Hepatitis C and cigarette smoking behavior: Themes from focus groups.

INTRODUCTION: People with chronic hepatitis C virus (HCV; PWHC) use cigarettes at a much higher prevalence than other individuals, and smoking can exacerbate the harms specifically related to HCV (e.g., hepatocellular carcinoma). Little is known about factors related to cigarette use among PWHC. This study examined focus group data to explore beliefs and behaviors related to cigarette use among PWHC. METHODS: Qualitative data from two focus groups of PWHC reporting current cigarette smoking (n=15, 60% male) were collected using a semi-structured interview guide. Participants were asked about reasons for smoking, barriers to quitting smoking, and the relationship of HCV to smoking. Focus groups were transcribed verbatim and coded in NVivo 12. Four coders examined themes that arose in the focus groups. Common themes are described and supported with quotes. RESULTS: Reasons for smoking included addiction to cigarettes, stress, substituting cigarettes for other drugs, and social norms, while reasons for quitting included health and being free from the use of all drugs. Barriers to quitting included concerns about coping with stress, weight gain, and having a lack of support for and education about quitting. Many participants believed there was a link between smoking and HCV and discussed smoking in relation to the stress of an HCV diagnosis. CONCLUSIONS: Participants identified both HCV-related and non-HCV-related aspects of cigarette smoking and cessation-related behaviors that could be targeted in cessation treatment. More research is needed to identify the best treatment approaches that reduce the significant medical consequences of cigarette use among PWHC. IMPLICATIONS: People with chronic hepatitis C virus (HCV; PWHC) smoke cigarettes at a high prevalence, yet little is known about their smoking behaviors. Moreover, there are no cessation treatments targeting PWHC. This is the first study to collect focus group data from PWHC who smoke in order to identify reasons for cigarette use (HCV-related and non-HCV-related), and motivators and barriers to quitting cigarettes. PWHC report using cigarettes to cope with the stress of an HCV diagnosis and to celebrate HCV cure. These findings suggest there are specific times during the HCV care continuum where providers can aid with cessation efforts.

Diabetes-Related Quality of Life: Learning From Individuals Making Lifestyle Changes to Improve Type 2 Diabetes Control.

PURPOSE: The purpose of this study was to explore how treatment adherence and lifestyle changes required for glycemic control in type 2 diabetes (T2D) are related to quality of life (QoL) among predominantly ethnic minority and socioeconomically disadvantaged adults engaged in making changes to improve T2D self-management. METHODS: Adults with T2D in New York City were recruited for the parent study based on recent A1C (≥7.5%) and randomly assigned to 1 of 2 arms, receiving educational materials and additional self-management support calls, respectively. Substudy participants were recruited from both arms after study completion. Participants (N = 50; 62% Spanish speaking) were interviewed by phone using a semistructured guide and were asked to define QoL and share ways that T2D, treatment, self-management, and study participation influenced their QoL. Interviews were analyzed using thematic analysis. RESULTS: QoL was described as a multidimensional health-related construct with detracting and enhancing factors related to T2D. Detracting factors included financial strain, symptom progression and burden, perceived necessity to change cultural and lifestyle traditions, and dietary and medical limitations. Enhancing factors included social support, diabetes education, health behavior change, sociocultural connection. CONCLUSION: QoL for diverse and socioeconomically disadvantaged adults with T2D is multifaceted and includes aspects of health, independence, social support, culture, and lifestyle, which may not be captured by existing QoL measures. Findings may inform the development of a novel QoL measure for T2D.

Psychosocial and psychiatric-related stress and cigarette smoking among Black and Latinx adults with psychiatric disorders.

While the cigarette smoking prevalence in the United States has decreased, smoking disparities persist for individuals with psychiatric disorders and individuals who identify as racial/ethnic minorities. These groups also experience higher levels of psychosocial stress. This study was the first to examine the relationship between psychosocial and psychiatric-related stressors and cigarette smoking status in a sample of Black and Latinx adults with psychiatric illness. Stress associated with friend strain, lifetime discrimination, and attending appointments for psychotropic medication management were associated with cigarette smoking. The present results have implications for integrating smoking cessation interventions into mental health treatment settings.

An inter-gender effect on ethanol drinking in rats: proximal females increase ethanol drinking in males.

Three groups of male Long-Evans hooded rats were assessed for effects of social opportunity on drinking of ethanol or water. The ethanol/female group received intermittent presentations of a sipper containing ethanol that was followed by 15 s of social interaction opportunity with a female rat. The ethanol/male group received similar training except the social interaction opportunity was with a male rat. The water/female group received training similar to the ethanol/female group except that the sipper contained water. For the ethanol groups, the concentration of ethanol [3%, 4%, 6%, 8% and 10% (vol/vol)] in the sipper was increased across sessions. With 10% ethanol in the sipper, social opportunity with females induced more drinking and ethanol intake than did social opportunity with males. Social opportunity with females induced more intake of ethanol than water. Post-session plasma samples revealed social opportunity with females induced higher corticosterone and testosterone levels than did social opportunity with males, irrespective of the sipper fluid. This study documents, for the first time, an inter-gender effect on ethanol drinking in rats.

Social interaction opportunity and intermittent presentations of ethanol sipper tube induce ethanol drinking in rats.

We evaluated the effects of social interaction opportunity (SIO) and intermittent presentations of the ethanol sipper tube (IS) on autoshaping of ethanol drinking in nondeprived rats. Rats were assigned to one of seven groups. Two groups experienced brief IS, either paired with or randomly related to the response-independent raising of a guillotine door (D) revealing the presence of a conspecific male rat in a holding cage (SIO). Two control groups received similar training, respectively, except that the D revealed an empty cage, whereas a third control group received IS but neither D nor SIO. For two additional control groups, the ethanol sipper tube was continuously available during the session, with and without SIO, with both groups receiving intermittent D. In IS conditions, procedures with SIO induced more ethanol intake than did non-SIO procedures, indicating that SIO contributed to ethanol intake, but D procedures did not differ from non-D procedures, indicating that ethanol drinking was not related to the operation of the door. Groups that received training procedures providing for both SIO and IS showed more rapid initiation of ethanol intake and more rapid escalation of ethanol intake as the concentration of ethanol in the sipper tube conditioned stimulus was increased across sessions. Theoretical accounts, which are based on cue at response manipulandum/autoshaping, schedule-induced polydipsia, incentive sensitization, and intermittency-induced arousal, are considered.