Heidi E. Hutton

Impact of Tobacco Control Interventions on Smoking Initiation, Cessation, and Prevalence: A Systematic Review

Background. Policymakers need estimates of the impact of tobacco control (TC) policies to set priorities and targets for reducing tobacco use. We systematically reviewed the independent effects of TC policies on smoking behavior. Methods. We searched MEDLINE (through January 2012) and EMBASE and other databases through February 2009, looking for studies published after 1989 in any language that assessed the effects of each TC intervention on smoking prevalence, initiation, cessation, or price participation elasticity. Paired reviewers extracted data from studies that isolated the impact of a single TC intervention. Findings. We included 84 studies. The strength of evidence quantifying the independent effect on smoking prevalence was high for increasing tobacco prices and moderate for smoking bans in public places and antitobacco mass media campaigns. Limited direct evidence was available to quantify the effects of health warning labels and bans on advertising and sponsorship. Studies were too heterogeneous to pool effect estimates. Interpretations. We found evidence of an independent effect for several TC policies on smoking prevalence. However, we could not derive precise estimates of the effects across different settings because of variability in the characteristics of the intervention, level of policy enforcement, and underlying tobacco control environment.

The Relationship Between Recent Alcohol Use and Sexual Behaviors: Gender Differences Among Sexually Transmitted Disease Clinic Patients

BACKGROUND Binge drinking is associated with risky sexual behaviors and sexually transmitted diseases (STDs). Few studies have investigated this by gender or in an STD clinic. This cross-sectional study examined the association between binge drinking and risky sexual behaviors/STDs among patients attending an urban STD clinic. METHOD A total of 671 STD clinic patients were tested for STDs, and queried about recent alcohol/drug use and risky sexual behaviors using audio computer-assisted-self-interview. The association between binge drinking and sexual behaviors/STDs was analyzed using logistic regression adjusting for age, employment, and drug use. RESULTS Binge drinking was reported by 30% of women and 42% of men. Gender differences were found in rates of receptive anal sex which increased linearly with increased alcohol use among women but did not differ among men. Within gender analyses showed that women binge drinkers engaged in anal sex at more than twice the rate of women who drank alcohol without binges (33.3% vs. 15.9%; p < 0.05) and 3 times the rate of women who abstained from alcohol (11.1%; p < 0.05). Having multiple sex partners was more than twice as common among women binge drinkers than women abstainers (40.5% vs. 16.8%; p < 0.05). Gonorrhea was nearly 5 times higher among women binge drinkers compared to women abstainers (10.6% vs. 2.2%; p < 0.05). The association between binge drinking and sexual behaviors/gonorrhea remained after controlling for drug use. Among men, rates of risky sexual behaviors/STDs were high, but did not differ by alcohol use. CONCLUSION Rates of binge drinking among STD clinic patients were high. Among women, binge drinking was uniquely associated with risky sexual behaviors and an STD diagnosis. Our findings support the need to routinely screen for binge drinking as part of clinical care in STD clinics. Women binge drinkers, in particular, may benefit from interventions that jointly address binge drinking and risky sexual behaviors. Developing gender-specific interventions could improve overall health outcomes in this population.

A Systematic Review of Randomized Controlled Trials: Web-Based Interventions for Smoking Cessation Among Adolescents, College Students, and Adults

INTRODUCTION Web-based treatments can deliver broad reaching, relatively inexpensive, and clinically tested methods for smoking cessation. We performed a systematic review of randomized controlled trials (RCTs) of smoking cessation to evaluate the efficacy of Web-based interventions in adults, college students, and adolescents. METHODS MEDLINE, EMBASE, The Cochrane Library, CINAHL, and PsycINFO were searched from January 1, 1990 through February 12, 2010 for RCTs examining the efficacy of Web-based smoking cessation programs. Paired reviewers abstracted data on study design, patient characteristics, and outcomes sequentially and did quality assessments independently. RESULTS Twenty-one RCTs met eligibility criteria, with 15 conducted among adults. Among adults, 2 RCTs found that a multicomponent intervention with Web and non-Web-based elements was more efficacious than a self-help manual, and one of 2 RCTs found that Web-based interventions may be more effective than no treatment. Three trials provided insufficient evidence to demonstrate whether Web-based interventions were more efficacious than counseling. By contrast, tailored Web sites in 2 RCTs and greater Web site exposure in 6 of 7 RCTs were associated with higher rates of abstinence. Among college students, evidence supporting use of Web-based interventions was insufficient because the one RCT conducted was also a multicomponent intervention. Five RCTs among adolescents demonstrated mixed results, with insufficient evidence supporting their efficacy. CONCLUSIONS Evidence supporting the use of Web-based interventions for smoking cessation is insufficient to moderate in adults and insufficient in college students and adolescents. These RCTs have, however, elucidated clinical, methodological, and statistical practices that are likely to improve future trial design and treatment delivery.

Psychiatric morbidity on entry to an HIV primary care clinic

Objective:To ascertain the prevalence and predictors of psychiatric distress in an inner-city HIV primary care clinic. Design:Cross-sectional study. Setting:Inner-city adult HIV clinic. Participants:A series of 222 HIV-infected patients newly presenting to the medical clinic for evaluation over a 1-year period. Outcome measures:A screening method, based on the General Health Questionnaire (GHQ) and the Beck Depression Inventory (BDI), whose sensitivity, specificity and positive predictive value for psychiatric diagnosis were previously established in this clinic. Results:Fifty-two per cent of participants scored above the screening threshold (i.e., scored > 14 on the BDI or > 6 on the GHQ). A comorbid substance use condition was the most powerful and consistent predictor of psychiatric distress (P < 0.05). Limited education and current unemployment contributed to higher scores on the BDI or the GHQ (P < 0.05). However, HIV illness variables and psychiatric personal or family histories were not significant predictors of psychiatric distress (P > 0.05 in all cases). Conclusions:Rates of psychiatric distress in inner-city adult HIV clinics are much higher than in the general population or than in other outpatient medical clinics. They are also not associated with what most clinicians perceive as traditional risk groups such as psychiatric histories and social disadvantage. These findings support the position that easy access to psychiatric care is essential to HIV clinics.

The prevalence of psychiatric disorders in sexually transmitted disease clinic patients and their association with sexually transmitted disease risk.

Background and Objectives Psychiatric disorders could limit the success of behavioral counseling strategies. We evaluated the prevalence of psychiatric disorders among sexually transmitted disease (STD) clinic patients and their association with STD risk. Methods A systematic sample of 201 patients presenting to a public STD clinic in Baltimore, Maryland, participated in the structured clinical interview for the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, 4th edition. Results Overall, 45% of 201 STD clinic patients interviewed had a current axis I disorder and 29% had an axis II personality disorder. Substance use disorders predominated among axis I diagnoses; antisocial personality disorder (ASPD) predominated among axis II diagnoses, with an ASPD prevalence of 29.4% in men. ASPD was associated with a diagnosis of an STD (odds ratio, 3.67; 95% confidence interval, 1.63–8.30; P = 0.002). Substance use was not associated with an STD diagnosis. Conclusions STD clinic patients have complex psychopathology that could increase HIV risk and compromise prevention interventions. Specialized counseling strategies, particularly targeting personality traits of ASPD, could improve prevention outcomes.

MOOD DISORDERS IN HIV INFECTION

Summary Major depression and mania have increased prevalence in HIV-infected patients, particularb in clinical settings and at later stages of disease. Varied rates of major depression have been reported but dzzerences in definition, methods of study, and population may partly explain these dafferences. We describe the clinical characteristics, assessment and treatment of mood disorders in HIV-infected patients, with emphasis on aspects specific to the setting of HIV infection. Diagnosis and treatment are complicated by medical complexity, stigma and psychosocial stress. Treatment is associated with clinical improvement. Mood disorders are associated with impulsivity, substance abuse, hopelessness, and demoralization, all of which may increase risk for HIV infection. Also, HIV-associated subcortical damage may be a risk factor for mood disorders, which are increased in late stage HIV infection. We discuss the data supporting the thesis that both of these factors may be at work in producing the high rates of mood disorders seen, and speculate that aggressive treatment of mood disorders may improve outcome and risk behaviors in HIV-infected patients.

Alcohol consumption among HIV-infected women: impact on time to antiretroviral therapy and survival.

OBJECTIVE Alcohol use is prevalent among HIV-infected people and is associated with lower antiretroviral adherence and high-risk sexual and injection behaviors. We sought to determine factors associated with alcohol use among HIV-infected women engaged in clinical care and if baseline alcohol use was associated with time to combination antiretroviral therapy (cART) and death in this population. METHODS In an observational clinical cohort, alcohol consumption at the initial medical visit was examined and categorized as heavy, occasional, past, or no use. We used multinomial logistic regression to test preselected covariates and their association with baseline alcohol consumption. We then examined the association between alcohol use and time to cART and time to death using Kaplan-Meier statistics and Cox proportional hazards regression. RESULTS Between 1997 and 2006, 1030 HIV-infected women enrolled in the cohort. Assessment of alcohol use revealed occasional and hazardous consumption in 29% and 17% of the cohort, respectively; 13% were past drinkers. In multivariate regression, heavy drinkers were more likely to be infected with hepatitis C than nondrinkers (relative risk ratios [RRR] 2.06, 95% confidence interval [CI] 1.29-3.44) and endorse current drug (RRR 3.51, 95% CI 2.09-5.91) and tobacco use (RRR 3.85 95% CI 1.81-8.19). Multivariable Cox regression adjusting for all clinical covariates demonstrated an increased mortality risk (hazard ratio [HR] 1.40, 95% CI 1.00-1.97, p < 0.05) among heavy drinkers compared to nondrinkers but no delays in cART initiation (1.04 95% CI 0.81-1.34) CONCLUSIONS Among this cohort of HIV-infected women, heavy alcohol consumption was independently associated with earlier death. Baseline factors associated with heavy alcohol use included tobacco use, hepatitis C, and illicit drug use. Alcohol is a modifiable risk factor for adverse HIV-related outcomes. Providers should consistently screen for alcohol consumption and refer HIV-infected women with heavy alcohol use for treatment.

Alcohol Use, Anal Sex, and Other Risky Sexual Behaviors Among HIV-Infected Women and Men

Effective sexual risk reduction strategies for HIV-infected individuals require an understanding of alcohol’s influence on specific sexual behaviors. We conducted audio-computer-assisted-self-interviews on 910 patients from two HIV primary care programs. The association between alcohol use and risky sexual behaviors was examined using multivariable logistic regression adjusting for age, education, race/ethnicity and drug use. Frequent/binge drinking was associated with engaging in anal sex and having multiple sex partners among women, engaging in insertive anal sex among gay/bisexual men, and was unrelated to risky sexual behaviors among heterosexual men. Infrequent drinkers did not differ in sexual risk behaviors from abstainers among women or men. Finally, there was no interaction effect between race/ethnicity and alcohol use on the association with sexual risk behaviors. The study has yielded important new findings in several key areas with high relevance to HIV care. Results underscore the importance of routinely screening for alcohol use and risky sexual behaviors in HIV primary care.

Clinical and Mental Health Correlates and Risk Factors for Intimate Partner Violence among HIV-Positive Women in an Inner-City HIV Clinic

BACKGROUND Intimate partner violence (IPV) is a serious health concern for women in the United States, and HIV-positive women experience more frequent and severe abuse compared with HIV-negative women. The goals of this study were to determine the prevalence of IPV among HIV-infected women receiving care in an urban clinic and to determine the HIV clinical and mental health correlates of IPV among HIV-positive women. METHODS We conducted a cross-sectional survey among 196 women visiting an inner-city HIV clinic. Women were eligible if they were 18 years of age or older, English speaking, and received both HIV primary and gynecologic care at the clinic. The survey queried demographics, drug and alcohol history, depressive symptoms, and IPV, using the Partner Violence Scale. Antiretroviral therapy (ART), CD4 cell count, HIV-1 RNA level, and appointment adherence were abstracted from clinical records. FINDINGS Overall, 26.5% of women reported experiencing IPV in the past year. There were no differences in sociodemographics, substance use, ART prescription, CD4 count, or HIV-1 RNA level between women who experienced IPV and those who had not. Women with mild and severe depressive symptoms were significantly more likely to report IPV compared with those without, with adjusted odds ratios of 3.4 and 5.5, respectively. Women who missed gynecologic appointments were 1.9 times more likely to report experiencing IPV. CONCLUSIONS IPV is prevalent among women presenting for HIV care, and depressive symptoms or missed gynecologic appointments should prompt further screening for IPV.

Interventions to address chronic disease and HIV: strategies to promote smoking cessation among HIV-infected individuals.

Tobacco use, especially cigarette smoking, is higher than average in persons living with HIV/AIDS (PLWHA). The Public Health Service Clinical Practice Guideline for Treating Tobacco Use and Dependence states that, during every medical encounter, all smokers should be offered smoking cessation counseling, along with approved medications. The Guideline also recognizes PLWHA as a priority population, given the scarcity of research on effective cessation treatments in this group. The scant evidence suggests that conventional treatments, though worthwhile, are not as successful as might be hoped for. The reasons for this are not entirely clear, but may have to do with the complex array of medical and psychosocial factors that complicate their lives. Clinicians should consider re-treatment strategies for those patients who encounter difficulty when quitting smoking with conventional approaches, switching or augmenting treatments as needed to minimize adverse experiences, and to maximize tolerability, adherence, and cessation outcomes.