Examining moment to moment affective determinants of smoking rate following a quit attempt among homeless daily smokers.

BACKGROUND: Cigarette smoking disproportionately affects homeless individuals, who have a higher smoking prevalence, fewer resources, and increased stressors compared to domiciled smokers. Little is known about how to facilitate smoking cessation among this population although some findings support focusing efforts on affective variables as well as alternate outcomes in order to optimize interventions for this group. METHODS: Participants were homeless adults recruited from a Dallas, TX, shelter (N = 57, 61.4% male, Mage = 48.8 ± 9.0) to participate in tobacco cessation classes using an American Cancer Society-based therapy and support group with nicotine replacement therapy. Moment-to-moment changes in affect [e.g., negative affect (NA), positive affect (PA), and stress] were recorded via Ecological Momentary Assessments to assess whether they were associated with concurrent changes in cigarettes smoked per day (CPD) following a specific quit attempt. Separate generalized linear models (GLM) were evaluated for each predictor to examine the associations between affective variables and CPD in covariate-adjusted analyses. RESULTS: Significant interaction effects of time and affect were found for all variables (NA: p = 0.0011, PA: p = 0.0006, stress: p = 0.0259), whereby the association of affect and CPD were significant in the early part of the week but the effects faded as time progressed. With regard to main effects, only increases in PA during the post-quit week significantly predicted fewer CPD (adjusted incidence rate ratio = 0.924, SE = 0.027, p = 0.0032). CONCLUSIONS: Homeless smokers may be more likely to decrease their cigarette consumption during periods of greater PA throughout the post-quit week. Relationship between positive affect and reduction in CPD suggest focus on affective variables with homeless smokers may be an effective avenue for change in smoking behaviors, particularly in the days immediately following a quit attempt. Time effects should be further investigated to determine when these interventions might best be implemented.

Diet, Alcohol Use, and Colorectal Cancer Screening among Black Church-goers.

OBJECTIVES: Interventions for colorectal cancer (CRC) prevention among black adults are needed. Connections between CRC screening non-adherence and other health risk behaviors may inform intervention development. METHODS: Associations between red meat (RM) and fruit and vegetable (FV) consumption, at-risk alcohol use, and CRC ever-screening were examined using adjusted logistic regressions among 520 church-going black adults in Houston, Texas, aged >50. RESULTS: In the final adjusted model, being younger, uninsured, eating more RM and engaging in at-risk alcohol use were associated with lower likelihood of CRC ever-screening. CONCLUSIONS: Church-based interventions to increase CRC screening among black adults might capitalize on associations with RM consumption and alcohol use behaviors as part of a broader wellness promotion initiative.

Smoking policy change at a homeless shelter: attitudes and effects.

Homeless adults are exposed to more smokers and smoke in response to environmental tobacco cues more than other socioeconomically disadvantaged groups. Addressing the culture of smoking in homeless shelters through policy initiatives may support cessation and improve health in this vulnerable and understudied population. This study examined support for and expected/actual effects of a smoking ban at a homeless shelter. A 2-wave cross-sectional study with an embedded cohort was conducted in the summer of 2013 two weeks before (wave 1) and two months after (wave 2) a partial outdoor smoking ban was implemented. A total of 394 homeless adults were surveyed (i.e., wave 1 [n=155]; wave 2 [n=150]; and 89 additional participants completed both waves). On average, participants were 43 years old, primarily African American (63%), male (72%), and had been homeless for the previous 12 months (median). Most participants were smokers (76%) smoking 12 cigarettes per day on average. Most participants supported the creation of a large smoke-free zone on the shelter campus, but there was less support for a shelter-wide smoking ban. Average cigarettes smoked per day did not differ between study waves. However, participants who completed both study waves experienced a reduction in expired carbon monoxide at wave 2 (W1=18.2 vs. W2=15.8 parts per million, p=.02). Expected effects of the partial ban were similar to actual effects. Partial outdoor smoking bans may be well supported by homeless shelter residents and may have a positive impact on shelter resident health.

Financial strain and cancer risk behaviors among African Americans.

BACKGROUND: African Americans suffer disproportionately from the adverse consequences of behavioral risk factors for cancer relative to other ethnic groups. Recent studies have assessed how financial strain might uniquely contribute to engagement in modifiable behavioral risk factors for cancer, but not among African Americans. The current study examined associations between financial strain and modifiable cancer risk factors (smoking, at-risk alcohol use, overweight/obesity, insufficient physical activity, inadequate fruit and vegetable intake, and multiple risk factors) among 1,278 African American adults (age, 46.5 ± 12.6 years; 77% female) and explored potential mediators (stress and depressive symptoms) of those associations. METHODS: Logistic regression models were used to examine associations between financial strain and cancer risk factors. Analyses were adjusted for age, sex, partner status, income, educational level, and employment status. Analyses involving overweight/obesity status additionally controlled for fruit and vegetable intake and physical activity. Nonparametric bootstrapping procedures were used to assess mediation. RESULTS: Greater financial strain was associated with greater odds of insufficient physical activity (P < 0.003) and smoking (P = 0.005) and was positively associated with the total number of cancer risk factors (P < 0.0001). There was a significant indirect effect of both stress and depressive symptoms on the relations of financial strain with physical inactivity and multiple risk factors, respectively. CONCLUSIONS: Future interventions aimed at reducing cancer disparities should focus on African Americans experiencing higher financial strain while addressing their stress and depressive symptoms. IMPACT: Longitudinal studies are needed to assess the temporal and causal relations between financial strain and modifiable behavioral cancer risk factors among African Americans.

Financial strain and self-rated health among Black adults.

OBJECTIVES: To explore associations between financial strain and self-rated health among 1341 black adults. METHODS: Associations were investigated using a covariate-adjusted linear regression model. Mediation (via stress and/or depressive symptoms) was explored in additional models using a nonparametric bootstrapping procedure. RESULTS: Higher financial strain was associated with poorer self-rated health (p < .001). Stress and depressive symptoms were each significant mediators of this relation in both single and multiple mediator models (p values < .05). CONCLUSIONS: Financial strain may contribute to poorer health among black adults, partially via greater stress and depressive symptoms. Potential theoretical, intervention, and policy implications are discussed. Future studies with longitudinal designs are needed to confirm these results.

Loneliness and self-rated health among church-attending African Americans.

OBJECTIVES: To explore relations between loneliness and self-rated health among African-American adults of diverse ages. METHODS: Associations between loneliness and self-rated health were investigated using covariate-adjusted linear regression models. Perceived social support was examined as a moderator. The potential indirect effects of stress and/or depressive symptoms were examined using nonparametric bootstrapping procedures. RESULTS: Greater loneliness was associated with poorer self-rated health (p = .008), and social support did not moderate. Stress and depressive symptoms yielded significant indirect effects in single and multiple mediator models (p values ≤ .05). CONCLUSIONS: Loneliness may contribute to poorer health among African Americans. Results suggest that greater stress and depressive symptoms might underlie these associations, but longitudinal studies are needed to assess causal relations.