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Dwyer CL, Craft WH, Tegge AN, Yu-Hua Y, Bickel WK. Utility of the 5-trial adjusting delay task in screening for high delay discounting rates: A cohort study of individuals reporting harmful alcohol and tobacco use. Exp Clin Psychopharmacol 2023; 31:786-792. [PMID: 36701520 PMCID: PMC10368788 DOI: 10.1037/pha0000623] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/27/2023]
Abstract
High delay discounting (DD) rates are associated with several health conditions, including addiction. Investigators interested in the modulation of DD rates may be interested in screening for individuals with high DD rates within substance-using samples. The adjusting delay discounting task (ADT) is a brief DD rate measure suitable for screening purposes, but how performance on this task is related to more granular DD measures (e.g., adjusting amount task; AAT) in individuals who use substances is unknown. This study investigated the relationship between DD rates measured by the ADT and AAT to assess the utility of the ADT in screening for high discounting rates in individuals who use tobacco and alcohol. Participants (N = 488) were screened for high discounting rates, ln(k) ≥ -4.3118, using the ADT. Subsequently, participants completed the AAT. Linear regressions were conducted to understand the relationship between the ADT and AAT DD rates. Separate analyses between the total, high-quality and low-quality samples were conducted. Significant relationships between the ADT and AAT were found for the total (p < .001), high-quality (p < .001), and low-quality samples (p < .001). Although the ADT overestimated DD rates on the AAT by 2.49, 2.29, and 2.97 units in the total, high-quality, and low-quality samples, the ADT accurately identified individuals with high discounting rates. Specifically, 71% of the total sample, 80% of the high-quality sample, and 66% of the low-quality sample maintained a high DD rate on the AAT. These results demonstrate that ADT can be used as a quick, accurate screening tool to identify high discounting rates in individuals who use substances. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2023 APA, all rights reserved).
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Affiliation(s)
- Candice L. Dwyer
- Fralin Biomedical Research Institute at Virginia Tech Carilion, Roanoke, VA, USA
- Department of Psychology, Virginia Tech, Blacksburg, VA, USA
| | - William H. Craft
- Fralin Biomedical Research Institute at Virginia Tech Carilion, Roanoke, VA, USA
- Graduate Program in Translational Biology, Medicine, and Health, Virginia Tech, USA
| | - Allison N. Tegge
- Fralin Biomedical Research Institute at Virginia Tech Carilion, Roanoke, VA, USA
- Department of Statistics, Virginia Tech, Blacksburg, VA, USA
| | - Yeh Yu-Hua
- Fralin Biomedical Research Institute at Virginia Tech Carilion, Roanoke, VA, USA
| | - Warren K. Bickel
- Fralin Biomedical Research Institute at Virginia Tech Carilion, Roanoke, VA, USA
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Weinsztok SC, Reed DD, Amlung M. Substance-related cross-commodity purchase tasks: A systematic review. PSYCHOLOGY OF ADDICTIVE BEHAVIORS 2023; 37:72-86. [PMID: 35787100 PMCID: PMC9810764 DOI: 10.1037/adb0000851] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/22/2023]
Abstract
OBJECTIVE In the context of behavioral economics, drug use is a choice to which an individual may allocate responding despite the presence of alternative response possibilities. To examine the demand for a drug in an environment in which other drugs or nondrug alternatives are present, researchers often use a cross-commodity purchase task. These tasks allow participants to make choices across several reinforcers at varied unit prices and may elucidate behavioral economic patterns of substitutability and complementarity. The objective of this study was to conduct a systematic review of cross-commodity purchase task studies with human participants. METHOD Following Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses guidelines, we screened 46 full-text studies (from 456 total records obtained from PsycINFO and PubMed databases and reference list search), yielding a final sample of 35 studies. RESULTS The drug category with the largest number of studies assessed was tobacco and nicotine products. The most consistent economic relationships found were substitutability of traditional cigarettes by e-cigarettes and e-liquid, and both legal and illegal cannabis for the other; however, other substitutable and complementary relationships were observed (e.g., substitution of food for cigarettes, a complementary relationship between alcohol and cannabis). CONCLUSIONS We discuss the implications of the results of this review from a treatment and harm reduction standpoint, highlight areas for future research particularly among drug categories with few studies and evaluating ecological validity of hypothetical measures, and make best practice recommendations for future cross-commodity drug-related purchase task research. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2023 APA, all rights reserved).
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Affiliation(s)
- Sarah C. Weinsztok
- Cofrin Logan Center for Addiction Research and Treatment, Department of Applied Behavioral Science, University of Kansas
| | - Derek D. Reed
- Cofrin Logan Center for Addiction Research and Treatment, Department of Applied Behavioral Science, University of Kansas
| | - Michael Amlung
- Cofrin Logan Center for Addiction Research and Treatment, Department of Applied Behavioral Science, University of Kansas
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Nurchis MC, Di Pumpo M, Perilli A, Greco G, Damiani G. Nudging Interventions on Alcohol and Tobacco Consumption in Adults: A Scoping Review of the Literature. INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF ENVIRONMENTAL RESEARCH AND PUBLIC HEALTH 2023; 20:1675. [PMID: 36767077 PMCID: PMC9913966 DOI: 10.3390/ijerph20031675] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/08/2022] [Revised: 01/12/2023] [Accepted: 01/13/2023] [Indexed: 06/18/2023]
Abstract
Background: The World Health Organization identified alcohol and tobacco consumption as the risk factors with a greater attributable burden and number of deaths related to non-communicable diseases. A promising technique aimed to modify behavioral risk factors by redesigning the elements influencing the choice of people is nudging. Methodology: A scoping review of the literature was performed to map the literature evidence investigating the use of nudging for tobacco and alcohol consumption prevention and/or control in adults. Results: A total of 20 studies were included. The identified nudging categories were increasing salience of information or incentives (IS), default choices (DF), and providing feedback (PF). Almost three-quarters of the studies implementing IS and half of those implementing PF reported a success. Three-quarters of the studies using IS in conjunction with other interventions reported a success whereas more than half of the those with IS alone reported a success. The PF strategy performed better in multi-component interventions targeting alcohol consumption. Only one DF mono-component study addressing alcohol consumption reported a success. Conclusions: To achieve a higher impact, nudging should be integrated into comprehensive prevention policy frameworks, with dedicated education sessions for health professionals. In conclusion, nudge strategies for tobacco and alcohol consumption prevention in adults show promising results. Further research is needed to investigate the use of nudge strategies in socio-economically diverse groups and in young populations.
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Affiliation(s)
- Mario Cesare Nurchis
- Department of Life Sciences and Public Health, Università Cattolica del Sacro Cuore, 00168 Rome, Italy
- Department of Woman and Child Health and Public Health, Fondazione Policlinico Universitario A. Gemelli IRCCS, 00168 Rome, Italy
| | | | - Alessio Perilli
- Department of Life Sciences and Public Health, Università Cattolica del Sacro Cuore, 00168 Rome, Italy
| | - Giuseppe Greco
- Department of Life Sciences and Public Health, Università Cattolica del Sacro Cuore, 00168 Rome, Italy
| | - Gianfranco Damiani
- Department of Life Sciences and Public Health, Università Cattolica del Sacro Cuore, 00168 Rome, Italy
- Department of Woman and Child Health and Public Health, Fondazione Policlinico Universitario A. Gemelli IRCCS, 00168 Rome, Italy
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Freitas-Lemos R, Stein JS, Tegge AN, Kaplan BA, Heckman BW, Cummings KM, Bickel WK. The Illegal Experimental Tobacco Marketplace I: Effects of Vaping Product Bans. Nicotine Tob Res 2021; 23:1744-1753. [PMID: 33955478 PMCID: PMC8403238 DOI: 10.1093/ntr/ntab088] [Citation(s) in RCA: 14] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/23/2020] [Accepted: 04/29/2021] [Indexed: 12/14/2022]
Abstract
OBJECTIVES Banning vaping products may have unintended outcomes, such as increased demand for illegal products. This study experimentally examined the effects of a vaping ban and a flavored vaping ban on the probability of purchasing illicit vaping products, and factors affecting purchasing from a hypothetical illegal marketplace. METHODS A crowdsourced sample of exclusive cigarette smokers, exclusive e-cigarette users, and frequent dual users (n = 150) completed hypothetical purchasing trials in an Experimental Tobacco Marketplace under three conditions (no ban, vaping ban, and flavored vaping ban). Participants chose to purchase in a hypothetical legal experimental tobacco marketplace (LETM) or illegal experimental tobacco marketplace (IETM). Vaping products were available in each marketplace depending on the condition. Other tobacco products were always available in the LETM. A hypothetical illicit purchase task with five fine amounts assessed the effect of monetary penalties. RESULTS Participants from all groups were more likely to purchase from the IETM when product availability in the LETM was more restricted, with e-cigarette users being most affected. The likelihood of purchasing illegal products was systematically decreased as monetary penalties associated with the IETM increased, with e-cigarette users showing greater persistence in defending their illicit purchases. CONCLUSIONS Restricting vaping products from the marketplace may shift preference towards purchasing vaping products in the illegal marketplace. Nevertheless, penalties imposed on consumer's behavior might be effective in preventing illicit trade. The IETM is a methodological extension that supports the utility and flexibility of the ETM as a framework for understanding the impact of different tobacco regulatory policies. IMPLICATIONS This study suggests that limiting or banning vaping products as a possible strategy to reduce the adverse effects of vaping products could result in some tobacco-users seeking banned products from illegal sources. Monetary fines were shown to reduce illegal purchases. Therefore, policymakers should consider implementing strategies that may mitigate illegal purchases.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Jeffrey S Stein
- Fralin Biomedical Research Institute at Virginia Tech Carilion, Roanoke, VA
| | - Allison N Tegge
- Fralin Biomedical Research Institute at Virginia Tech Carilion, Roanoke, VA
- Department of Statistics, Virginia Tech, Blacksburg, VA
| | - Brent A Kaplan
- Department of Family and Community Medicine, University of Kentucky, Lexington, KY
| | - Bryan W Heckman
- Center for the Study of Social Determinants on Health, Meharry Medical College, Nashville, TN
| | - K Michael Cummings
- Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Medical University of South Carolina, Charleston, SC
| | - Warren K Bickel
- Fralin Biomedical Research Institute at Virginia Tech Carilion, Roanoke, VA
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Freitas-Lemos R, Keith DR, Tegge AN, Stein JS, Cummings KM, Bickel WK. Estimating the Impact of Tobacco Parity and Harm Reduction Tax Proposals Using the Experimental Tobacco Marketplace. INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF ENVIRONMENTAL RESEARCH AND PUBLIC HEALTH 2021; 18:7835. [PMID: 34360124 PMCID: PMC8345477 DOI: 10.3390/ijerph18157835] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/01/2021] [Revised: 07/19/2021] [Accepted: 07/20/2021] [Indexed: 11/17/2022]
Abstract
Taxes are a demonstrably effective method to suppress tobacco use. This study examined the effects of the tobacco parity (i.e., imposing taxes equally on all tobacco products) and the harm reduction (i.e., applying taxes in proportion to the products' levels of harm) tax proposals on demand and substitution across products. A crowdsourced sample of cigarette smokers (n = 35) completed purchasing trials with increasing tax magnitudes across different tax tiers in the Experimental Tobacco Marketplace in a repeated-measures design. Products were placed in three tax tiers (high, medium, and no tax) according to each proposal's goal. The results indicated that total nicotine (mg) purchased was not significantly different between the proposals, with higher taxes yielding lower demand. However, as taxes increased, the tobacco parity proposal decreased the purchasing of all tobacco products and increased the purchasing of medicinal nicotine (i.e., the no tax tier). Conversely, the harm reduction proposal resulted in greater purchases of electronic nicotine delivery systems and smokeless tobacco (i.e., the medium tax tier). These findings support tobacco taxation as a robust tool for suppressing purchasing and suggest that differential taxation in proportion to product risk would be an effective way to incentivize smokers to switch from smoked to unsmoked products. Further studies should investigate the unintended consequences of their implementation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Roberta Freitas-Lemos
- Fralin Biomedical Research Institute at Virginia Tech Carilion, Roanoke, VA 24016, USA; (R.F.-L.); (D.R.K.); (A.N.T.); (J.S.S.)
| | - Diana R. Keith
- Fralin Biomedical Research Institute at Virginia Tech Carilion, Roanoke, VA 24016, USA; (R.F.-L.); (D.R.K.); (A.N.T.); (J.S.S.)
| | - Allison N. Tegge
- Fralin Biomedical Research Institute at Virginia Tech Carilion, Roanoke, VA 24016, USA; (R.F.-L.); (D.R.K.); (A.N.T.); (J.S.S.)
- Department of Statistics, Virginia Tech, Blacksburg, VA 24060, USA
| | - Jeffrey S. Stein
- Fralin Biomedical Research Institute at Virginia Tech Carilion, Roanoke, VA 24016, USA; (R.F.-L.); (D.R.K.); (A.N.T.); (J.S.S.)
| | - K. Michael Cummings
- Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Medical University of South Carolina, Charleston, SC 29425, USA;
| | - Warren K. Bickel
- Fralin Biomedical Research Institute at Virginia Tech Carilion, Roanoke, VA 24016, USA; (R.F.-L.); (D.R.K.); (A.N.T.); (J.S.S.)
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Epstein LH, Jimenez-Knight T, Honan AM, Biondolillo MJ, Paluch RA, Bickel WK. A story to tell: the role of narratives in reducing delay discounting for people who strongly discount the future. Memory 2021; 29:708-718. [PMID: 34080492 PMCID: PMC8461562 DOI: 10.1080/09658211.2021.1936560] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/08/2020] [Accepted: 05/25/2021] [Indexed: 10/21/2022]
Abstract
Delay Discounting (DD) or devaluing a future, larger reward in favour of a smaller, more immediate reward, has been linked to negative health behaviours. One intervention that reduces DD is Episodic Future Thinking (EFT). EFT has participants generate cues representing positive future events that correspond to temporal windows during the DD task. The current study examined if incorporating EFT cues into narratives would strengthen effects on DD. One hundred and sixty adults were recruited from Amazon Mechanical Turk and were randomised to traditional or narrative EFT. Results showed that participants in narrative EFT discounted the future less (p = 0.034) than participants who engaged in traditional EFT. This novel approach to EFT is well grounded in research and theory on the power of narratives to influence behaviour and can open a new window into ways to reduce DD to strengthen engagement in positive choices.
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Affiliation(s)
- Leonard H Epstein
- University at Buffalo Jacobs School of Medicine and Biomedical Sciences, Buffalo, NY, USA
| | - Tatiana Jimenez-Knight
- University at Buffalo Jacobs School of Medicine and Biomedical Sciences, Buffalo, NY, USA
| | - Anna M Honan
- University at Buffalo Jacobs School of Medicine and Biomedical Sciences, Buffalo, NY, USA
| | - Mathew J Biondolillo
- University at Buffalo Jacobs School of Medicine and Biomedical Sciences, Buffalo, NY, USA
| | - Rocco A Paluch
- University at Buffalo Jacobs School of Medicine and Biomedical Sciences, Buffalo, NY, USA
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Pope DA, Poe L, Stein JS, Kaplan BA, DeHart WB, Mellis AM, Heckman BW, Epstein LH, Chaloupka FJ, Bickel WK. The Experimental Tobacco Marketplace: Demand and Substitutability as a Function of Cigarette Taxes and e-Liquid Subsidies. Nicotine Tob Res 2020; 22:782-790. [PMID: 31350894 PMCID: PMC7171289 DOI: 10.1093/ntr/ntz116] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/22/2018] [Accepted: 07/23/2019] [Indexed: 11/14/2022]
Abstract
INTRODUCTION The experimental tobacco marketplace (ETM) approximates real-world situations by estimating the effects of several, concurrently available products and policies on budgeted purchasing. Although the effects of increasing cigarette price on potentially less harmful substitutability are well documented, the effects of other, nuanced pricing policies remain speculative. This study used the ETM as a tool to assess the effects of two pricing policies, conventional cigarette taxation and e-liquid subsidization, on demand and substitutability. METHODS During sampling periods, participants were provided 2-day samples of 24 mg/mL e-liquid, after which ETM purchase sessions occurred. Across two ETM sessions, conventional cigarettes were taxed or e-liquid was subsidized in combination with increasing cigarette price. The other four available products were always price constant and not taxed or subsidized. RESULTS E-liquid functioned as a substitute for conventional cigarettes across all conditions. Increasing cigarette taxation and e-liquid subsidization increased the number of participants for which e-liquid functioned as a substitute. Cigarette taxation decreased cigarette demand, by decreasing demand intensity, and marginally increased the initial intensity of e-liquid substitution, but did not affect the functions' slopes (substitutability). E-liquid subsidization resulted in large increases in the initial intensity of e-liquid substitution, but did not affect e-liquid substitutability nor cigarette demand. IMPLICATIONS 24 mg/mL e-cigarette e-liquid was the only product to significantly substitute for cigarettes in at least one condition throughout the experiment; it functioned as a significant substitute throughout all four tax and all four subsidy conditions. Increasing cigarette taxes decreased cigarette demand through decreases in demand intensity but did not affect e-cigarette substitution. Increasing e-liquid subsidies increased e-liquid initial intensity of substitution but did not affect cigarette demand. CONCLUSIONS This study extended research on the behavioral economics of conventional cigarette demand and e-liquid substitutability in a complex marketplace. The results suggest that the most efficacious method to decrease conventional cigarette purchasing and increase e-liquid purchasing may involve greatly increasing cigarette taxes while also increasing the value of e-liquid through potentially less harmful product subsidization or differential taxation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Derek A Pope
- Addiction Recovery Research Center, Fralin Biomedical Research Institute at VTC, Roanoke, VA
| | - Lindsey Poe
- Addiction Recovery Research Center, Fralin Biomedical Research Institute at VTC, Roanoke, VA
| | - Jeffrey S Stein
- Addiction Recovery Research Center, Fralin Biomedical Research Institute at VTC, Roanoke, VA
| | - Brent A Kaplan
- Addiction Recovery Research Center, Fralin Biomedical Research Institute at VTC, Roanoke, VA
| | - William B DeHart
- Addiction Recovery Research Center, Fralin Biomedical Research Institute at VTC, Roanoke, VA
| | - Alexandra M Mellis
- Addiction Recovery Research Center, Fralin Biomedical Research Institute at VTC, Roanoke, VA
| | - Bryan W Heckman
- Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Medical University of South Carolina, Charleston, SC
| | - Leonard H Epstein
- Department of Pediatrics, University at Buffalo Jacobs School of Medicine and Biomedical Sciences, Buffalo, NY
| | - Frank J Chaloupka
- Department of Economics, University of Illinois at Chicago, Chicago, IL
| | - Warren K Bickel
- Addiction Recovery Research Center, Fralin Biomedical Research Institute at VTC, Roanoke, VA
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The drug purity discounting task: Ecstasy use likelihood is reduced by probabilistic impurity according to harmfulness of adulterants. Drug Alcohol Depend 2020; 208:107772. [PMID: 31974022 PMCID: PMC7156028 DOI: 10.1016/j.drugalcdep.2019.107772] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/26/2019] [Revised: 10/28/2019] [Accepted: 11/21/2019] [Indexed: 11/20/2022]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Ecstasy typically contains adulterants in addition to, or in lieu of, MDMA which may pose a greater risk to users than MDMA itself. The current study aimed to evaluate the effectiveness of adulterant-related informational prompts in reducing Ecstasy use using a novel probability discounting task. METHODS An online sample of past-month Ecstasy users (N = 278) were randomized to one of four different framing prompt conditions: no prompt; a prompt describing MDMA's effects; a prompt describing adulterants as inert "filler"; or a prompt describing adulterants as pharmacologically-active, potentially-harmful compounds. Each prompt contained general, potential public-health information that was not specifically related to subsequent behavioral tasks. All participants then completed an identical Drug Purity Discounting Task, in which they indicated the likelihood of using a sample of Ecstasy across different probabilities of the sample being impure, and then completed a hypothetical Ecstasy purchasing task. RESULTS Likelihood of Ecstasy use decreased as impurity probability increased across conditions. Ecstasy use likelihood was highest in the "inert" prompt condition, whereas pharmacologically-active adulterant or adulterant-nonspecific prompts resulted in comparably low likelihood of use. Ecstasy-use likelihood did not differ among conditions when the likelihood of sample impurity was 0. Ecstasy purchasing did not differ among groups. Inelastic purchasing was associated with greater likelihood of using potentially-impure Ecstasy. CONCLUSIONS Altogether, these data highlight the necessity of education regarding pharmacologically-active, rather than inert, adulterants in Ecstasy, and suggest that increased access to drug checking kits and services may mitigate some of the harms associated with Ecstasy use.
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