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Women and Tobacco Harm Reduction in Appalachia, Ohio

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  21 February 2012

Amy K. Ferketich*
Affiliation:
The Ohio State University College of Public Health, United States of America. [email protected]
Phyllis Pirie
Affiliation:
The Ohio State University College of Public Health, United States of America.
Mary Ellen Wewers
Affiliation:
The Ohio State University College of Public Health, United States of America.
Dalisa Barquero
Affiliation:
Columbus Neighborhood Health Center, Inc., Columbus, Ohio, United States of America.
Sheetal Hardikar
Affiliation:
The Ohio State University College of Public Health, United States of America.
*
*Address for correspondence: Amy K. Ferketich, Assistant Professor, Division of Epidemiology, The Ohio State University College of Public Health, B-209 Starling-Loving Hall, 320 West 10th Avenue, Columbus, OH 43210, United States.

Abstract

The purpose of this study was to extend research regarding the perceptions smokers have of the advantages and disadvantages of using potential reduced exposure products (PREPs). Five focus groups with female current smokers were conducted in the Appalachian region of Ohio. The semistructured discussion guide was developed to capture information on reasons why women smoke, why and how they quit smoking, and reasons why women would switch to PREPs. The results suggest that these smokers did not express enthusiasm for using PREPs as an aid to smoking cessation or as a harm reduction product. In general, the concept of harm reduction in the sense of reducing disease risks did not engage the participants. Early in the discussion the women had identified some problems caused by their smoking and later PREPs were viewed as reducing these. The results suggest that PREPs may be attractive to some smokers because they offer benefits that other products lack.

Type
Articles
Copyright
Copyright © Cambridge University Press 2008

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