My students and I are collaborating with colleagues from the UVM Cancer Center and the UVM College of Engineering to develop computerized assisted intervention to help primary care physicians create a “teaching moment” to motivate long-term smokers to seek smoking cessation treatment and quit.

As governments, health officials, and the public have become aware of the health consequences of tobacco use, smoking prevalence has declined steadily and, in some countries, dramatically. However, in a recent trip to Spain Dr. Cepeda Benito became aware that after many years of successful declines in smoking prevalence rates, recent national surveys show smoking rates increasing among Spaniards. This unfortunate reversal deserves attention and my team is in the initial stages of exploring the reasons and circumstances behind this phenomenon. A preliminary hypothesis is that, in comparison to other developed countries, smoking has not been as stigmatized and remains a socially condoned if not welcome behavior. We will collaborate with Spanish investigators to conduct parallel/comparative studies related to tobacco use stigma and prejudice in Spain and the US. We also hope to recruit investigators from other countries to join our project. If interested, send us a message.