Do you live in a Home where there is a smoker and a non-smoker? The University of Minnesota wants to know!

Filed under: For the greater good of people, Fun Study to help the Community, Health Awareness (Quit Smoking), Helping Children, Public Relations, Self-Help, Think about this, U of M

Goldie Wants You!
Ms. Marcquilla Allen and Dr. Janet Thomas from the University of Minnesota are doing a study about “smoking in the home.” They both have been kind enough to share information about their study and want people from all walks of life to participate. After you read the information below, please contact Marquilla Allen at (612) 626-3899 to set up an appointment. All qualified participants are compensated for their time.

1. What is the purpose of area of research?

We all know that cigarette smoking is an addiction and that exposure to tobacco smoke is harmful to the smoker and to non-smokers in the home and public environment.

We also know that certain groups are targeted by the tobacco companies to start smoking and to continue smoking once they start.

What we know less about, and what I want to learn in my research, is the messages that really speak to smokers that make them want to eliminate exposing tobacco smoke to others in their environment and motivate them to want to quit.

Specifically, I want to learn how a non-smoker who lives with a smoker might support their smoker to make their home smoke free. Our study is designed to develop and test whether biomarker feedback documenting home exposure to environmental toxins might increase home smoking restrictions and motivate the smoker to make a quit attempt.

This program of research addresses the unfair share of the burden of tobacco-related health problems among underserved communities including high rates of childhood asthma and adult cardiovascular diseases.

Further, our program of study builds upon the important role of the family in health behavior change.

Dr. Thomas has recently received funding from the American Heart Association and the American Lung Association for research to increase the adoption of smoking bans in family homes. The study is designed to develop and test whether biomarker feedback documenting home exposure to environmental toxins might increase home smoking restrictions and motivate the smoker to make a quit attempt.

2. Main outcomes of research?

We hope to move all families towards having a home that promotes the best start and best health possible for children in the home. By learning what messages promote private policies/bans against smoking in the home and car and motivate smokers to quit, we will be better able to help all families.

3. Who is the Principal Investigator of this research?

Janet Thomas, PhD, joined the Program in Health Disparities Research in August 2006. Thomas, a University of Minnesota Department of Medicine Assistant Professor, gained an interest in health disparities from her graduate work in Clinical Psychology at Louisiana State University in Baton Rouge. There she developed an appreciation for the persistent sense of optimism and faith among those dealing with a plethora of major life stressors including poverty, violence, child mortality, and chronic illness, and a curiosity to understand the psychological mechanisms behind this “audacity of hope” She brings to the Program a strong research background in smoking cessation and weight management among African American communities. She is particularly interested in investigating the role of social support as a tool to motivate health behavior change.

*Dr. Thomas has recently received funding from the American Heart Association and the American Lung Association for research to increase the adoption of smoking bans in homes. The study is designed to develop and test whether biomarker feedback documenting home exposure to environmental toxins might increase home smoking restrictions and motivate the smoker to make a quit attempt.

Says Dr. Thomas, “It is vital that we identify innovative ways to eliminate exposure to environmental tobacco smoke (ETS). ETS is a recognized cause of heart, lung, vascular disease, and cancer in adults and respiratory diseases including asthma in children.” African Americans have twice the rate of premature death due to heart and vascular disease, the highest overall cancer death rates of all racial groups, and African American children have the highest rates of asthma, sudden infant death syndrome, and low birth weights. She hopes her research may help to address these health disparities.

4. What is the UMN, Program in Health Disparities Research?

The Program in Health Disparities Research is housed within the University of Minnesota Medical School’s Center for Clinical Research. Established in 2006, the Program is dedicated to eliminating health disparities among minority and other underserved populations through interdisciplinary research, education, and community partnership. Dr. Kolawole S. Okuyemi is Director of the Program, and has a strong research background in smoking cessation in African American and other underserved populations. The Program fosters multidisciplinary research in collaboration with community members and academic partners. Program researchers have and continue to receive funding from the American Medical Association, National Institutes of Health, American Cancer Society, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, National Science Foundation, Cancer Research and Prevention Foundation, among many others.

For more information, call Marquilla at (612) 626-3899

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