Prevalance and course of tobacco use among individuals receiving coordinated specialty care for first-episode psychosis

View PDF version   |   Read the full study
 

Amplify OnTrackNY publication summaries summarize peer-reviewed publications focused on quality improvement or research conducted to help us learn & improve the program.

Study snapshot

Tobacco use leads to many health risks, such as increased risk of heart disease and certain cancers. Additionally, individuals with early psychosis who use tobacco often experience more severe symptoms, lower quality of life, and less consistency taking their medication. The current project tried to understand tobacco use among individuals with early psychosis to learn how to effectively help OnTrackNY participants stop using tobacco.¹  

This study asks:

1. How does tobacco use among OnTrackNY participants change over a year?

2. What characteristics are associated with tobacco use?

3. How is tobacco use among OnTrackNY participants associated with symptoms, consistency of taking medication, and hospitalization?

Figure 1: Who participated in this study?

This study is based on data from 870 OnTrackNY participants from diverse ethno-racial backgrounds.

Study findings

Data for this project were collected by OnTrackNY clinicians when participants entered the program and every three months after. This included information such as partic

Finding 1. Over the course of 1 year:

• Most (76%) OnTrackNY participants were not using tobacco
• About 20% either consistently used tobacco or started using tobacco
• Very few (about 4%) of the participants who used tobacco at the start of the year had quit

Finding 2. Background characteristics that were associated with starting or consistently using tobacco:

• Younger age
• Male sex
• White racial background
• Not being in school or work
• Not using other substances (alcohol, cannabis) at the beginning of the year
• Receiving OnTrackNY services in a non-urban neighborhood

Finding 3. How is tobacco use among OnTrackNY participants associated with symptoms, consistency of taking medication, and hospitalization?

• Continuously using tobacco was associated with more severe symptoms, but not with hospitalizations
• Using tobacco was associated with less consistency in taking medications at the beginning of the year but not at the end of the year

Final thoughts

Addressing tobacco use among OnTrackNY participants is important to ensure their health and quality of life are as good as possible. By providing a better understanding of tobacco use among OnTrackNY participants, this project might help OnTrackNY teams to better assist participants in quitting or never starting to use tobacco.

References

1. Rogers T, Marino L, Scodes J, Wall M, Nossel I, Dixon L. Prevalance and course of tobacco use among individuals receiving coordinated specialty care for first-episode psychosis. Early Intervention in Psychiatry. 2022 June 24. 17(2), 192-201.

Share, save, or keep learning