Bryan W Heckman

Publications (11) View all

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  Available from: Bryan W Heckman

  Article: Efficacy of an Experiential, Dissonance-Based Smoking Intervention for College Students Delivered via the Internet.

  Vani Nath Simmons, Bryan W Heckman, Angelina C Fink, Brent J Small, Thomas H Brandon
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  ABSTRACT: Objective: College represents a window of opportunity to reach the sizeable number of cigarette smokers who are vulnerable to lifelong smoking. The underutilization of typical cessation programs suggests the need for novel and more engaging approaches for reaching college smokers. The aim of the present study was to test the efficacy of a dissonance-enhancing, Web-based experiential intervention for increasing smoking cessation motivation and behavior. Method: We used a 4-arm, randomized design to examine the efficacy of a Web-based, experiential smoking intervention (Web-Smoke). The control conditions included a didactic smoking intervention (Didactic), a group-based experiential intervention (Group), and a Web-based nutrition experiential intervention (Web-Nutrition). We recruited 341 college smokers. Primary outcomes were motivation to quit, assessed immediately postintervention, and smoking abstinence at 1 and 6 months following the intervention. Results: As hypothesized, the Web-Smoke intervention was more effective than control groups in increasing motivation to quit. At 6-month follow-up, the Web-Smoke intervention produced higher rates of smoking cessation than the Web-Nutrition control intervention. Daily smoking moderated intervention outcomes. Among daily smokers, the Web-Smoke intervention produced greater abstinence rates than both the Web-Nutrition and Didactic control conditions. Conclusion: Findings demonstrate the efficacy of a theory-based intervention delivered over the Internet for increasing motivation to quit and smoking abstinence among college smokers. The intervention has potential for translation and implementation as a secondary prevention strategy for college-aged smokers. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2013 APA, all rights reserved).
  Journal of Consulting and Clinical Psychology 05/2013; · 4.85 Impact Factor
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  Available from: Bryan W Heckman

  Article: Developing Tomorrow's Tobacco Scientists Today: The SRNT Trainee Network.

  Bryan W Heckman, Melissa D Blank, Erica N Peters, Mollie E Patrick, Erika Litvin Bloom, Amanda R Mathew, C Amanda Schweizer, Olga Rass, Adrienne L Lidgard, Emily L Zale, Jessica W Cook, John R Hughes
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  ABSTRACT: The Society for Research on Nicotine and Tobacco (SRNT) Trainee Network was formed to facilitate the development of the emerging generation of tobacco scientists. The advisory board of the Trainee Network conducted an online survey to collect data on trainees' areas of tobacco-related interest, demographics, and interest in potential events, as well as strategies with which SRNT could best address training-related needs. Survey respondents (N = 130) were, on average, 34.7 years of age and mostly female (74%). Half were early-stage investigators (i.e., faculty), and 41% were in psychology programs. Most respondents reported that they spent at least half of their time in research activities (87%) and hoped to work in an academic setting (85%). The most frequently endorsed type of help requested was for SRNT to provide networking opportunities, and grant-writing was the most frequently endorsed webinar topic of interest. The Trainee Network has launched a listserv that includes 85 trainees and 16 prominent senior investigators and will create webinars and host mixer events at SRNT meetings. These initiatives aim to enhance the professional development of SRNT trainees and contribute to the fulfillment of SRNT's mission.
  Nicotine & Tobacco Research 03/2013; 15(3):NP. · 2.58 Impact Factor
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  Available from: Bryan W Heckman

  Article: Outdoor smoking ban at a cancer center: attitudes and smoking behavior among employees and patients.

  Marina Unrod, Jason A Oliver, Bryan W Heckman, Vani Nath Simmons, Thomas H Brandon
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  ABSTRACT: Policies restricting indoor worksite tobacco use began being implemented more than a decade ago. More recently, the scope of these policies has been expanding to outdoors, with hospitals leading the trend in restricting smoking throughout their grounds. However, research on the effects such bans have on employees is scarce. The purpose of the current study was to examine the impact of a campus-wide smoking ban on employees and patients at a cancer center. Employees completed anonymous questionnaires during the months before (n = 607; 12% smokers) and 3 months after the ban implementation (n = 511; 10% smokers). Patients (n = 278; 23% smokers) completed an anonymous questionnaire preban. Results showed that 86% of nonsmokers, 20% of employees who smoke, and 57% of patients who smoke supported the ban. More than 70% of smokers were planning or thinking about quitting at both time points and nearly one-third were interested in cessation services following the ban. Before the ban, 32% expected the ban to have a negative effect on job performance and 41% thought their smoking before and after work would increase. Postban, 22% reported a negative impact on job performance, 35% increased smoking before and after work, and 7% quit. Overall, these data revealed an overwhelming support for an outdoor smoking ban by nonsmoker employees and patients. Although a majority of employee smokers opposed the ban, a significant proportion was interested in cessation. Compared with preban expectations, a lower proportion experienced negative effects postban. Findings suggest a need for worksite cessation programs to capitalize on the window of opportunity created by tobacco bans, while also addressing concerns about effects on work performance.
  Journal of public health management and practice: JPHMP 09/2012; 18(5):E24-31. · 0.96 Impact Factor
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  Available from: Bryan W Heckman

  Article: Alcohol and group formation: a multimodal investigation of the effects of alcohol on emotion and social bonding.

  Michael A Sayette, Kasey G Creswell, John D Dimoff, Catharine E Fairbairn, Jeffrey F Cohn, Bryan W Heckman, Thomas R Kirchner, John M Levine, Richard L Moreland
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  ABSTRACT: We integrated research on emotion and on small groups to address a fundamental and enduring question facing alcohol researchers: What are the specific mechanisms that underlie the reinforcing effects of drinking? In one of the largest alcohol-administration studies yet conducted, we employed a novel group-formation paradigm to evaluate the socioemotional effects of alcohol. Seven hundred twenty social drinkers (360 male, 360 female) were assembled into groups of 3 unacquainted persons each and given a moderate dose of an alcoholic, placebo, or control beverage, which they consumed over 36 min. These groups' social interactions were video recorded, and the duration and sequence of interaction partners' facial and speech behaviors were systematically coded (e.g., using the facial action coding system). Alcohol consumption enhanced individual- and group-level behaviors associated with positive affect, reduced individual-level behaviors associated with negative affect, and elevated self-reported bonding. Our results indicate that alcohol facilitates bonding during group formation. Assessing nonverbal responses in social contexts offers new directions for evaluating the effects of alcohol.
  Psychological Science 07/2012; 23(8):869-78. · 4.43 Impact Factor
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  Available from: David Alderson MacQueen

  Article: Variation in the α 5 nicotinic acetylcholine receptor subunit gene predicts cigarette smoking intensity as a function of nicotine content.

  D A Macqueen, B W Heckman, M D Blank, K Janse Van Rensburg, J Y Park, D J Drobes, D E Evans
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  ABSTRACT: A single-nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) in the α5 nicotinic acetylcholine receptor subunit gene, rs16969968, has been repeatedly associated with both smoking and respiratory health phenotypes. However, there remains considerable debate as to whether associations with lung cancer are mediated through effects on smoking behavior. Preclinical studies suggest that α5 receptor subunit expression and function may have a direct role in nicotine titration during self administration. The present study investigated the association of CHRNA5 polymorphisms and smoking topography in 66 smokers asked to smoke four nicotine-containing (nicotine yield=0.60 mg) and four placebo (nicotine yield <0.05 mg) cigarettes, during separate experimental sessions. Genotype at rs16969968 predicted nicotine titration, with homozygotes for the major allele (G:G) displaying significantly reduced puff volume in response to nicotine, whereas minor allele carriers (A:G or A:A) produced equivalent puff volumes for placebo and nicotine cigarettes. The present results suggest that puff volume may be a more powerful objective phenotype of smoking behavior than self-reported cigarettes per day and nicotine dependence. Further, these results suggest that the association between rs16969968 and lung cancer may be mediated by the quantity of smoke inhaled.The Pharmacogenomics Journal advance online publication, 29 January 2013; doi:10.1038/tpj.2012.50.
  The Pharmacogenomics Journal 01/2013; · 4.54 Impact Factor