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Richard J O'Connor

Publications and source records attributed to Richard J O'Connor.

16 recordsLinked to original sources
PubMed2006

Smoking expectancies for flavored and non-flavored cigarettes among college students.

Several tobacco companies have introduced specially flavored cigarettes, yet little is known about their appeal among college student nonsmokers, regular smokers, and those susceptible to smoking. Undergraduates (N=424) rated 12 brands of cigarettes on multiple attributes based on manufacturer advertisements. This paper focused on two brands with flavored and non-flavored versions (Camel and Salem). Despite brand, regular smokers and those susceptible to smoking initiation had higher positive expectancies and lower negative expectancies about smoking than nonsmokers. Flavored cigarettes elicited higher positive expectancies than non-flavored counterparts across all groups, including nonsmokers. Indeed, the degree to which flavored Camels had higher positive expectancies than Camel Lights was at least as large in a group of susceptible nonsmokers and experimenters (susceptible/experimenters). Despite being present in nonsmokers and susceptible/experimenters, negative expectancies were significantly lower for flavored versus non-flavored brands. Logistic regressions revealed that positive expectancies predicted "intention to try" each brand for regular smokers and susceptible/experimenters. These findings suggest that targeting the marketing of positive attributes may be useful in preventing smoking behavior.

Adult↗
PubMed2006

Changes in nicotine intake and cigarette use over time in two nationally representative cross-sectional samples of smokers.

Population surveys have observed decreases in cigarette use over time among smokers. These decreases have probably been influenced by tobacco control measures implemented over the past several decades, but few data exist on whether smokers have also reduced their nicotine intake. The authors examined data from two cross-sectional National Health and Nutrition Examination Surveys (NHANES), conducted in 1988-1994 and 1999-2002. Laboratory, examination, and interview data from current smokers not reporting nicotine intake from other sources were examined. From NHANES III (1988-1994) to NHANES 1999-2002, the average number of cigarettes smoked per day (CPD) fell by nearly 15% (three cigarettes), while the mean serum cotinine level fell by 13% (30 ng/ml). Finer breakdowns of CPD data in each time period suggested that most of the change occurred in the lower (<10 CPD) and higher (>or=20 CPD) smoking categories. These data suggest that CPD may represent a proxy for exposure to nicotine and perhaps other tobacco smoke constituents on the population level, since the decline in serum cotinine levels observed among smokers closely paralleled the decline in self-reported CPD between 1988-1994 and 1999-2002. In addition, these data are inconsistent with the hypothesis that the remaining population of smokers is becoming more dependent on nicotine over time.

Adult↗
PubMed2006

Comparing smoking behaviors and exposures from flavored and unflavored cigarettes.

Cigarettes with flavors such as mocha and citrus have been introduced in growing numbers. Besides their potential marketing appeal to nonsmokers, there is concern that flavors might mask smoke harshness, making inhalation easier. This pilot study evaluates differences in puff topography and cigarette ratings among 20 college student smokers smoking Camel Light (10mg Tar, 0.9 mg nicotine, 35% filter ventilation) and Camel Exotic Blend cigarettes (11 mg Tar, 0.9 mg nicotine, 23% filter ventilation). Carbon monoxide boost was measured by assessing alveolar carbon monoxide (CO) levels before and after smoking each cigarette. Participants also rated each cigarette on characteristics such as strength, irritation, and taste. We found that participants took smaller puffs on the Exotic Blend versus Camel Light (42 mL vs. 48 mL, p<0.001), but there was no reliable difference in total smoke volume (613.9 mL vs. 630.7 mL, p=0.79) or CO boost (6.2 ppm vs. 6.2 ppm, p=0.90). Exotic Blend cigarettes were rated as more different from the participant's usual brand, but otherwise the taste ratings did not differ. Overall, these preliminary data suggest that adding flavors to cigarettes may not significantly impact how they are smoked by current smokers.

Adolescent↗
PubMed2006

Cigarette yields and human exposure: a comparison of alternative testing regimens.

OBJECTIVE: There is general agreement that the testing protocol for measuring cigarette smoke constituents-the International Organization for Standardization regimen-is an inappropriate mechanism for evaluating human exposure. Alternative smoking regimens have been introduced in Canada and Massachusetts; however, these regimens have not been evaluated against human smoking behavior and biomeasures of exposure. The objective of this study was to compare measures of smoke volume and nicotine uptake among human smokers against the puffing variables and nicotine yields generated by five different machine smoking regimens: (a) International Organization for Standardization, (b) Massachusetts, (c) Canadian, (d) a Compensatory regimen, and (e) a Human Mimic regimen. METHODS: Measures of smoke volume and puffing behavior were recorded for 51 smokers who used a portable smoking topography device for three 1-week trials. Measures of salivary cotinine were taken at the completion of each week. The cigarette brands smoked by participants were then machine-smoked under five testing regimens, including a human mimic condition where brands were machine smoked using the puffing behavior recorded from human smokers. The total volume of smoke collected from each cigarette and the nicotine, tar, and carbon monoxide yields were recorded. RESULTS: None of the four machine smoking regimens adequately reflected Human Mimic Yields of tar, nicotine, and carbon monoxide. In addition, none of the four smoking regimens generated nicotine yields that were associated with actual nicotine uptake in humans. CONCLUSIONS: None of the existing smoking regimens adequately represents human smoking behavior nor do they generate yields associated with human measures of nicotine uptake.

Adult↗
PubMed2006

Digital image analysis of cigarette filter stains as an indicator of compensatory smoking.

OBJECTIVE: Cigarette filters trap a significant portion of carcinogen-containing smoke particulate and may provide an indication of cigarette constituent exposure. A technique for quantifying filter tar staining with digital imaging has shown predictive value between typical total puff volume and filter tar stain intensity. The current study uses smoking topography data acquired during an examination of compensatory smoking of Quest cigarettes and digital analyses of the tar stains of the spent Quest cigarette filters. Due to reduced nicotine levels, we hypothesized compensatory smoking to occur. The purposes of the current study were to describe the physical characteristics of the Quest cigarettes, to further validate the effect of puff volume on filter tar staining, and to examine the effect of compensatory smoking on changes in filter tar staining, hypothesizing that compensatory smoking would result in more intense tar staining. METHODS: Physical characteristics of the Quest cigarettes were measured to characterize the product. Spent cigarette filters were digitally analyzed for color intensity features, matched to smoking topography measures, and examined in regression models. Difference scores for digital imaging and smoking topography were used in a regression model to identify the effect of compensatory smoking on tar stain. RESULTS: Total puff volume was a significant predictor of a*center (redness) [beta = 0.003 (SE, 0.0004), R2 = 0.42, t = 7.87, P < 0.001] and L*center (lightness) [beta = -0.015 (SE, 0.002), R2 = 0.45, t = -8.18, P < 0.001] for Quest cigarettes and a significant predictor of a*center [beta = 0.003 (SE, 0.0005), R2 = 0.37, t = 5.27, P < 0.001] and L*center [beta = -0.009 (SE, 0.002), R2 = 0.35, t = -5.05, P < 0.001] for own preferred brand. Regression models indicate total puff volume difference was a significant predictor of L*center difference [beta = -0.01 (SE, 0.003), R2 = 0.171, t = -3.15, P = 0.003] and approached significance for a*center difference [beta = 0.002 (SE, 0.001), R2 = 0.057, t = 1.99, P = 0.053]. CONCLUSION: Results suggest that compensatory smoking may be detectable by darkening and reddening of the tar stain. This type of measure could be useful in quantifying the extent to which human smokers smoke differently than standard testing protocols and in assessing the prevalence of compensatory smoking in population samples.

Cluster Analysis↗
PubMed2005

Most smokeless tobacco use does not cause cigarette smoking: results from the 2000 National Household Survey on Drug Abuse.

Those who either never progress from smokeless tobacco (SLT) to smoking or smoked before using SLT logically cannot have smoking caused by SLT use. The prevalence of such use permits strong inferences about the overall importance of the potential causal effects of SLT on cigarette smoking. We found that the majority of SLT ever users (66%) in the 2000 National Household Survey on Drug Abuse (NHSDA) were noncausal users. For these individuals, SLT use cannot have caused them to smoke. We also compared our results in 2000 with a similar sample in 1987, using current SLT users only. Potentially, the causal uses of SLT were in the minority and had not increased significantly over time (24% in 1987 to 29% in 2000, P>.05). Logistic models showed that, when noncausal users were removed, SLT was a minor predictor of current smoking. This is likely due to linked experimentation. We argue that that the majority of SLT use cannot cause smoking, such that SLT effects on smoking initiation are minimal at best. Policy implications of these findings are discussed.

Adult↗
PubMed2005

Smoker awareness of and beliefs about supposedly less-harmful tobacco products.

BACKGROUND: Cigarette manufacturers in the United States have begun marketing cigarette brands claiming to reduce smokers' exposure to selected toxins in tobacco smoke. Little data exist on smokers' awareness, use, and beliefs about these products. METHODS: Data from the U.S. arm of the International Tobacco Control Policy Four-Country Survey (ITC-4), a telephone survey of 2028 adult current cigarette smokers in the United States conducted between May and September 2003, were analyzed. Respondents were asked to report their awareness, beliefs, and use of products marketed as less harmful than traditional cigarettes and of smokeless tobacco (SLT) products. RESULTS: Close to 39% of smokers were aware of "less-harmful" cigarettes, but only 27% of them could name a specific brand of such cigarettes. The brand named most often was Quest (25.7%), followed by Eclipse (7.6%), Winston (5.7%), herbal cigarettes (3.3%), "smoke-free" cigarettes (2.9%), Marlboro Blend #27 (1.9%), and Omni (1.9%). Of those who named a brand, 25% believed such products were less harmful than "ordinary cigarettes." In contrast, 82% of cigarette smokers were aware of SLT products, but only 10.7% of these believed that SLTs were less harmful than ordinary cigarettes. CONCLUSIONS: Smokers hold beliefs about the relative safety of supposedly less-harmful tobacco products that are opposite to existing scientific evidence. These results highlight the need to educate smokers about the risks of alternatives to conventional cigarettes, and the need to regulate the advertising and promotion of such alternatives.

Adult↗
PubMed2005

An examination of early smoking experiences and smoking status in a national cross-sectional sample.

AIMS: To extend previous work showing lightheadedness from and liking for smoking to be associated with continued smoking while controlling for demographics and social influences that can also contribute to progression to established smoking. DESIGN AND SETTING: Random digit dialing telephone survey conduced on 3383 never smokers, non-smokers, former smokers and current smokers in the continental United States. MEASUREMENTS: Demographic information (sex, race, age, education level), smoking history, reactions to early experiences with smoking (lightheadedness, liking), whether parents, siblings or friends smoked when respondent was a teenager. FINDINGS: Lightheadedness and liking interacted-those who liked smoking (regardless of lightheadedness) were very likely to progress to established smoking, while non-likers who experienced lightheadedness were more likely than non-likers who did not experience lightheadedness to progress. These results held even after adjusting for demographic (sex, age, race, education) and social influences (parents, siblings and friends smoking). CONCLUSIONS: Lightheadedness from early smoking appears to be associated with having smoked 100 cigarettes only among those who report not liking early smoking. Overall, this study supports the literature suggesting that early experiences, particularly liking smoking, are associated with becoming a regular smoker.

Adolescent↗
PubMed2005

A digital image analysis system for identifying filter vent blocking on ultralight cigarettes.

Filter ventilation is the dominant design feature on modern cigarettes, diluting the mainstream smoke with air and reducing tar and nicotine yields in the standard assay. Smokers are generally unaware of vent holes and often cover them with lips or fingers while smoking, reducing or eliminating the air dilution effect and increasing intake of tar and nicotine particularly on ultra-low tar brands. A digital imaging and analysis system for the detection of vent blocking was developed. Two studies were designed to evaluate the effectiveness of three color measures (hue, saturation, and value) at discriminating whether at least 50% blocking had occurred. In study 1, saturation showed perfect discrimination between unblocked Carlton butts and butts with at least 50% of the vents blocked during syringe smoking. In study 2, saturation showed 95% accuracy at identifying Marlboro Ultra Light butts with at least four puffs blocked by smokers' lips. The results indicate that the pattern of color saturation is related to vent blocking. Implications for tobacco control research and policy are discussed.

Filtration↗
PubMed2004

Effect of drop size on the degradation of VX in concrete.

The effect of drop size on the degradation rate of VX, O-ethyl S-[2-(diisopropylamino)ethyl]methylphosphonothioate, in fresh concrete has been examined using (31)P NMR. Drops of neat VX, ranging in size from 4 microL to 0.2 microL, applied to small concrete coupons (8 mm x 15 mm) were observed to degrade at different rates, with the 1 microL and smaller drops reacting in less than 4 days, and the larger droplets reacting in less than 11 days. Additionally, 4 microL VX predissolved in hexane to evenly spread it over the concrete coupon likewise reacted faster, degrading in less than 5 days. The fresh concrete, less than 2 months old, exhibited significantly faster VX degradation for all drop sizes than that observed for "aged" concrete in a previous study where VX persisted for months. The enhanced reactivity of the "fresh" concrete for VX was maintained for at least a 1-year period. The pH of water containing crushed "fresh" and "aged" concrete was 10.0 and 9.0, respectively. The higher pH of the "fresh" concrete is one reason for its enhanced reactivity toward VX. An additional contribution to the enhanced reactivity of the "fresh" concrete is suggested by the increased mobility of its sorbed VX as evidenced by its significantly narrower peak in (31)P NMR spectra.

Journal Article↗
PubMed2003

Most smokeless tobacco use is not a causal gateway to cigarettes: using order of product use to evaluate causation in a national US sample.

AIMS: To evaluate non-causal and causal patterns of smokeless tobacco (SLT) and cigarette use; to assess the prevalence of 'non-gateway' and possible 'gateway' patterns of SLT use. DESIGN AND SETTING: Data from the Cancer Control Supplement to the 1987 National Health Interview Survey, a representative survey of non-institutionalized adults in the United States. From reported age at first use, participants were categorized by type and sequence of tobacco product use. SUDAAN 8.0.1 was used for statistical analyses. PARTICIPANTS: Males aged 18-34 (n = 3454), weighted to provide estimates of the US population. A subsample of males aged 23-34 (n = 2614) was analyzed to minimize the possibility of future product switching. MEASUREMENTS: Smoking status, smokeless tobacco (snuff, chewing tobacco, both) use status, age at regular use of cigarettes, age at first use of smokeless tobacco. FINDINGS: Of those 23-34-year-olds who had ever used SLT with or without cigarettes, 77.2% (95% CI: 71.3, 83.3) were classifiable as non-gateway users in that 35.0% (95% CI: 29.9, 40.1) had only used SLT and 42.2% (95% CI: 36.8, 47.7) had used cigarettes first. Cigarette use in younger cohorts was less common, despite increased SLT use. Those who used cigarettes before moist snuff were 2.1 times more likely to have quit smoking (95% CI 1.21,6.39) than cigarette-only users. CONCLUSIONS: The large majority of SLT users are non-gateway users. Causal gateway effects should be of minor concern for policy. SLT may be more likely to prevent smoking than cause it.

Adolescent↗
PubMed2003

Regular smokeless tobacco use is not a reliable predictor of smoking onset when psychosocial predictors are included in the model.

Tomar analyzed the CDC's Teenage Attitudes and Practices Survey (TAPS) and reported smokeless tobacco may act as a starter product for or gateway to cigarettes. Regular smokeless tobacco users at baseline were said to be 3.45 times more likely than never users of smokeless tobacco to become cigarette smokers after 4 years (95% CI=1.84-6.47). However, this analysis did not take into account well-known psychosocial predictors of smoking initiation. We reanalyzed TAPS to assess whether including psychosocial predictors of smoking affected the smokeless tobacco gateway effect. Experimenting with smoking, OR=2.09 (95% CI=1.51-2.90); below average school performance, OR=9.32 (95% CI=4.18-20.77); household members smoking, OR=1.49 (95% CI=1.13-1.95); frequent depressive symptoms, OR=2.19 (95% CI=1.25-3.84); fighting, OR=1.48 (95% CI=1.08-2.03); and motorcycle riding, OR=1.42 (95% CI=1.06-1.91) diminished the effect of both regular, OR=1.68 (95% CI=.83-3.41), and never regular smokeless tobacco use, OR=1.41 (95% CI=.96-2.05), to be statistically unreliable. Analyzing results from a sample of true never smokers (never a single puff) showed a similar pattern of results. Our results indicate that complex multivariate models are needed to evaluate recruitment to smoking and single factors that are important in that process. Tomar's analysis should not be used as reliable evidence that smokeless tobacco may be a starter product for cigarettes.

Adolescent↗
PubMed2002

Using a telephone survey to acquire genetic and behavioral data related to cigarette smoking in "made-anonymous" and "registry" samples.

In the Smokers and Nonsmokers Study, the authors investigated the feasibility of using random digit dialing telephone interviews to locate adults in the continental United States who were willing to provide DNA from buccal swabs through the mail. Interviews with 3,383 adults regarding their smoking-related behaviors (response rate = 70%) were conducted in 1999-2000; swab returns continued into early 2001. Overall, 57% of interviewees agreed to receive mailed information explaining the study. Better-educated persons (odds ratio (OR) = 1.3, 95% confidence interval (CI): 1.1, 1.6), younger persons (OR = 0.988, 95% CI: 0.983, 0.992), persons with symptoms of depression (OR = 1.8, 95% CI: 1.4, 2.4), and current smokers (OR = 2.25, 95% CI: 1.8, 2.8) were likelier to agree to receive a mailing. Approximately 26% of interviewees (45% of those receiving kits) returned buccal swabs, and 18% were successfully genotyped. Older (OR = 1.02, 95% CI: 1.01, 1.03), better-educated (OR = 1.4, 95% CI: 1.1, 1.7), and White (OR = 1.8, 95% CI: 1.4, 2.5) participants were more likely to return DNA samples, but current smokers (OR = 0.6, 95% CI: 0.5, 0.8) were less likely to do so. Participants were randomly assigned to one of two forms of participation: the "registry" group (names were kept on file) or the "made-anonymous" group (names were unassociated with samples). The two groups were equally likely to return kits, but registry respondents were more likely to nominate siblings for participation in the study (OR = 1.6, 95% CI: 1.2, 2.1). The participants in this study were similar demographically to the national population. The authors conclude that random digit dialing surveys coupled with mail collection of DNA may constitute a practical method of obtaining DNA samples for biobehavioral research.

Adult↗
PubMed2002

Evidence for a relationship between daily caffeine consumption and accuracy of time estimation.

The present study examined the relationship between regular caffeine consumption and time estimation. Sixty participants (aged 18-57 years, mean 24 years) completed a 47 s time estimation exercise and questionnaires related to daily caffeine consumption and perceptions of time. We hypothesized that the effects of caffeine on time estimation would follow a U-shaped pattern such that individuals who reported moderate amounts of daily caffeine would be more accurate in their perceptions of time than would those who reported high amounts of caffeine intake or no daily caffeine consumption. Timing accuracy was computed by dividing participant-reported time by actual time (47 s). Timing accuracy followed a U-shaped curve such that those respondents who reported 'low' daily caffeine consumption (< or = 135 mg/day, n = 24) were the most accurate in their time estimates (mean= 44.2 s). Individuals who reported no caffeine (mean= 69.3 s; n= 7) or 'high' daily caffeine consumption (mean=56.2 s; >135 mg/day, n = 28) were less accurate in their time estimates [F(2, 56)= 3.34, p< 0.05]. Findings suggest that 'low' daily caffeine consumption may enhance time estimation accuracy above that of 'high' or no daily caffeine consumption.

Adolescent↗