness of truth ads and increased social engagement related to the campaign, controlling for variables that might also influence the response to campaign messages.History and Current Trends in the Electronic Cigarette Retail Marketplace in the United States : 2010-2016
AbstractCantrell, J., Huang, J., Greenberg, M., Willett, J., Hair, E., & Vallone, D. (n.d.).Publication year
2021Journal title
Nicotine and Tobacco ResearchVolume
22Issue
5Page(s)
843-847AbstractIntroduction: The US market for electronic nicotine delivery systems (ENDS) has grown rapidly in the last decade. There is limited published evidence examining changes in the ENDS marketplace prior to the US Food and Drug Administration's (FDA) deeming rule in 2016. This study describes US ENDS retail market trends from 2010 to 2016. Methods: National data were obtained from Nielsen retail scanners for five product types: (1) disposables, (2) rechargeables, (3) cartridge replacements, (4) e-liquid bottle refills, and (5) specialty vapor products. We examined dollar sales, volume, price, brand, and flavor. Results: Adjusted national sales increased from $11.6 million in 2010 to $751.2 million in 2016. The annual rate of sales growth rapidly increased before slowing through 2015. The rate of growth spiked in 2016. Market share for menthol products and other assorted flavors increased from 20% in 2010 to 52.1% by 2016. NJOY's early market dominance shifted as tobacco industry brands entered the market and eventually captured 87.8% of share by 2016. Rechargeables and accompanying products comprised an increased proportion of total volume sold over time while disposable volume declined. Specialty vapor products appeared at retail in 2015. Conclusions: Findings show strong early growth in the ENDS retail market followed by considerable slowing over time, despite a slight uptick in 2016. Trends reflect shifts to flavored products, newer generation "open-system"devices, lower prices, and tobacco industry brands. This study provides a baseline against which to compare the impact of FDA's 2016 deeming rule and future actions on the ENDS marketplace. Implications: This study uses market scanner data from US retail outlets to describe trends in the ENDS retail market from 2010 to 2016, providing a baseline against which to compare the impact of FDA's 2016 deeming rule and future actions on the ENDS marketplace. Understanding historical market trends is valuable in assessing how future regulatory efforts and advances in ENDS technology may impact industry response and consumer uptake and use.HIV Status and Use of Menthol among a Nationally Representative Sample of Current Smokers
AbstractCantrell, J. (n.d.).Publication year
2024AbstractAbstract submitted in August of 2023 and accepted in November of 2023 for 2024 Society of Research on Nicotine and Tobacco Annual Scientific ConferenceImpact of e-cigarette and cigarette prices on youth and young adult e-cigarette and cigarette behaviour : Evidence from a national longitudinal cohort
AbstractCantrell, J., Huang, J., Greenberg, M. S., Xiao, H., Hair, E. C., & Vallone, D. (n.d.).Publication year
2020Journal title
Tobacco controlVolume
29Issue
4Page(s)
374-380AbstractIntroduction Understanding the impact of prices for tobacco and nicotine products is critical for creating policies to prevent use among young people. This study examines the impact of electronic cigarette (e-cigarette) and cigarette prices on current e-cigarette and cigarette use among youth and young adults. Methods Data were from a national probability-based sample aged 15-21 collected in 2014 and followed every 6 months for 2.5 years through 2016. We conducted separate conditional likelihood logistic regression models with past 30-day e-cigarette use and past 30-day cigarette use outcomes on the sample of individuals who participated in at least two survey waves (n=11 578) with linked Nielsen market-level price data for rechargeable e-cigarettes and cigarettes. Models controlled for time-varying variables at the individual and state policy levels, and fixed effects at the individual, wave and market levels. Results Higher cigarette prices were associated with increased past 30-day e-cigarette use, indicating e-cigarettes may serve as a substitute for cigarettes. We did not find a statistically significant relationship between rechargeable e-cigarette prices and past 30-day e-cigarette use; neither did we find a significant relationship between rechargeable e-cigarette prices and past 30-day cigarette smoking. Conclusion This is the first study to examine e-cigarette and cigarette prices on e-cigarette and cigarette behaviour longitudinally among young people. Findings suggest the need for better measuring the costs associated with e-cigarette use among this population, as well as a careful assessment of price and tax policies that takes into account cross-product impact to sufficiently discourage e-cigarette and cigarette use among young people.Impact of Tobacco-Related Health Warning Labels across Socioeconomic, Race and Ethnic Groups : Results from a Randomized Web-Based Experiment
AbstractCantrell, J., Vallone, D. M., Thrasher, J. F., Nagler, R. H., Feirman, S. P., Muenz, L. R., He, D. Y., & Viswanath, K. (n.d.).Publication year
2013Journal title
PloS oneVolume
8Issue
1AbstractBackground: The U.S. Family Smoking Prevention and Tobacco Control Act of 2009 requires updating of the existing text-only health warning labels on tobacco packaging with nine new warning statements accompanied by pictorial images. Survey and experimental research in the U.S. and other countries supports the effectiveness of pictorial health warning labels compared with text-only warnings for informing smokers about the risks of smoking and encouraging cessation. Yet very little research has examined differences in reactions to warning labels by race/ethnicity, education or income despite evidence that population subgroups may differ in their ability to process health information. The purpose of the present study was to evaluate the potential impact of pictorial warning labels compared with text-only labels among U.S. adult smokers from diverse racial/ethnic and socioeconomic subgroups. Methods/Findings: Participants were adult smokers recruited from two online research panels (n = 3,371) into a web-based experimental study to view either the new pictorial warnings or text-only warnings. Participants viewed the labels and reported their reactions. Adjusted regression models demonstrated significantly stronger reactions for the pictorial condition for each outcome salience (b = 0.62, pImplementation of a multimodal mobile system for point-of-sale surveillance : Lessons learned from case studies in washington, dc, and new york city
AbstractCantrell, J., Ganz, O., Ilakkuvan, V., Tacelosky, M., Kreslake, J., Moon-Howard, J., Aidala, A., Vallone, D., Anesetti-Rothermel, A., & Kirchner, T. R. (n.d.).Publication year
2015Journal title
JMIR Public Health and SurveillanceVolume
1Issue
2AbstractBackground: In tobacco control and other fields, point-of-sale surveillance of the retail environment is critical for understanding industry marketing of products and informing public health practice. Innovations in mobile technology can improve existing, paper-based surveillance methods, yet few studies describe in detail how to operationalize the use of technology in public health surveillance. Objective: The aims of this paper are to share implementation strategies and lessons learned from 2 tobacco, point-of-sale surveillance projects to inform and prepare public health researchers and practitioners to implement new mobile technologies in retail point-of-sale surveillance systems. Methods: From 2011 to 2013, 2 point-of-sale surveillance pilot projects were conducted in Washington, DC, and New York, New York, to capture information about the tobacco retail environment and test the feasibility of a multimodal mobile data collection system, which included capabilities for audio or video recording data, electronic photographs, electronic location data, and a centralized back-end server and dashboard. We established a preimplementation field testing process for both projects, which involved a series of rapid and iterative tests to inform decisions and establish protocols around key components of the project. Results: Important components of field testing included choosing a mobile phone that met project criteria, establishing an efficient workflow and accessible user interfaces for each component of the system, training and providing technical support to fieldworkers, and developing processes to integrate data from multiple sources into back-end systems that can be utilized in real-time. Conclusions: A well-planned implementation process is critical for successful use and performance of multimodal mobile surveillance systems. Guidelines for implementation include (1) the need to establish and allow time for an iterative testing framework for resolving technical and logistical challenges; (2) developing a streamlined workflow and user-friendly interfaces for data collection; (3) allowing for ongoing communication, feedback, and technology-related skill-building among all staff; and (4) supporting infrastructure for back-end data systems. Although mobile technologies are evolving rapidly, lessons learned from these case studies are essential for ensuring that the many benefits of new mobile systems for rapid point-of-sale surveillance are fully realized.Implementing a fax referral program for quitline smoking cessation services in urban health centers : A qualitative study
AbstractCantrell, J., & Shelley, D. (n.d.).Publication year
2009Journal title
BMC Family PracticeVolume
10AbstractBackground. Fax referral services that connect smokers to state quitlines have been implemented in 49 U.S. states and territories and promoted as a simple solution to improving smoker assistance in medical practice. This study is an in-depth examination of the systems-level changes needed to implement and sustain a fax referral program in primary care. Methods. The study involved implementation of a fax referral system paired with a chart stamp prompting providers to identify smoking patients, provide advice to quit and refer interested smokers to a state-based fax quitline. Three focus groups (n = 26) and eight key informant interviews were conducted with staff and physicians at two clinics after the intervention. We used the Chronic Care Model as a framework to analyze the data, examining how well the systems changes were implemented and the impact of these changes on care processes, and to develop recommendations for improvement. Results. Physicians and staff described numerous benefits of the fax referral program for providers and patients but pointed out significant barriers to full implementation, including the time-consuming process of referring patients to the Quitline, substantial patient resistance, and limitations in information and care delivery systems for referring and tracking smokers. Respondents identified several strategies for improving integration, including simplification of the referral form, enhanced teamwork, formal assignment of responsibility for referrals, ongoing staff training and patient education. Improvements in Quitline feedback were needed to compensate for clinics' limited internal information systems for tracking smokers. Conclusions. Establishing sustainable linkages to quitline services in clinical sites requires knowledge of existing patterns of care and tailored organizational changes to ensure new systems are prioritized, easily integrated into current office routines, formally assigned to specific staff members, and supported by internal systems that ensure adequate tracking and follow up of smokers. Ongoing staff training and patient self-management techniques are also needed to ease the introduction of new programs and increase their acceptability to smokers.Individual mobility patterns and real-time geo-spatial exposure to point-of-sale tobacco marketing
AbstractKirchner, T. R., Cantrell, J., Anesetti-Rothermel, A., Pearson, J., Cha, S., Kreslake, J., Ganz, O., Tacelosky, M., Abrams, D. S., & Vallone, D. (n.d.).Publication year
2012AbstractHealth-related behaviors occur as part of a broad socio-ecological context that unfolds dynamically over time. Yet systematic quantification of the way individuals come into contact with health-related features in their local environment remains a difficult challenge. Doing so requires a multi-tiered approach that integrates both individual geo-location data and comprehensive community-level information about health-related features in the local built environment. This report describes the implementation of a system for quantification of real-time exposure to point-of-sale tobacco marketing via mobile phone geo-location tracking. Individual mobility patterns from a longitudinal cohort of DC residents (N=486) were overlaid on an existing community-level point-of-sale surveillance geodatabase (N=1,080 stores). Participants were DC residents who carried a geolocation tracking device over the first 8-weeks of a smoking cessation attempt. Tracking data were then used to produce a mobility "signature," physically linking each person to their surrounding point-of-sale marketing environment in real-time. Results demonstrate the dynamic nature of an individuals' experience of the point-of-sale environment. We identify substantial between-person differences in tobacco product pricing exposure, and find that these correspond to clusters of individuals whose price exposures vary systematically over time of day. These data suggest that perceptions of the point-of-sale environment as relatively static fail to account for the mobility and preferences of individuals as they actively engage with their neighborhoods over time.It's getting late: improving completion rates in a hard-to-reach sample
AbstractCantrell, J., Bennett, M., Thomas, R. K., Rath, J. M., Hair, E. C., & Vallone, D. (n.d.).Publication year
2018Journal title
Survey PracticeAbstract~Longitudinal association between e-cigarette use and respiratory symptoms among US adults : Findings from the Population Assessment of Tobacco and Health Study Waves 4–5
AbstractKarey, E., Xu, S., He, P., Niaura, R. S., Cleland, C. M., Stevens, E. R., Sherman, S. E., El-Shahawy, O., Cantrell, J., & Jiang, N. (n.d.).Publication year
2024Journal title
PloS oneVolume
19Issue
2 FebruaryAbstractBackground We assessed longitudinal effects of e-cigarette use on respiratory symptoms in a nationally representative sample of US adults by combustible tobacco smoking status. Methods We analyzed Waves 4–5 public-use data from the Population Assessment of Tobacco and Health Study. Study sample included adult respondents who reported no diagnosis of respiratory diseases at Wave 4, and completed Waves 4–5 surveys with no missing data on analytic variables (N = 15,291). Outcome was a validated index of functionally important respiratory symptoms based on 7 wheezing/cough questions (range 0–9). An index score of 2 was defined as having important respiratory symptoms. Weighted lagged logistic regression models were performed to examine the association between e-cigarette use status at Wave 4 (former/current vs. never use) and important respiratory symptoms at Wave 5 by combustible tobacco smoking status (i.e., never/former/current smokers), adjusting for Wave 4 respiratory symptom index, sociodemographic characteristics, secondhand smoke exposure, body mass index, and chronic disease. Results Among current combustible tobacco smokers, e-cigarette use was associated with increased odds of reporting important respiratory symptoms (former e-cigarette use: adjusted odds ratio [AOR] = 1.39, 95% confidence interval [CI]: 1.07–1.81; current e-cigarette use: AOR = 1.55, 95% CI: 1.17–2.06). Among former combustible tobacco smokers, former e-cigarette use (AOR = 1.51, 95% CI: 1.06–2.15)—but not current e-cigarette use (AOR = 1.59, 95% CI: 0.91–2.78)—was associated with increased odds of important respiratory symptoms. Among never combustible tobacco smokers, no significant association was detected between e-cigarette use and important respiratory symptoms (former e-cigarette use: AOR = 1.62, 95% CI: 0.76–3.46; current e-cigarette use: AOR = 0.82, 95% CI: 0.27–2.56). Conclusions The association between e-cigarette use and respiratory symptoms varied by combustible tobacco smoking status. Current combustible tobacco smokers who use e-cigarettes have an elevated risk of respiratory impairments.Longitudinal associations between e-cigarette use and respiratory symptoms among US adults: findings from the Population Assessment of Tobacco and Health Study
AbstractKarey, E., Xu, S., He, P., Niaura, R., Cleland, C., Stevens, E., Sherman, S., El-Shahawy, O., Cantrell, J., & Jiang, N. (n.d.).Publication year
2024Journal title
PLoS OneVolume
19Issue
2Page(s)
e0299834AbstractWe assessed longitudinal effects of e-cigarette use on respiratorysymptoms in a nationally representative sample of US adults by combustible tobaccosmoking status. We analyzed Waves 4-5 public-use data from the Population Assessment of Tobacco and Health Study. Study sample included adult respondents who reported nohistory of respiratory diseases at Wave 4, and completed Waves 4-5 surveys with nomissing data on analytic variables (N = 15,291). Outcome was a validated index offunctionally important respiratory symptoms based on 7 wheezing/cough questions(range 0-9). An index score of ≥2 was defined as having important respiratorysymptoms. Weighted lagged logistic regression models were performed to examine theassociation between e-cigarette use status at Wave 4 (former/current vs. never use)and important respiratory symptoms at Wave 5 by combustible tobacco smoking status(i.e., never/former/current smokers), adjusting for Wave 4 respiratory symptom index,sociodemographic characteristics, secondhand smoke exposure, body mass index,and chronic disease. Among current combustible tobacco smokers, e-cigarette use was associated with increased odds of reporting important respiratory symptoms (former e-cigarette use: adjusted odds ratio [AOR] = 1.39, 95% confidence interval [CI]: 1.07 – 1.81; current e-cigarette use: AOR = 1.55, 95% CI: 1.17 – 2.06). Among former combustible tobacco smokers, former e-cigarette use (AOR = 1.51, 95% CI: 1.06 – 2.15) — but not current e-cigarette use (AOR = 1.59, 95% CI: 0.91 – 2.78) — was associated with increased odds of important respiratory symptoms. Among never combustible tobacco smokers, no significant association was detected between e-cigarette use andimportant respiratory symptoms (former e-cigarette use: AOR = 1.62, 95% CI: 0.76 –3.46; current e-cigarette use: AOR = 0.82, 95% CI: 0.27 – 2.56). The association between e-cigarette use and respiratory symptoms varied by combustible tobacco smoking status. Current combustible tobacco smokers who use e-cigarettes have an elevated risk of respiratory impairments.Marketing little cigars and cigarillos : Advertising, price, and associations with neighborhood demographics
AbstractCantrell, J., Kreslake, J. M., Ganz, O., Pearson, J. L., Vallone, D., Anesetti-Rothermel, A., Xiao, H., & Kirchner, T. R. (n.d.).Publication year
2013Journal title
American journal of public healthVolume
103Issue
10Page(s)
1902-1909AbstractObjectives. We have documented little cigar and cigarillo (LCC) availability, advertising, and price in the point-of-sale environment and examined associations with neighborhood demographics. Methods. We used a multimodal real-time surveillance system to survey LCCs in 750 licensed tobacco retail outlets that sold tobacco products in Washington, DC. Using multivariate models, we examined the odds of LCC availability, the number of storefront exterior advertisements, and the price per cigarillo for Black & Mild packs in relation to neighborhood demographics. Results. The odds of LCC availability and price per cigarillo decreased significantly in nearly a dose-response manner with each quartile increase in proportion of African Americans. Prices were also lower in some young adult neighborhoods. Having a higher proportion of African American and young adult residents was associated with more exterior LCC advertising. Conclusions. Higher availability of LCCs in African American communities and lower prices and greater outdoor advertising in minority and young adult neighborhoods may establish environmental triggers to smoke among groups susceptible to initiation, addiction, and long-term negative health consequences.Metropolitan Social Environments and Pre-HAART/HAART Era Changes in Mortality Rates (per 10,000 Adult Residents) among Injection Drug Users Living with AIDS
AbstractFriedman, S. R., West, B. S., Pouget, E. R., Hall, H. I., Cantrell, J., Tempalski, B., Chatterjee, S., Hu, X., Cooper, H. L., Galea, S., & Des Jarlais, D. (n.d.).Publication year
2013Journal title
PloS oneVolume
8Issue
2AbstractBackground: Among the largest US metropolitan areas, trends in mortality rates for injection drug users (IDUs) with AIDS vary substantially. Ecosocial, risk environment and dialectical theories suggest many metropolitan areas characteristics that might drive this variation. We assess metropolitan area characteristics associated with decline in mortality rates among IDUs living with AIDS (per 10,000 adult MSA residents) after highly active antiretroviral therapy (HAART) was developed. Methods: This is an ecological cohort study of 86 large US metropolitan areas from 1993-2006. The proportional rate of decline in mortality among IDUs diagnosed with AIDS (as a proportion of adult residents) from 1993-1995 to 2004-2006 was the outcome of interest. This rate of decline was modeled as a function of MSA-level variables suggested by ecosocial, risk environment and dialectical theories. In multiple regression analyses, we used 1993-1995 mortality rates to (partially) control for pre-HAART epidemic history and study how other independent variables affected the outcomes. Results: In multivariable models, pre-HAART to HAART era increases in 'hard drug' arrest rates and higher pre-HAART income inequality were associated with lower relative declines in mortality rates. Pre-HAART per capita health expenditure and drug abuse treatment rates, and pre- to HAART-era increases in HIV counseling and testing rates, were weakly associated with greater decline in AIDS mortality. Conclusions: Mortality among IDUs living with AIDS might be decreased by reducing metropolitan income inequality, increasing public health expenditures, and perhaps increasing drug abuse treatment and HIV testing services. Given prior evidence that drug-related arrest rates are associated with higher HIV prevalence rates among IDUs and do not seem to decrease IDU population prevalence, changes in laws and policing practices to reduce such arrests while still protecting public order should be considered.Mobile marketing : An emerging strategy to promote electronic nicotine delivery systems
AbstractCantrell, J., Ganz, O., Emelle, B., Moore, R., Rath, J., Hair, E. C., & Vallone, D. (n.d.).Publication year
2017Journal title
Tobacco controlVolume
26Issue
e2Page(s)
E148-E150Abstract~Multiphase Optimization STrategy (MOST) to Optimize a Cost-effective, Sustainable, Scalable Smoking Cessation Package for HIV Clinical Care
AbstractCantrell, J. (n.d.).Publication year
2023Abstract~