Primary care clinicians counsel patients to quit smoking more often when they are prompted by an electronic health record, according to a new study supported by AHRQ and NIH's National Cancer Institute. Clinicians participating in the study were part of the Partners Primary Care Practice-Based Research Network, a group of 26 primary care practices that currently use a Web-based electronic health record and are affiliated with Boston's Brigham and Women's Hospital and Massachusetts General Hospital. Clinicians in an intervention group received tobacco treatment-related reminders and icons; more than 40 percent of them used a new "Tobacco Smart Form," an addition to the electronic health record that prompted them to provide a range of smoking cessation interventions. Among patients who were smokers at the start of the study, more than twice as many (5.3 percent), who went to practices with the prompts or the form quit smoking by the end of the study, largely due to followup with a tobacco counselor (3.9 percent). Select to access the free full article the April 27 issue of the Archives of Internal Medicine.

Release of ALR 2009—RWJF New Connections Call for Proposals Active Living Research is pleased to announce the release of our ALR 2009—RWJF New Connections Call for Proposals (CFP)

Applications due by 1pm PT on July 29, 2009

Released May 15, 2009, the Active Living Research 2009-RWJF New Connections Call for Proposals focuses on studies of policy and environmental strategies for increasing physical activity, decreasing sedentary behaviors and preventing obesity among children and adolescents. Target populations include children and adolescents ages 3 to 18 that are at greatest risk for obesity: African-American, Latino, Native American, Asian American and Pacific Islander children and children who live in under-resourced and/or lower-income communities. This funding opportunity is for new investigators (defined as individuals who received their doctorate or terminal degree within the last seven years) from historically disadvantaged and underrepresented communities.

Two types of grants are available through this funding opportunity: Research and Publication Grants.

1. Research grants (up to four research grants of up to $75,000 each for 12-18 months will be awarded in this category). Research grants can be either:

a. Small-scale studies to identify and evaluate environmental determinants or evaluate promising changes to physical activity environments or policies in a variety of settings;

OR

b. Macro-level analyses of policies and environmental approaches that impact children's physical activity and sedentary behaviors.

2. Publication grants to support scientific manuscripts relevant to Active Living Research's overall mission that will contribute to the applicant's scholarly productivity (up to three publication grants of up to $12,000 each for 12 months will be awarded in this category).

All proposals for both research grants and publication grants must be submitted online through the RWJF Grantmaking Online system by 1pm PT on Wednesday, July 29, 2009. To view the Call for Proposals, please go to http://www.activelivingresearch.org/alr/grantsearch/grantopportunities.

For detailed formatting instructions and to prepare and submit your proposal, please go to http://grantmaking.rwjf.org/papnci2.

Investigators who meet the specific eligibility criteria for this CFP also are eligible and encouraged to apply for other ALR grant opportunities.

To learn more about the Active Living Research program, including the Active Living Research 2009-RWJF New Connections Call for Proposals, please visit the program website at http://www.activelivingresearch.org.

For more information or personal assistance, please contact Debbie Lou, Program Analyst for Active Living Research, at 619-260-6336 or dlou@projects.sdsu.edu.

San Francisco, CA - March 19, 2009 - A new curriculum is now available online at no cost to help mental health peer counselors aid people with mental illnesses in quitting smoking, according to Steven Schroeder, M.D., director of the Smoking Cessation Leadership Center at the University of California San Francisco (UCSF).

Dr. Schroeder stated that the curriculum was developed because of the alarmingly high smoking rates of people with behavioral health issues. He said that despite impressive declines in the proportion of the general population that smokes (now at around 1 in 5 adults), persons with mental illness continue to smoke at disproportionate rates. It has been estimated that 44.3% of all cigarettes smoked in the United States are smoked by persons with mental illness.

With input from consumers, mental health professionals, advocates, and national leaders, the 3-hour Tobacco-Free for Recovery: Assisting Mental Health Consumers with Tobacco Cessation curriculum was designed by UCSF staff and Rx for Change faculty. This program was developed to equip peer counselors with the necessary knowledge and skills to assist mental health consumers with tobacco cessation. A smoke-free lifestyle is viewed as a vital element on the path toward wellness and recovery.

The new curriculum is a modified version of Rx for Change: Clinician-Assisted Tobacco Cessation, which draws upon the Clinical Practice Guideline for Treating Tobacco Use and Dependence, and is a comprehensive program for training students and clinicians in virtually any health professional field. Those who are interested can visit the Rx for Change website at http://rxforchange.ucsf.edu to register and download PowerPoint slides, audience handouts, and correspondence video segments that are relevant to the mental health peer counselor curriculum. All materials have been reviewed by experts and are provided at no cost, for shared use.

Dr. Schroeder, who is also UCSF distinguished professor of health and health care, noted that in response to the public health problem of high levels of tobacco use among mental health consumers, leaders of the mental health community convened and established the National Mental Health Partnership for Wellness and Smoking Cessation in March 2007. This partnership leveraged, among numerous issues, the value of consumer-centered education and health promotion. The new curriculum grew, in part, out of the work of the national partnership.

According to Dr. Schroeder, "This new curriculum is a unique resource to address an important need by helping to educate peer counselors, who can play a very key role in helping mental health consumers to quit smoking."

A three-hour webinar training is planned for April 13, 2009 at 9a.m. Pacific Time (noon Eastern Time). If you are interested in participating in this free webinar or know someone who is, please contact Reason Reyes by email at Reason.Reyes@ucsf.edu or by phone at toll-free (877) 509-3786. A follow-up email will be sent to you to confirm the logistics for the training.

For more information: http://smokingcessationleadership.ucsf.edu and http://rxforchange.ucsf.edu

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