Although general smoking prevalence has declined, similar declines have not been observed in some underserved populations. For example, groups such as ethnic minorities, individuals with psychiatric diagnoses, those with a history of substance use, and weight concerned smokers have not shown comparable reductions. The goal of this study is to create a profile of Hispanic smokers in the El Paso/Juárez area and identify predictors of smoking. In this cross-sectional study, these variables were assessed in 160 English-speaking Hispanic volunteers. Participants completed measures of tobacco use, nicotine dependence, weekly alcohol consumption, acculturation, depressive symptomatology, weight concern, and drug use. Expired carbon monoxide and body composition were also assessed. Participants were light smokers with low levels of nicotine dependence and expired carbon monoxide, a significant number of past quit attempts, and limited use of cessation aids. Significant characteristics associated with smoking included male gender, use of mental health services, increasing number of drinks per week, and lifetime use of illicit drugs. These findings suggest substance use and psychiatric comorbidity are associated with smoking in this population and may be barriers to quitting. These factors should be considered in developing culturally sensitive tobacco cessation interventions for Hispanic smokers, particularly those residing on the U.S./México border.

Discussion: Intermittent and daily light smokers differ on several tobacco-related and psychosocial variables. Attending to these factors in prevention and cessation programs may enhance abstinence in both groups. IntroductionSmoking is the leading cause of preventable death in the United States ( Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 2004 ). Despite a decrease in smoking among middle-aged and older adults, young adult smoking prevalence declines are smaller, and reductions in moderate to heavy smoking have been accompanied by an increase in prevalence of light and intermittent smoking ( Pierce, White, & Messer, 2009 ). One group of young adults who demonstrate high rates of smoking are individuals serving in the military ( Bray et al., 2006 ;Nelson & Pederson, 2008 ).Two subgroups of smokers who have received growing attention ( Fiore et al., 2008 ) and have yet to be examined among military personnel are light and intermittent (i.e., nondaily) smokers. Both young adults ( Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Agency, 2004 ) and ethnic minorities ( Ahluwalia et al., 2006 ;Rodriguez-Esquivel, Cooper, Blow, & Resor, 2009 ;Trinidad et al., 2009 ) are predominant in the military and evidence high rates of low-level smoking. Therefore, light and intermittent smoking are likely to be especially common in this group.A pattern of maintaining low levels of smoking has multiple implications. First, relative to never smoking, even light smoking is deleterious to health such that light smokers are at increased Abstract Introduction: Few studies have assessed differences between intermittent and light smokers, particularly among young adults. Exploring these differences promotes a systematic approach to research and treatment in low-level smokers. This study explored demographic, tobacco-related, and psychosocial predictors of intermittent nondaily smoking relative to light smoking among basic military training (BMT) recruits. The impact of smoking status on abstinence rates at follow-up was also assessed.Methods: Participants were 5,603 U.S. Air Force BMT intermittent nondaily ( n = 3,134) or light daily ( n = 2,469) smoking recruits participating in a population-based group randomized trial targeting tobacco use prevention and cessation , Effi cacy of a tailored tobacco control program on long-term use in a population of U.S. military troops. Journal of Consulting and Clinical Psychology , 74,[295][296][297][298][299][300][301][302][303][304][305][306]. Participants completed baseline measures assessing demographics; tobacco use and history; and common social, attitudinal, and behavioral risk factors for tobacco use. Flights of recruits were randomly assigned to a tobacco use intervention or health education control intervention. At the 1-year follow-up, participants reported 7-day point prevalence and continuous abstinence. Results:Intermittent nondaily smoking relative to light daily smoking was associated with lesser perceived addiction, intermittent and daily use of smokeless tobacco, nonsmoking male and fe...

Heavy alcohol use in college students is a serious health risk. It is unclear how cultural variables impact alcohol use in Hispanic college populations. Here, the relationships between gender, bicultural identity, familism, and adherence to traditional gender roles with Heavy Episodic Drinking (HED) in a Hispanic college sample are assessed. Participants, 80 males and 80 females, were asked to complete a questionnaire packet, which assessed demographic information, as well as measures designed to rate drinking amount and frequency, bicultural integration, familism, and traditional gender role adherence. Average age of the sample was 19.9 years (SD = 3.05), in which the majority of participants were classified as either Freshmen or Sophomores (88.8%). Overall, 47.5% of participants reported engaging in HED, with 51% of men and 44% of women reporting HED. Univariate analyses along with logistic regression were utilized to assess possible differences and correlates of HED. Neither individual predictors nor the overall model were statistically significant. These findings suggest the need for continued assessment of HED in Hispanic college students using other culturally based constructs, as well as psychosocial factors that are found to predict heavy drinking in other ethnocultural college aged students.

BackgroundHigh levels of self-stigma are associated with a range of adverse mental health, treatment, and functional outcomes. This prospective study examined the effects of an electronic mental health stigma reduction intervention on self-stigma (self-blame, shame, and help-seeking inhibition) among male construction workers in Australia.MethodMale construction workers (N = 682) were randomly assigned to receive either the intervention condition or the wait list control over a six-week period. Self-stigma was assessed using the Self-Stigma of Depression Scale at post-intervention. We conducted linear regression to assess the effectiveness of the intervention on self-stigma, adjusting for relevant covariates.ResultsSelf-stigma was relatively low in the sample. The intervention had no significant effect on self-stigma, after adjusting for confounders. There were reductions in stigma in both the intervention and control groups at 6-week follow-up. Process evaluation indicated that participants generally enjoyed the program and felt that it was beneficial to their mental health.ConclusionsThese observations underscore the need for further research to elucidate understanding of the experience of self-stigma among employed males.

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