Author: Michelle Villar

13 Feb UK Study Finds E-Cigarettes Helps People Quit Smoking…But U.S. Researchers Are Wary Of Results

A new study published in the New England Journal of Medicine found that in a group of UK adult smokers, e-cigarettes paired with one-on-one behavior therapy were almost twice as effective than other cigarette cessation products in helping to quit traditional cigarette smoking. The study had two randomized groups: the e-cigarette group and the traditional nicotine replacement group (participants had option to choose from a range of cessation products such as patches and gum). Each group also paired their cessation devices with behavioral therapy. At one year follow up, 18% of the e-cigarette group had abstained from smoking traditional cigarettes, compared to about 10% in the traditional nicotine replacement group.  

Although these results seem to be promising, U.S. researchers are not enthusiastic. The field of research is slim with e-cigarette findings, mainly due to the fact that e-cigarette use has only recently started growing in popularity. Therefore, no conclusive study has been conducted to demonstrate the potential short and long-term effects of e-cigarette smoking. So while e-cigarettes may have helped this group of cigarette smokers quit, a result that may not generalize to the U.S., researchers are unsure of the physical detriments of vaping that may overshadow the benefits of cigarette smoking cessation.  “E-cigarettes have volatile organic compounds, cancer causing chemicals, and flavorings that have been linked to lung disease,” said smoking cessation researcher Belinda Borrelli. “Let’s not say e-cigarettes are a magic pill to help people quit smoking without having all of the information.”

It is also worth noting that among participants with 1 year of abstinence from cigarette smoking, a whopping 80% of the e-cigarette group were still using e-cigarettes, compared to only 9% of participants in the traditional nicotine replacement group who were still using the replacements. Therefore, while those participants may have ceased smoking cigarettes, they remain nicotine-dependent by continuing to use e-cigarettes.

For more information from the CNN article, click here. 

07 Feb ReACH Lab Hits The Radiowaves

The ReACH Lab reached radio-listening ears this week during a special piece on WLRN’s morning talk show on 91.3FM , where our recent findings were discussed. Dr. Nicole Fava, first author of the paper and Assistant Professor in the School of Social Work at FIU, and Dr. Elisa Trucco, co-author of the paper and ReACH lab director, spoke about the results of their paper, and what this means for future treatment in children who have suffered trauma. Published in the journal Development and Psychopathology, this study examined why youth who experience early childhood maltreatment may be more susceptible to using substances later in life and found that childhood adversity may disrupt functioning of brain regions associated with impulse control. Difficulties regulating impulses leads to increased deviant behaviors, such as stealing and aggression, in early adolescence, which in turn increases alcohol, cigarette, and drug use in late adolescence. This work supports that early intervention for children exposed to adversity is important in preventing this pathway of risk towards substance use. 

If you’d like to hear the piece from WLRN, click the link below:

30 Jan Juul To Stop Sale Of Flavored E-Cigarette Products And Eliminate Social Media Accounts

In a big win for e-cigarettes opponents, Juul has announced plans to stop the sale of most of their vape flavor pods in retail stores nationwide and restrict sales on their official website to those twenty-one and older. Additionally, the e-cigarette giant has also announced plans to eliminate most of their social media accounts amidst criticism regarding the impact that social media advertisement may have on adolescent substance use. Juul’s announcement comes on the heels of an FDA announcement implying that they would soon put in place a nationwide ban on the in-person sale of flavored e-cigarettes.. a threat that ultimately did not come to fruition. Instead, the FDA rolled out comparatively less severe restrictions that requires stores to sell e-cigarettes only in sections of their businesses that are available to those eighteen and older. However, it seems Juul is still intending to keep their promise and roll out sale restrictions on flavor pods, regardless of FDA intervention. 

Kevin Burns, CEO of Juul, said “Our intent was never to have youth use JUUL…[the company is] committed to improving the lives of the world’s one billion adult smokers, with the ultimate goal of eliminating cigarettes. We don’t want anyone who doesn’t smoke, or already use nicotine, to use JUUL products. We certainly don’t want youth using the product.”

For more information from this article, click here.

28 Jan ReACH Lab Continues To Make Headlines

The ReACH lab is showing no signs of slowing down after another news outlet, FIU News, published the results of one of our recent findings from the journal Development and Psychopathology. In collaboration with researchers in FIU’s School of Social Work and colleagues at the University of Michigan, this study examined why youth who experience early childhood maltreatment may be more susceptible to using substances later in life and found that childhood adversity may disrupt functioning of brain regions associated with impulse control. Difficulties regulating impulses leads to increased deviant behaviors, such as stealing and aggression, in early adolescence, which in turn increases alcohol, cigarette, and drug use in late adolescence. This work supports that early intervention for children exposed to adversity is important in preventing this pathway of risk towards substance use. 

Dr. Nicole Fava, first author of the paper and Assistant Professor in the School of Social Work at FIU, spoke about the results of this study, saying: “Understanding early precursors to later behavior problems and substance use can provide important information for developing more effective preventive interventions. When we understand the experiences that shape a person’s behaviors, we can address the root cause instead of the symptoms to help bring about sustained health and well-being.”

Dr. Elisa Trucco, co-author of the paper and ReACH lab director, adds to this, saying: “This study supports that early intervention for children exposed to trauma is crucial in preventing this pathway of risk towards substance use. More specifically, interventions focused on improving self-regulation training, such as mindfulness and neurofeedback, may be especially helpful for these children.”

If you’d like to read the full article from FIU News, click here. If you’d like to read the paper referred to in these posts, click here. 

25 Jan ReACH Lab Makes International Headlines

The ReACH Lab is making waves in Latin and South America thanks to a recent posting in Diario Las Américas highlighting a recent study published in “Development and Psychopathology” by the ReACH Lab in collaboration with researchers in FIU’s School of Social Work and colleagues at the University of Michigan. This study examined why youth who experience early childhood maltreatment may be more susceptible to using substances later in life and found that childhood adversity may disrupt functioning of brain regions associated with impulse control. Difficulties regulating impulses leads to increased deviant behaviors, such as stealing and aggression, in early adolescence, which in turn increases alcohol, cigarette, and drug use in late adolescence. This work supports that early intervention for children exposed to adversity is important in preventing this pathway of risk towards substance use. 

Dr. Elisa Trucco, director of the ReACH Lab, spoke with Diario Las Américas about how the idea for this article came about: “Dr. Nicole Fava [Assistant Professor in the School of Social Work at FIU] had wanted to study the impact of adversity and trauma on substance use in adolescents for a long time. She believes, based on previous studies, that trauma tends to be the principal cause for negative health behaviors like the use of substances”. Dr. Trucco also commented about the significance of this study, mentioning: “This study is one of the many studies from the Michigan Longitudinal Study, one of the most extensive ongoing studies with multiple waves and longest duration in the country, which studies the factors that influence substance use disorders.”

For our spanish speakers out there following ReACH Lab updates, please visit the Diario Las Américas article link here for more information. 

25 Jan ACE Project Hosts M-DCPS Workshop: E-Cigarette Use and Trauma-Informed Care

On January 23rd, The ACE Project team welcomed over 70 attendees to their first event of 2019 in collaboration with Miami-Dade County public schools.  The ACE Project Team alongside M-DCPS Curriculum Support Specialist, Gladys Duran, hosted a professional development workshop designed for M-DCPS teachers, counselors, and administrators to provide the most recent information regarding electronic nicotine delivery system (e.g., e-cigarette) use and trauma-informed care. 

FIU Scientists and ACE Project principal investigators, Dr. Elisa Trucco and Dr. Matthew Sutherland presented on e-cigarette use/vaping among adolescents. Through their affiliations at the Center for Children and Families (CCF) and the Center for Imaging Science (CIS), they recently received a $2.1 million grant from the National Institutes of Health (NIH), which is part of the larger Research Center in Minority Institutions (RCMI) at FIU, to investigate the effects of e-cigarette use and vaping among adolescents. More specifically, the Antecedents and Consequences of Electronic Nicotine Delivery Systems (ACE) Project examines factors influencing teens’ decisions to use or not use e-cigarettes and how that decision may affect other risky behaviors and the developing brain. The presentation included up-to-date information on the impact of vaping on the body and brain in particular, and intervention strategies to assist youth with making healthier decisions about vaping.

Dr. Nicole Fava, Assistant Professor in the School of Social Work within the Robert Stempel College of Public Health & Social Work at FIU and an affiliate of the CCF, provided the presentation on trauma-informed care for the second portion of the workshop. Dr. Fava currently has a grant through The Children’s Trust supporting the Trauma-Informed Screening and Treatment Program. The main goal of this program is to build capacity for and extend an evidence-based trauma-specific intervention (Trauma-Focused Cognitive Behavioral Therapy; TF-CBT) to youth and families throughout southern Miami-Dade County and evaluate participant outcomes. Trauma and adversity in childhood are not uncommon experiences. More than half of youth in the US have experienced at least one adverse event. Dr. Fava’s presentation covered the basics regarding trauma (what it is, consequences, etc), the developmental impact of childhood trauma including typical symptoms, trauma-informed care, and resilience.

The ACE Project team looks forward to additional upcoming events in collaboration with MDCPS!

23 Jan Juul’s Social Media Impact on Adolescent Vaping

Although the leading e-cigarettte company Juul has recently announced that they will delete all social media accounts in an effort to reduce teenage e-cigarette use and engagement online, a recent CNN investigation has shown that Juul was paying for “influencers” to promote their e-cigarettes to thousands of followers, a portion of which were underage. The company received outrage over their marketing strategies, which experts say have mirrored Big Tobacco’s previous strategies of marketing to the young in order to “gain lifelong customers.” A Juul spokesperson said the “paid influencer program, which was never formalized, was short-lived”, and that the company only targeted “‘fewer than 10 paid influencers, who were all smokers or former smokers’ 28 and up, and who were collectively paid less than $10,000.” One of the influencers who participated in the program said 5% of her followers were 17 and under, an albeit small percentage. However, as  Matthew L. Myers, president of the Campaign for Tobacco-Free Kids, points out, “Social media works differently than other stuff. You don’t need that many people…A small number of people who are popular and get reposted can reach a very large number of people.”

Dr. Robert Jackler, founder of the Stanford Research into the Impact of Tobacco Advertising, believes that Juul didn’t intentionally target teens but that “its appeal to kids was obvious early on, and the company didn’t take early steps to prevent that…The company claims that they didn’t know that the product appealed to underage kids who began using it in large numbers…I don’t believe that, not for a minute, because they’re also a very digital, very analytical company, they know their market. They know what they’re doing.” Juul CEO Kevin Burns argues that the social media impact on underage e-cigarette use is not due to Juul’s contributions, saying “more than 99 percent of all social media content related to JUUL Labs is generated through third-party users and accounts with no affiliation to our company…There is no question that this user-generated social media content is linked to the appeal of vaping to underage users.”Jackler continued his comments, pointing out that although Juul’s advertising is now geared towards a population of former smokers, their early advertisements were “manifestly youth-oriented…it showed 20-something models dressed in fashionably casual clothing…they’re the exact kind of young adults that teenagers find appealing and wish to aspire and be like.”

For more information from CNN’s Juul investigation, click here. 

16 Jan Marlboro Releases Hypocritical Anti-Smoking Ad

Marlboro came under fire in late October for releasing it’s “Hold My Light” campaign in the U.K., a push aimed at smokers to urge them to quit and switch to electronic cigarettes. The hypocrisy comes from the fact that Marlboro is the worlds biggest international tobacco company, and continues to market cigarette smoking in a positive light in other countries. The company, which also owns e-cigarette brands, is being accused of  “jumping on the bandwagon” due to the U.K.’s decline in traditional cigarette smoking; 400,000 English people quit smoking in 2017.

George Butterworth, Senior Policy Manager at Cancer Research UK, said this in a comment about Marlboro producer Philip Morris: “This is a staggering hypocrisy from a tobacco company to promote its own smoking cessation products in the UK while continuing to promote tobacco cigarettes across the world…The best way Philip Morris could help people to stop smoking is to stop making cigarettes”. Mark MacGregor, Corporate Affairs Director UK and Ireland at Philip Morris International, spoke about the outrage towards the campaign, saying: “This campaign is designed to stop people smoking and to give up cigarettes as fast as possible…If we simply stopped selling cigarettes tomorrow, literally all that would happen is that smokers would switch to our competitors’ products”.

For more information from the original article, click here.

09 Jan Florida Passes Vaping in the Workplace Amendment Ban

Florida voters have voted to ban vaping in indoor workplaces following the 2018 elections in early November. This timely vote comes following an increasing rate of e-cigarette use in the United States, an effect which has astronomically risen among teens but has also been seen even among young adults and older adults. This addition to the amendment complements current laws which similarly ban traditional cigarette smoking inside the workplace; not many are aware that e-cigarette aerosol (the equivalent of cigarette smoke) contains dangerous chemicals and nicotine which can be inhaled through secondhand smoke. Florida now joins nine other states countrywide that have similar workplace bans on vaping. Information online says that “the measure made exceptions for the use of vapor-generating electronic devices in (1) private residences that are not being used for commercial childcare, adult care, or healthcare; (2) in retail tobacco and vapor-generating electronic device shops; (3) designed smoking guest rooms in hotels; and (4) stand-alone bars”.

For more information on the amendment, check out this article. 

19 Dec FDA Rolls Out Restrictions on E-Cigarettes

After months of outcry from families and government officials following the boom in underage e-cigarette use, the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has announced plans to restrict adolescent access to e-cigarettes by having stores that sell these products keep them in areas closed-off to anyone under the age of 18. This comes as a surprise to much of the public, considering the FDA had announced a few weeks before this announcement that they would ban most flavors of e-cigarettes and require online retailers to verify legal age before purchasing any e-cigarette related products. These comparatively lax restrictions were announced instead, due to the complicated legal battle that would’ve ensued had the FDA tried to put an outright ban in place. This plan was announced with the hopes of of reducing the burgeoning fad of using e-cigarettes, or vaping, among underage teenagers; the FDA says 3.6 million underage teenagers have reported using e-cigarettes. The FDA commissioner remains confident that these restrictions will act as a ban for underage teens looking to buy e-cigarettes in stores, stating “This policy will make sure the fruity flavors are no longer accessible to kids in retail sites, plain and simple…That’s where they’re getting access to the e-cigs and we intend to end those sales.”

For more information on this FDA restriction, click here. To read the statement from FDA commissioner Scott Gottlieb, click here.