Dr. Shanta Dube of Georgia State University recently published a study that found using brand names of cigars in a key national survey may improve data-gathering related to cigar use among middle and high school students.

Dr. Dube, a professor in the University’s School of Public Health, published “Cigar Smoking Among U.S. Students Reported Use After Adding Brands to Survey Items” in the American Journal of Preventive Medicine along with the Food and Drug Administration’s Center for Tobacco Product and the CDC’s Office on Smoking and Health.

The study focused on changing survey measures in the 2012 National Youth Tobacco Survey (NYTS), an annual school-based survey that gathers a representative sample of U.S. middle and high school youth, by adding cigar brand names.

These findings prompt further research into all types of tobacco use, by adding more descriptive terms, and also to increase efforts to reduce marketing, sales, and flavoring techniques used to lure youth into experimenting with tobacco. The study also highlights that cigar use is high among U.S. students and particularly with U.S. non-Hispanic Black students.

Dr. Dube also collaborated recently with scientists at the CDC’s National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) on “Gender Differences in Smoking Among U.S. Working Adults” a study to assess smoking prevalence among women and men across industry and occupation. The study’s main findings indicate the prevalence of smoking in working women is lower than working men, however women who smoke were more likely to report negative health outcomes such as poor physical and emotional health.

The research also showed that women had higher smoking prevalence than men in some service occupations, such as healthcare practitioners, protective service, and social service.

To read more about Dr. Dube’s studies, go to: http://publichealth.gsu.edu/2014/08/06/prof-shanta-dube-publishes-2-studies-on-tobacco-and-cigar-use/