Harvard School of Public Health (HSPH) researchers have been at the forefront of tobacco research. Areas of interest among the faculty include prevention and control of tobacco and tobacco-related disease, global tobacco issues and the marketing practices of the tobacco industry.
Research takes place across many HSPH departments, including Epidemiology, Environmental Health, Global Health and Population, and Society, Human Development and Health. The Division of Public Health Practice at HSPH, headed by Professor Howard Koh (top, left), is home to the Tobacco Control Research Program, led by Professor Gregory Connolly (top, right).
Video
Gregory Connolly discusses the strategic marketing of moist snuff tobacco products, particularly to youth, and how tobacco companies adjust the levels of free nicotine content in their smokeless tobacco products. View the video.
A few months before the 2008 presidential election, Howard Koh advised the next president to ratify the World Health Organization Framework Convention on Tobacco Control. See his video remarks.
In the May 7, 2008 issue of JAMA, HSPH's Stacey Kenfield was the lead author of the paper "Smoking and Smoking Cessation in Relation to Mortality in Women." Other HSPH researchers included Meir J. Stampfer and Bernard A. Rosner. She discussed her research in a JAMA video.
"Cigarette Tax Could Have Large Public Health Impact," View a webcast of this HSPH-sponsored talk from March 28, 2008.
Podcasts
K. “Vish” Viswanath talks about the role of the media in promoting and reducing tobacco use. Listen to the podcast.
Research
In a recent special edition on tobacco of the journal Cancer Epidemiology, Biomarkers & Prevention, four of the ten articles on tobacco research are authored by the Tobacco Control Research Program's Gregory Connolly, Vaugahn Rees and Jennifer Kreslake. Of note is the article "Assessing Consumer Responses to Potential Reduced-Exposure Tobacco Products: A Review of Tobacco Industry and Independent Research Methods," which addresses industry research on consumer response to product development and marketing strategies in accord with consumers' sensory and subjective responses to product characteristics.
Read the abstracts:
• Methods Used in Internal Industry Clinical Trials to Assess Tobacco Risk Reduction. Vaughan W. Rees, Jennifer M. Kreslake, Richard J. O'Connor, K. Michael Cummings, Mark Parascandola, Dorothy Hatsukami, Peter G. Shields, and Gregory N. Connolly
• Assessing Consumer Responses to Potential Reduced-Exposure Tobacco Products: A Review of Tobacco Industry and Independent Research Methods. Vaughan W. Rees, Jennifer M. Kreslake, K. Michael Cummings, Richard J. O'Connor, Dorothy K. Hatsukami, Mark Parascandola, Peter G. Shields, and Gregory N. Connolly
• Reconciling Human Smoking Behavior and Machine Smoking Patterns: Implications for Understanding Smoking Behavior and the Impact on Laboratory Studies. Catalin Marian, Richard J. O'Connor, Mirjana V. Djordjevic, Vaughan W. Rees, Dorothy K. Hatsukami, and Peter G. Shields
• Surveillance Methods for Identifying, Characterizing, and Monitoring Tobacco Products: Potential Reduced Exposure Products as an Example. Richard J. O'Connor, K. Michael Cummings, Vaughan W. Rees, Gregory N. Connolly, Kaila J. Norton, David Sweanor, Mark Parascandola, Dorothy K. Hatsukami, and Peter G. Shields
Articles
"Tobacco control essential to protecting health: Harvard experts", The Record, February 15, 2011
“Professor Greg Connolly and Alumna Laura Rosen Work on Tobacco Control Efforts in Israel,” Harvard Public Health NOW, November 7, 2008.
“Viswanath Spreads the Message of Health Communication,” Harvard Public Health NOW, November 7, 2008.
“Longwood Campus, Including Grounds, to be Smoke-Free,” Harvard Public Health NOW, June 20, 2008.
“Join the Global Fight Against Tobacco,” Harvard Public Health Review, Spring 2008. Howard Koh advises the next president to ratify the World Health Organization Framework Convention on Tobacco Control.
“Making Smoking History Worldwide,” Harvard Public Health Review, Spring/Summer 2007. HSPH faculty work to stamp out smoking around the world.
“Dean’s Message: Hollywood Smoke-out,” Harvard Public Health Review, Spring/Summer 2007. HSPH Dean Barry R. Bloom describes the School’s efforts to tackle smoking in movies.
Press Releases
Tobacco Companies Target Youths with Magazine Advertising and Marketing of Smokeless Tobacco Products, October 15, 2008 HSPH researchers: Hillel Alpert, Howard Koh and Gregory Connolly
Smoking and Solid-Fuel-Burning in Homes in China Projected to Cause Millions of Deaths from Respiratory Diseases in Next Three Decades, October 4, 2008. HSPH researchers: Hsien-Ho Lin, Megan M Murray, Ted Cohen, Majid Ezzati
Tobacco Industry Systematically Manipulated Cigarette Menthol Content to Recruit New Smokers Among Adolescents and Young Adults, July 16, 2008. HSPH researchers: Jennifer M. Kreslake, Geoffrey Ferris Wayne, Hillel R. Alpert, Howard K. Koh, and Gregory N. Connolly
Decline in Cigarette Smoking In U.S. Significantly Offset by Increase in Use of Cigars, Snuff, Roll-Your-Own and Other Tobacco Products, June 10, 2008. HSPH researchers: Gregory Connolly, Hillel Alpert
Reanalysis of Cigarette Content Confirms Tobacco Companies Have Increased Addictive Nicotine 11 Percent Over Recent Seven-Year Period, January 18, 2007. HSPH researchers: Gregory Connolly, Hillel Alpert, Geoffrey Wayne, Howard Koh
Review Study Finds Substantial Evidence of Association Between Tobacco Smoking and Increased Risk of Tuberculosis, January 16, 2007. HSPH researchers: Hsienho Lin, Majid Ezzati, Megan Murray
Statement on R.J. Reynold's Agreement to Stop the Sale of Candy-flavored Cigarettes, October 11, 2006.
Secondhand Smoke in Cars May Lead to Dangerous Levels of Contaminants For Children, October 5, 2006. Vaughan Rees, Gregory Connolly
Smoking and Obesity May Increase the Risk of Erectile Dysfunction, June 27, 2006. HSPH Researchers: Constance G. Bacon, Murray A. Mittleman, Ichiro Kawachi, Edward Giovannucci, Dale B. Glasser, Eric B. Rimm
Irish Pubs Under Smoke-free Law in Ireland Show 91% Lower Indoor Air Pollution Than "Irish Pubs" in Cities Around the World, March 16, 2006. HSPH researchers: Gregory Connolly, Carrie Carpenter
Internal Documents Show Cigarette Manufacturers Developed Candy-flavored Brands Specifically to Target Youth Market Despite Promises, November 10, 2005. HSPH researchers: Carrie M. Carpenter, Geoffrey Ferris Wayne, Howard K. Koh, and Gregory N. Connolly
Photos (top of page): Dan Bersak (left) Eric Gaillard/REUTERS (right)
