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Biomedical subjects

K Ahijevych

Publications and source records attributed to K Ahijevych.

18 recordsLinked to original sources
PubMed2001

Exercise training and smoking cessation as the cornerstones of managing claudication.

Based on research, the classic recommendation to prevent progression of lower extremity peripheral arterial disease (PAD) is "start exercising and stop smoking." Unfortunately, a paramount problem for clinicians is motivating targeted individuals to begin and adhere to an exercise regimen and quit smoking. The purpose of this review is to provide the most current information regarding exercise training and smoking cessation. It is hoped that this article will help health care professionals present accurate information to their patients with PAD, address the difficulties in lifestyle change, and intervene effectively.

Exercise Therapy↗
PubMed2000

Descriptive outcomes of the American Lung Association of Ohio hypnotherapy smoking cessation program.

Hypnosis smoking cessation treatment is one type of program available to smokers. This paper describes a large randomly selected sample from such a program, which has not been previously reported. During 1997, 2,810 smokers participated in single-session, group hypnotherapy smoking cessation programs sponsored by the American Lung Association of Ohio. A randomly selected sample of 452 participants completed telephone interviews 5 to 15 months after attending a treatment session. Twenty-two percent of participants (n = 101) reported not smoking during the month prior to the interview. Use of other smoking cessation strategies since the treatment session were assessed. Interestingly, only 20% of participants who used pharmaceutical products to assist with smoking cessation took them for the recommended treatment duration. Hypnotherapy smoking cessation treatment offers an alternative cessation method, which may meet the unique needs of certain individuals.

Adult↗
PubMed2000

The impact of a brief intervention on maternal smoking behavior.

OBJECTIVE: To determine if mothers receiving a smoking cessation intervention emphasizing health risks of environmental tobacco smoke (ETS) for their children have a higher quit rate than 1) mothers receiving routine smoking cessation advice or 2) a control group. DESIGN: Randomized, controlled trial. SETTING: Primary care center in a large urban children's hospital. INTERVENTION: Four hundred seventy-nine mothers were randomly assigned to a smoking cessation intervention either aimed at their child's health or their own health, or to a control group receiving safety information. OUTCOME MEASURES: Smoking status, stage of change, cigarettes/day, location smoking occurred, and knowledge of ETS effects. RESULTS: Complete data (baseline and both follow-ups) were available for 166 subjects. There was no impact of group assignment on the quit rate, cigarettes/day, or stage of change. The Child Health Group intervention had a sustained effect on location where smoking reportedly occurred (usually outside) and on improved knowledge of ETS effects. CONCLUSIONS: Further research is needed to devise more effective methods of using the pediatric health care setting to influence adult smoking behaviors.

Adult↗
PubMed1999

Nicotine metabolism variability and nicotine addiction.

Individual variation in nicotine metabolism may play a role in a person's level of smoking, as well as in the transition from initiation to maintenance of a smoking behavior pattern. Since there is a paucity of research on nicotine metabolism in youth that smoke, a brief review of salient aspects of nicotine metabolism in adults provides a basis from which to extrapolate. We do know that factors influencing the rate of nicotine metabolism include differences in nicotine intake and absorption, inhalation patterns, genetic polymorphisms of pertinent enzymes, as well as daily activities such as meal consumption. Variability is illustrated with differences in cotinine levels identified in African-American and Caucasian women and in menthol and nonmenthol smokers. There are a number of areas where more information to improve understanding the initiation and maintenance of smoking behavior is needed. Characterization of nicotine metabolism and smoking topography in youth from multiple ethnic groups who are engaged in smoking initiation is currently lacking. Important measures of smoke constituent exposure such as carbon monoxide, nicotine and cotinine, as well as puff volume and duration and respiratory movements should be addressed. While there are numerous factors that impact initiation and maintenance of smoking behavior, nicotine metabolism may represent one important aspect.

Absorption↗
PubMed1998

Smoking behaviors of women whose children attend an urban pediatric primary care clinic.

OBJECTIVE: To characterize smoking behaviors of caregivers whose children attend a large urban pediatric primary care center. DESIGN: Descriptive survey. Women (n = 479) classified as smokers completed a questionnaire including demographics, smoking habits, measures of addiction, social reinforcers for smoking, attitudes and knowledge, other health and safety habits, and the pediatrician's role in smoking cessation counseling. RESULTS: Of 1421 women surveyed, 36.6% (517) were classified as daily smokers. Four hundred and seventy-nine (93%) were enrolled in the study. Thirty-eight (7%) refused or were ineligible. Smokers differed significantly from non-smokers, with smokers more likely to have lower incomes (p<.03), lower educational attainment (p<.001), and were more likely to be white than non-smokers (p<.001). The average smoker smoked 14 cigarettes per day for 10 years. Half of the subjects had not considered quitting smoking in the near future. The majority of subjects (66%) lived with at least one other smoker, and reported that more than half of their friends smoked. Most (79%) participants agreed that pediatricians should give smoking cessation advice to parents of their patients. However, only 19% recalled being counseled to quit, and 55% recalled their child's doctor discussing the danger of environmental tobacco smoke. CONCLUSION: The pediatric visit is an excellent opportunity for identifying women who smoke. Efforts to assist women with smoking cessation in similar settings will need to take into account their poverty and the high degree of social support for their continued smoking.

Adult↗
PubMed1997

Nicotine dependence and smoking topography among black and white women.

Nicotine dependence is a complex phenomenon involving behavioral, biological, and pharmacological components that influence smoking cessation rates. The purpose of this study was to characterize the multidimensional aspects of nicotine dependence and cigarette smoking topography behaviors among Black and White women smokers. Thirty-seven women participated in a 2-hr protocol in the General Clinical Research Center. Plasma cotinine to cigarette ratio was significantly associated with three topography variables: total puff duration, total cigarette time, and carbon monoxide (CO) boost. Black women scored higher on plasma cotinine levels, cotinine per cigarette ratio, and CO increase pre- to postcigarette than White women. Implications for clinical practice include assessing nicotine dependence beyond self-reported cigarettes per day to develop more appropriate smoking cessation interventions.

Adult↗
PubMed1996

Menthol and nonmenthol cigarettes and smoke exposure in black and white women.

Purposes of this investigation were to compare smoke constituent exposure (CO and nicotine boosts) and smoking topography parameters between black and white women, and between women regularly using menthol or nonmenthol cigarettes. A two-factor factorial design with a sample of 37 women stratified by race and menthol or nonmenthol cigarette use was implemented. There were significant main and interaction effects of race and menthol/nonmenthol use on CO boost. Black women had a mean CO boost of 10.1 ppm vs. 7.2 ppm for white women, while women using nonmenthol cigarettes had a higher CO boost (mean = 10.6 ppm) compared to those regularly using menthol cigarettes mean = 6.5 ppm). White menthol smokers had the lowest CO boost of all subgroups. There was a trend for black women to have higher nicotine boost than white women (21.4 ng/ml vs. 15.9 ng/ml). Black women had nonsignificantly higher puff volumes compared to white women (mean = 48.4 vs. 43.5 ml), while nonmenthol smokers had nonsignificantly higher puff volumes than menthol smokers (mean = 48.5 vs. 42.7 ml). Lower CO boost with mentholated cigarettes suggests factors beyond mentholation may affect elevated smoke constituent exposure among black women.

Adult↗
PubMed1993

Factors associated with nicotine dependence among African American women cigarette smokers.

Cigarette smoking contributes to disproportionate morbidity and mortality among African Americans. Purposes of the study were to describe smoking behavior and test a model of nicotine dependence among African American women. Participants (n = 187) smoked a low rate of high nicotine mentholated cigarettes and had a mean salivary cotinine of 402 ng/mL. The proposed model predicted 48% of variance in nicotine dependence with smoking to cope, number of cigarettes/day, positive outcome expectancies about smoking, and interest in quitting, as significant contributors. Suggested interventions include developing alternative coping skills, cognitive restructuring, and techniques focused on the precontemplation stage of smoking cessation.

Adaptation, Psychological↗
PubMed1992

Processes of change across five stages of smoking cessation.

A cross-sectional design with 190 smokers and exsmokers selected by random digit dialing was used to determine differences in processes individuals use to modify behavior across five stages of smoking cessation. Five stages of cessation are: precontemplation, contemplation, recent quitting, long-term quitting, and relapse. Ten processes of change (POC) or ways individuals modify behavior were assessed. Examples of POCs are: consciousness raising, self-liberation, reinforcement management, and stimulus control. Biochemical validation of smoking abstinence was performed on a random subset of exsmoker subjects. Individuals in five stages of smoking cessation used processes of change differently as reflected by a significant MANOVA, F (40,590) = 5.02, p = .0001. It is important to assess an individual's stage of smoking cessation when planning interventions related to POCs.

Adult↗
PubMed1991

Evaluation of a mass media community smoking cessation campaign.

The effectiveness of a smoking cessation campaign that included both printed and televised materials was evaluated in registrant and randomly acquired samples of smokers during the first month postcampaign and again at 3 months. Registrant and random samples differed on several sociodemographic variables. Registrants had much higher rates of abstinence at both times compared to the randomly acquired group. Nicotine gum replacement was used more frequently among the registrant group. Fifteen percent of registrants who had not attempted to quit at Time 1 were abstinent 3 months postcampaign. Registering to participate in print and televised cessation programs may be related to a change in smoking behavior.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1985

Microcomputers enhance student health fairs.

To stimulate student interest in learning about health, faculty assigned students the task of planning and implementing a university health fair. Two questions were posed: (1) Could sophomore students effectively plan and implement a health fair as a learning opportunity? (2) Could microcomputers be used appropriately to influence client participation and to enhance the nurse-client interactions? Literature regarding the efficacy of the health fair as a mode of health care delivery and as a student learning opportunity and literature addressing the advantages of microcomputer use were reviewed. Two health fairs were piloted. Microcomputers were employed in three areas: nutrition, stress, and substance abuse. Students, with faculty guidance, developed educational materials using principles of teaching, learning, and health promotion. Clients rated the health fair as congruent with their health needs. Students identified learning gained from the experience. Students and clients were receptive to computer use. Future directions are discussed.

Community Participation↗
PubMedDate not supplied

Smoke constituent exposure and stage of change in black and white women cigarette smokers.

Differences in smoke constituent exposure by ethnicity and menthol preference and differences in decisional balance and habit strength by stage of change, ethnicity, and menthol preference were examined in this 2-factor study design. Ninety-five women, half of whom were Black and half of who smoked menthol cigarettes, participated in a cigarette smoking bout in the Clinical Research Center. Measures of smoking topography, plasma cotinine and nicotine, and expired carbon monoxide were obtained in addition to self-report of the pros and cons of smoking, time to first cigarette, and smoking history. Black women smoked significantly fewer cigarettes per day, but had higher cotinine levels compared to White women. Menthol smokers (n = 49) had significantly larger puff volumes, higher cotinine levels, and shorter time to first cigarette compared to nonmenthol smokers (n = 46). Precontemplators (n = 44) were significantly lower on beliefs about the negative aspects of smoking compared to contemplators and those in preparation stage. Black women, all stages combined, had higher negative beliefs about smoking than did White women. Implications for assessment of smoking patterns and intervention are discussed.

Adult↗
PubMedDate not supplied

Health-promoting behaviors of African American women.

Limited information exists concerning health behaviors of African American women. The purposes of this study were to describe health-promoting lifestyle behaviors among a sample of 187 African American women and to compare findings to other published reports on the Health-Promoting Lifestyle Profile (HPLP) instrument. Subscales with the highest means in this study were interpersonal support and self-actualization. However, when compared to reports of HPLP scores for other groups, total HPLP and subscale scores of women in this study were generally lower. Readability and applicability of the HPLP instrument may affect its validity and reliability in a diverse sample.

Adolescent↗