More than one million people have given up smoking since the Covid-19 pandemic hit, a survey for charity Action on Smoking and Health (ASH) suggests. Of those who had quit in the previous four months, 41% said it was in direct response to coronavirus. Separately, University College London (UCL) found more people quit smoking in…
Former smokers and people who smoke relatively few cigarettes per day may experience a faster decline in lung function than people who have never smoked, although they still have a slower decline in lung function than current smokers, a new study suggests. The study, “Lung function decline in former smokers and low-intensity current smokers: a…
The Median State Would Save an Estimated $25 Million in Medicaid Expenditures, Says UCSF Research Reducing smoking, and its associated health effects, among Medicaid recipients in each state by just 1 percent would result in $2.6 billion in total smoking Medicaid savings the following year, according to new research by UC San Francisco. The median state…
New study says e-cigarettes are twice as effective as nicotine gum and patches — the strongest evidence yet that vaping can help smokers quit cigarettes. A major new study provides the strongest evidence yet that vaping can help smokers quit cigarettes, with e-cigarettes proving nearly twice as effective as nicotine gums and patches. The British…
Smokers who quit have a substantially lower risk for lung cancer than current smokers even within 5 years of stopping smoking, new research shows. “If you smoke, now is a great time to quit,” says lead author Hilary Tindle, MD, MPH, the William Anderson Spickard Jr. professor of medicine, Vanderbilt University School of Medicine in…
Your heart (and your patient’s hearts), one of the most important organs in your body, receives recognition this month. Not for all of the hard work it does each and every day pumping blood throughout your body, but to raise awareness of heart disease. The American Heart Association reports that 1 in 3 Americans die…
Every year, on the third Thursday of November, smokers across the nation take part in the American Cancer Society Great American Smokeout event. Encourage someone you know to use the date to make a plan to quit, or plan in advance and then quit smoking that day. By quitting – even for 1 day –…
Financial rewards and personalized support can improve a smoker’s chances of quitting, a new study finds. “Our results show that a successful intervention to help [low-income] individuals quit smoking should be multifaceted and focus on both assisting with resources and, when possible, providing financial incentives,” said lead author Dr. Karen Lasser. She’s a general internist…