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APHA Scientific Session and Event Listing

Lisa Dixon, MD, MPH¹, Deborah Medoff, PhD², Julie Kreyenbuhl, PhD², Richard Goldberg, PhD², and Karen Wohlheiter, MA². (1) Department of Psychiatry, University of Maryland, 737 W. Lombard Street, Baltimore, MD 21201, 410-706-2490, ldixon@psych.umaryland.edu, (2) Department of Pyschiatry, University of Maryland, 737 W. Lombard Street, Baltimore, MD 21201

Objectives: Individuals with severe mental illness (SMI) smoke cigarettes at rates that are double to triple that of the general population. Their smoking severity is also reported to exceed that of general population smokers. Little is known about the correlates and sequelae of increased smoking severity on persons with SMI. Methods: A total of 304 smokers from six community mental health centers received a comprehensive assessment that included smoking history, psychiatric symptoms, co-occurring, disorders, subjective quality of life, and expired carbon monoxide. We used bivariate and multivariable analyses to identify correlates of smoking severity, as assessed by number of cigarettes smoked per week. Results: The average number of cigarettes smoked per week was 136 (SD83). Increased smoking was associated with higher levels of expired CO and being Caucasian, and with greater likelihood of a current diagnosis of hypertension and oral/gum disease. African Americans smoked approximately 60 fewer cigarettes per week than Caucasians. Greater smoking severity was associated with poorer overall subjective quality of life and lower satisfaction with finances, health, leisure activities and social relationships. Conclusions: This study confirms high rates of heavy smoking among persons with SMI. The association of increased quantity of cigarettes smoked with being Caucasian is consistent with previous reports in mentally ill and non-mentally ill populations. The linkage of heavy smoking with poorer quality of life and co-occurring medical disorders suggests the importance of smoking reduction strategies to reduce smoking severity and of efforts to decrease patients' total pack years of smoking.

Learning Objectives:

At the conclusion of this presentation, the learner will articulate
• risks for smoking and heavy smoking among persons with severe mental illness
• the possible reasons that African Americans with SMI smoke fewer cigarettes than Caucasians
• relationships between heavy smoking and quality of life.

Keywords: Smoking, Mental Disorders

Presenting author's disclosure statement:

Not Answered