Hostname: page-component-cd9895bd7-dk4vv Total loading time: 0 Render date: 2024-12-23T08:40:26.997Z Has data issue: false hasContentIssue false
  • English
  • Français

Does smoking reduction make smokers happier? Evidence from a cross-sectional survey

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  10 June 2013

Emma Beard ,
Jamie Brown  and
Robert West
Emma Beard*
Affiliation:
UK Centre for Tobacco Control Studies, University College London, WC1E 6BT, UK
Jamie Brown
Affiliation:
UK Centre for Tobacco Control Studies, University College London, WC1E 6BT, UK
Robert West
Affiliation:
UK Centre for Tobacco Control Studies, University College London, WC1E 6BT, UK
*
Correspondence to: Emma Beard, Cancer Research UK Health Behaviour Research Centre, University College London, WC1E 6BP. Email: [email protected]. Tel: 02031 083179
Get access Rights & Permissions [Opens in a new window]

Abstract

Objectives: Stopping smoking leads to greater happiness and life satisfaction. This raises the question as to whether harm reduction, i.e. smoking reduction (SR) and the use of Nicotine Replacement Therapy (NRT) for SR, might lead to a similar benefit. This is of importance, given that the National Institute of Clinical Excellence in the UK is due to release guidance on harm reduction in 2013.

Design: Data were collected from 1,532 smokers involved in the Smoking Toolkit Study.

Method: Participants were asked if they were cutting down and if they were using Nicotine Replacement Therapy (NRT). Smokers also rated happiness and life satisfaction.

Results: There was no evidence of an association between SR or use of NRT for SR and either reported ‘happiness’ or ‘life satisfaction’. Nor was there an association between measures of ‘happiness’ or ‘life satisfaction’ and cigarette consumption.

Conclusion: It appears that SR is not associated with mental health benefits. This suggests that complete cessation may be necessary for benefits to be incurred. Prospective studies are necessary to confirm these findings.

Keywords

harm reductionNRTsmoking reductionhappinessquality of lifemental health
Type
Articles
Information
Journal of Smoking Cessation , Volume 9 , Issue 1 , June 2014 , pp. 1 - 5
Copyright
Copyright © The Author(s), published by Cambridge University Press on behalf of Australian Academic Press Pty Ltd 2013 

Access options

Get access to the full version of this content by using one of the access options below. (Log in options will check for institutional or personal access. Content may require purchase if you do not have access.)

References

Asfar, T., Ebbert, J. O., Klesges, R. C., & Relyea, G. E. (2011). Do smoking reduction interventions promote cessation in smokers not ready to quit? Addictive Behaviors, 36 (7), 764–768.Google Scholar
Beard, E., Fidler, J., & West, R. (2011a). Is use of Nicotine Replacement Therapy while continuing to smoke associated with increased nicotine intake? Psychopharmacology, 218 (3), 609–610. DOI: 10.1007/s00213-011-2359-4CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Beard, E., McNeill, A., Aveyard, P., Fidler, J., Michie, S., & West, R. (2011b). Use of Nicotine Replacement Therapy for smoking reduction and during enforced temporary abstinence: A national survey of English smokers. Addiction, 106 (1), 197–204. DOI: 10.1111/j.1360-0443.2010.03215.xGoogle Scholar
Beard, E., McNeill, A., Aveyard, P., Fidler, J., Michie, S., & West, R. (2011c). Association between use of nicotine replacement therapy for harm reduction and smoking cessation: a prospective study of English smokers. Tobacco Control, DOI: 10.1136/tobaccocontrol-2011-050007.Google Scholar
Bolliger, C. T., Zellweger, J. P., Danielsson, T. V., Biljon, X., Robidou, A., Westin, A., et al. (2000). Smoking reduction with oral nicotine inhalers: Double blind, randomised clinical trial of efficacy and safety. British Medical Journal, 321, 329–333. DOI: 10.1136/bmj.321.7257.329.Google Scholar
Croghan, E., & Chambers, M. (2011). Routes to quit: A pilot. Presentation at the UK National Smoking cessation conference London, UK.Google Scholar
Diener, E., & Seligman, M. E. P. (2002). Very happy people. Psychological Science, 13, 81–84.Google Scholar
Fagerstrom, K. O. (2005). Can reduced smoking be a way for smokers not interested in quitting to actually quit? Respiration, 72 (2), 216–220.Google Scholar
Fidler, J. A., Shahab, L., West, O., Jarvis, M. J., McEwen, A., Stapleton, J. A., et al. (2011). ‘The smoking toolkit study’: A national study of smoking and smoking cessation in England. BMC Public Health, 11, 479. DOI:10.1186/1471-2458-11-479.Google Scholar
Hammond, D., Reid, L., Driezen, P., Cummings, M., Borland, R., Fong, G. T., & McNeill, A. (2008). Smokers‟ use of Nicotine Replacement Therapy for reasons other than stopping smoking: Findings from the ITC Country Survey. Addiction, 103, 1696–1703.Google Scholar
Hird, S. (2003). What is well-being? A brief review of current literature and concepts. NHS Scotland. http://www.mentalhealthpromotion.net/?i=training.en.bibliography.1784Google Scholar
Hughes, J. R. (2000). Reduced smoking: An introduction and review of the evidence. Addiction, 95 (suppl 1), S3–19.Google Scholar
Hughes, J. R., & Carpenter, M. J. (2006). Does smoking reduction increase future cessation and decrease disease risk? A qualitative review. Nicotine & Tobacco Research, 8 (6), 739–749.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
James, W. (1902). Varieties of Religious Experience. New York: Mentor.Google Scholar
Joseph, A. M., Hecht, S. S., Murphy, S. E., Lando, H., Carmella, S. G., Gross, M., et al. (2008). Smoking reduction fails to improve clinical and biological markers of cardiac disease: A randomized controlled trial. Nicotine & Tobacco Research, 10 (3), 471–481. DOI: 10.1080/14622200801901948.Google Scholar
Layard, R. (2005). Happiness: Lessons from a New Science. Penguin: London.Google Scholar
Levy, D. E., Thorndike, A. N., Biener, L., & Rigotti, N. (2007). Use of Nicotine Replacement Therapy to reduce or delay smoking but not to quit: Prevalence and association with subsequent cessation efforts. Tobacco Control, 16, 384–389.Google Scholar
Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (2010). Drug safety update: Latest advice for medicine users. Retrieved from: http://www.mhra.gov.uk/Safetyinformation/DrugSafetyUpdate/index.htmGoogle Scholar
Moore, S. C. (2009). The nonpecuniary effects of smoking cessation: happier smokers smoke less. Applied Economics Letters, 16, 395–398.Google Scholar
Moore, D., Aveyard, P., Connock, M., Wang, D., Fry-Smith, A., & Barton, P. (2009). Effectiveness and safety of Nicotine Replacement Therapy assisted reduction to stop smoking: Systematic review and meta-analysis. British Medical Journal, 338, 1024.Google Scholar
Morris, C. D., Waxmonsky, J. A, May, M. G., Tinkelman, D. G., Dickinson, M., & Giese, A. A. (2011). Smoking reduction for persons with mental illnesses: 6-month results from community-based interventions. Community Mental Health Journal, 47 (6), 694–702. DOI: 10.1007/s10597-011-9411-zGoogle Scholar
Pressman, S. D., & Cohen, S. (2005). Does positive affect influence health? Psychological Bulletin, 131, 925–971. DOI: 10.1037/0033-2909.131.6.925Google Scholar
Rennard, S. I., Glover, E. D., Leischow, S., Daughton, D. M., Glover, P. N., & Muramoto, M.et al. (2006). Efficacy of the nicotine inhaler in smoking reduction: A double blind randomised controlled trial. Nicotine & Tobacco Research, 8, 555–564. DOI: 10.1080/14622200600789916Google Scholar
Ryff, C. D., & Keyes, C. L. M. (1995). The structure of psychological well-being revisited. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology. 69 (4), 719–727. DOI: 10.1037/0022-3514.69.4.719Google Scholar
Ryff, C. D., Singer, B. H., & Dienburg, G. (2004). Positive health: Connecting well-being with biology. Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society London B, 359, 1383–94.Google Scholar
Shahab, L., & West, R. (2009). Do ex-smokers report feeling happier following cessation? Evidence from a cross-sectional survey. Nicotine & Tobacco Research, 11 (5), 553–557. DOI: 10.1093/ntr/ntp031Google Scholar
SteadL, F. L, F., & Lancaster, T. (2007). Interventions to reduce harm from continued tobacco use. Cochrane Database Systematic Reviews, 3, CD005231Google Scholar
Steptoe, A., Wardle, J., & Marmot, M. (2005). Positive affect and health-related neuroendocrine, cardiovascular, and inflammatory processes. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America, 102, 6508–6512. DOI: 10.1073/pnas.0409174102Google Scholar
Steuber, T. L., & Danner, F. (2006). Adolescent smoking and depression: Which comes first? Addictive Behaviors, 31, 133–136. DOI: 10.1016/j.addbeh.2005.04.010Google Scholar
Tonnesen, P. (2002). Smoking reduction for smokers not able or motivated to quit? Respiration, 69 (6), 475–478.Google Scholar
Tonnesen, P., Pisinger, C., Hvidberg, S., Wennike, P., Bremann, L., Westin, A., et al. (2005). Effects of smoking cessation and reduction in asthmatics. Nicotine & Tobacco Research, 7, 139–148. DOI: 10.1080/14622200412331328411Google Scholar
Wang, D., Connock, M., Barton, P., Fry-Smith, A., Aveyard, P., & Moore, D. (2008). Cut down to quit with nicotine replacement therapies in smoking cessation: A systematic review of effectiveness and economic analysis. Health Technology Assessment, 12 (2), 1–135.Google Scholar
Wennike, P., Danielsson, T., Landfeldt, B., Westin, A., & Tonnesen, P. (2003). Smoking reduction promotes smoking cessation: Results from a double blind, randomized, placebo controlled trial of nicotine gum with 2-year follow-up. Addiction, 98, 1395–1402. DOI: 10.1046/j.1360-0443.2003.00489.xGoogle Scholar
West, R., & Jarvis, M. J. (2005). Tobacco smoking and mental disorder. Italian Journal of Psychiatry & Behavioural Sciences, 15, 10–17.Google Scholar
Wood-Baker, R. (2001). A double-blind placebo controlled trial of nicotine gum in smoking reduction. Helsinborg, Sweden, Pharmacia: Report No. Study 98-NNCG-017.Google Scholar
Zellweger, J. P. (2001). Anti-smoking therapies: Is harm reduction a viable alternative to smoking cessation? Drugs, 61, 1041–1044.Google Scholar