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
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, pMarketing 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.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.Effects of a smoking cessation intervention in a homeless population : A pilot study
AbstractShelley, D., Cantrell, J., Wong, S., & Warn, D. (n.d.).Publication year
2010Journal title
American Journal of Health BehaviorVolume
34Issue
5Page(s)
544-552AbstractObjective: To test the feasibility and effect of a smoking cessation intervention among sheltered homeless. Methods: Homeless smokers were enrolled in a 12-week group counseling program plus pharmacotherapy (n=58). Results: The mean number of sessions attended was 7.2; most participants used at least one type of medication (67%); and 75% completed 12-week end-of-treatment surveys. Carbon-monoxide-verified abstinence rates at 12 and 24 weeks were 15.5% and 13.6% respectively. Conclusion: Results support the feasibility of enrolling and retaining sheltered homeless in a smoking cessation program. Counseling plus pharmacotherapy options may be effective in helping sheltered homeless smokers quit.The effect of linking community health centers to a state-level smoker's quitline on rates of cessation assistance
AbstractShelley, D., & Cantrell, J. (n.d.).Publication year
2010Journal title
BMC health services researchVolume
10AbstractBackground. Smoking cessation quitlines are an effective yet largely untapped resource for clinician referrals. The aim of this study was to assess the effect of a fax referral system that links community health centers (CHCs) with the New York State Quitline on rates of provider cessation assistance. Methods. This study was conducted in four CHCs using a quasi experimental study design. Two comparison sites offered usual care (expanded vital sign chart stamp that prompted providers to ask about tobacco use, advice smokers to quit, assess readiness, and offer assistance (4As)) and two intervention sites received the chart stamp plus an office-based fax referral link to the New York State Quitline. The fax referral system links patients to a free proactive telephone counseling service. Provider adherence to the 4 As was assessed with 263 pre and 165 post cross sectional patient exit interviews at all four sites. Results. Adherence to the 4As increased significantly over time in the intervention sites with no change from baseline in the comparison sites. Intervention sites were 2.4 (p < .008) times more likely to provide referrals to the state Quitline over time than the comparison sites and 1.8 (p < .001) times more likely to offer medication counseling and/or a prescription. Conclusions. Referral links between CHCs and state level telephone quitlines may facilitate the provision of cessation assistance by offering clinicians a practical method for referring smokers to this effective service. Further studies are needed to confirm the efficacy of fax referral systems and to identify implementation strategies that work to facilitate the utilization of these systems across a wide range of clinical settings.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.Purchasing patterns and smoking behaviors after a large tobacco tax increase : A study of Chinese Americans living in New York City
AbstractCantrell, J., Hung, D., Fahs, M. C., & Shelley, D. (n.d.).Publication year
2008Journal title
Public Health ReportsVolume
123Issue
2Page(s)
135-146AbstractObjectives. Tobacco taxes are one of the most effective policy interventions to reduce tobacco use. Tax avoidance, however, lessens the public health benefits of higher-priced cigarettes. Few studies examine responses to cigarette tax policies, particularly among high-risk minority populations. This study examined the prevalence and correlates of tax avoidance and changes in smoking behaviors among Chinese American smokers in New York City after a large tax increase. Methods. We conducted a cross-sectional study with data for 614 male smokers from in-person and telephone interviews using a comprehensive householdbased survey of 2,537 adults aged 18-74 years. Interviews were conducted in multiple Chinese dialects. Results. A total of 54.7% of respondents reported engaging in at least one low- or no-tax strategy after the New York City and New York State tax increases. The more common strategies for tax avoidance were purchasing cigarettes from a private supplier/importer and purchasing duty free/overseas. Higher consumption, younger age, and number of years in the U.S. were consistently associated with engaging in tax avoidance. Younger and heavier continuing smokers were less likely to make a change in smoking behavior in response to the tax increase. Despite high levels of tax avoidance and varying prices, nearly half of continuing smokers made a positive change in smoking behavior after the tax increase. Conclusions. Expanded legislation and enforcement must be directed toward minimizing the availability of legal and illegal low- or no-tax cigarette outlets. Public education and cessation assistance customized for the Chinese American community is key to maximizing the effectiveness of tobacco tax policies in this population.Shelley et al. respond
AbstractCantrell, J., Shelley, D., Cantrell, M. J., Moon-Howard, J., Ramjohn, D. Q., & VanDevanter, N. (n.d.).Publication year
2008Journal title
American journal of public healthVolume
98Issue
1Page(s)
5Abstract~The $5 man : The underground economic response to a large cigarette tax increase in New York City
AbstractShelley, D., Cantrell, J., Moon-Howard, J., Ramjohn, D. Q., & Van Devanter, N. L. (n.d.).Publication year
2007Journal title
American journal of public healthVolume
97Issue
8Page(s)
1483-1488AbstractObjectives. We examined the mechanisms by which living in a disadvantaged minority community influences smoking and illegal cigarette sale and purchasing behaviors after a large cigarette tax increase. Methods. Data were collected from 14 focus groups (n=104) that were conducted during the spring of 2003 among Blacks aged 18 years and older living in New York City. Results. A large tax increase led to what focus group participants described as a pervasive illegal cigarette market in a low-income minority community. Perceived pro-smoking community norms, a stressful social and economic environment, and the availability of illegal cigarettes worked together to reinforce smoking and undermine cessation. Conclusions. Although interest in quitting was high, bootleggers created an environment in which reduced-price cigarettes were easier to access than cessation services. This activity continues to undermine the public health goals of the tax increase.Physician and dentist tobacco use counseling and adolescent smoking behavior : Results from the 2000 National Youth Tobacco Survey
AbstractShelley, D., Cantrell, J., Faulkner, D., Haviland, L., Healton, C., & Messeri, P. (n.d.).Publication year
2005Journal title
PediatricsVolume
115Issue
3Page(s)
719-725AbstractObjective. The present study describes patterns of tobacco use counseling among physicians and dentists as reported by adolescents and determines the association between provider advice to quit and cessation activities among current smokers. Methods. Data were analyzed from the 2000 National Youth Tobacco Survey, an anonymous, self-administered, school-based survey. The National Youth Tobacco Survey was administered to a nationally representative sample of 35 828 students in grades 6 to 12 in 324 schools. Results. Thirty-three percent of adolescents who visited a physician or a dentist in the past year reported that a physician counseled them about the dangers of tobacco use, and 20% reported that a dentist provided a similar message. Among students who smoked in the past year, 16.4% received advice to quit from a physician and 11.6% received advice to quit from a dentist. Physician or dentist advice to quit was correlated with 1 or more quit attempts in the past 12 months. Conclusion. On the basis of adolescent reports, physician and dentist practice patterns remain well below recommended guidelines. Results suggest that provider advice to quit is associated with cessation activity. Additional studies are needed to confirm whether the low prevalence of brief provider tobacco use counseling is a missed opportunity to affect adolescent smoking behavior.Peer mentors’ perceptions of barriers and facilitators to cessation for people living with HIV who smoke
AbstractCantrell, J., Rahman, F., Srivastava, M., & Safi, Z. (n.d.).Abstract~Using Multiphase Optimization STrategy to optimize a cost-effect, sustainable and scalable smoking cessation package for smokers in HIV clinical care
AbstractCantrell, J. (n.d.).Abstract~