Acupuncture combined with auricular acupressure for smoking cessation and its effects on tobacco dependence and smoking behavior among Hong Kong smokers: a multicenter pilot clinical study

Conditions of sleep restoration after smoking cessation: A systematic review

Previous studies have highlighted the prevalence of disordered sleep in smokers, with subjective sleep complaints and alterations of sleep architecture, including a reduction in slow-wave sleep (SWS). These findings raise questions regarding the impact of smoking cessation and withdrawal on sleep. This review aims to assess the impact of smoking cessation on sleep by taking into account objective and subjective methods of assessment. The selected articles compared both participants' sleep before and after smoking cessation, and the sleep characteristics of patients who had relapsed compared to those who had maintained abstinence. The selected studies presented results for patients who did not receive any cessation treatment, or who received either medication-based or psychotherapeutic treatments. In patients undergoing smoking cessation without NRT, the N1 stage was reduced in those maintaining abstinence for 6 months, while rapid eye movement (REM) sleep was reduced only in those who relapsed. No significant difference in SWS was observed between patients who maintained abstinence and those who relapsed. Regarding the use of NRT, one study observed that long-term nicotine patches, compared to short-acting patches, were associated with an increase in SWS. Despite heterogeneous results, sleep alterations appear to persist for the first few weeks of withdrawal and predict relapses. Finally, although limited, there seems to be a restoration of sleep for patients using NRT.

Effect of acupressure on smoking cessation in young smokers with nicotine dependence: A mixed methods study

Background

Acupressure has been widely used to help people quit for a long time in China. This study explores the feasibility and effects of acupressure on smoking cessation in young smokers with nicotine dependence to inform policy and decision-making.

Methods

This was a single-group study with a pre/posttest design. The participants received four weeks of auricular acupressure treatment, led by a registered acupuncturist. Smoking cravings, nicotine dependence, withdrawal symptoms, and number of cigarettes per day (CPD) were recorded before and after treatment. Changes in outcomes were analyzed at 2 weeks and 4 weeks using SPSS software version 22.0. Semi-structured interviews were conducted with the participants to explore their experiences and attitudes toward auricular acupressure. Thematic analysis was used to analyze the data.

Results

A total of 20 participants completed this study. A significant reduction was observed in smoking cravings (F = 11.02, P < 0.05), nicotine dependence (F = 11.09, P < 0.05), withdrawal symptoms (F = 11.19, P < 0.05), and CPD (F = 19.03, P < 0.05) across sessions. Additionally, withdrawal symptoms decreased significantly from 2 weeks to 4 weeks (P < 0.05) of acupressure treatment. Three interrelated themes emerged from the interviews: personal and external resources, the psychological and physical effects of acupressure, and satisfaction with acupressure for smoking cessation.

Conclusions

The quantitative and qualitative data suggest that acupressure maybe effectively decrease nicotine dependence and smoking cravings. However, this was a pilot and single-arm study, and these findings must be further verified. The study supports the feasibility and safety of introducing acupressure therapy for smoking cessation in young smokers.

Research trends of acupressure from 2004 to 2024: A bibliometric and visualization analysis

Background

Acupressure has proven efficacy in symptoms management, making it valuable in clinical practice and patient care. Given the rising number of increasing publications on acupressure, we aimed to analyze the literature from the past 20 years and provided current trends and hotspot for future research directions.

Methods

Publications on acupressure from January 1, 2004 through May 1, 2024 were retrieved from the Web of Science database. The extracted records underwent thorough analysis based on publication year, research area, journal, countries/regions, organization, authors, and keywords. The bibliometric analysis was conducted using Citespace and Microsoft Excel software.

Results

Of the 1,929 screened records, 770 publications were identified. The annual number of acupressure has gradually increased, with the 45 % of the total publication occurring from 2020 to 2024. Among countries and institutions, China (252 articles) and Hong Kong Polytechnic University (41 articles) have the highest number of publications. Notably, USA and Hong Kong Polytechnic University exhibits the highest centrality score in cooperative network among countries/regions and institutions. Chao Hsing Yeh from the Cizik School of Nursing, University of Texas Health Science Center, was the most prolific author with 22 papers. Evidence-Based Comple Alt, with 53 articles, is the journal with the most publications. According to the keyword, timeline diagram and prominence mapping analysis, we believe that "insomnia", "labor", "waist circumference", "reliability" and "vagus nerve stimulation" related clusters may be new hotspots in the field of acupressure.

Conclusion

This study presents the research trajectory of acupressure over the past 20 years, providing a foundation for future research and highlighting the significant contributions of nursing researchers. By analyzing research trends and hotsport, nursing professionals can integrate acupressure more effectively into holistic patient care, improving quality of life, and contributing to traditional Chinese medicine.

The association of individual cognition and social environment of smoking with autonomy over tobacco: A survey from rural China

INTRODUCTION

This study explores the association of individual cognition and social environment of smoking with autonomy over tobacco, providing evidence and insights to help smokers effectively prevent and reduce tobacco dependence.

METHODS

Data were collected from 1389 participants, aged ≥15 years, by face-to-face interviews from June 2018 to November 2019 in central China. We assessed autonomy over tobacco using the Autonomy Over Smoking Scale (AUTOS), including Withdrawal Symptoms (WS), Psychological Dependence (PD) and Cue-induced Cravings (CC), and examined factors of individual cognition and social environment, as well as covariates, including demographic characteristics, health status, and smoking behavior.

RESULTS

AUTOS total score was 16.92 ± 9.05, WS score was the lowest (4.40 ± 3.36) in the three subscales, and CC score was the highest (6.88 ± 3.2). After adjustment, WS score of having a greater awareness of smoking hazards to one's own health was lower than those who had no awareness (β=0.14; 95% CI: -0.31-0.00), and the total score of AUTOS, the score of PD and CC for those who thought smoking was 'more helpful (high)' to interpersonal communication were higher than 'not helpful (not at all)' (β=0.14; 95% CI: 0.01-0.28 with β=0.16; 95% CI: 0.02-0.29; and β=0.14; 95% CI: 0.00-0.28; respectively). Having a greater difficulty in smoking cessation was associated with higher AUTOS total and subscale scores (p<0.001). Notably, none of the social-environmental factors included had a significant association with AUTOS scores.

CONCLUSIONS

Interventions targeting individual cognitive factors of tobacco dependence seem to be more effective in smoking cessation. Future research may explore the influence of family and workplace among social environmental factors, which may reveal the effect of a binding force.