title: Social smoking among intermittent smokers.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  "Social smoking" - smoking mostly or even only with others - may be an important pattern that implies smoking motivated extrinsically by social influences. Non-daily smokers (intermittent smokers; ITS) are often assumed to be social smokers, with some authors even assuming that all ITS are social smokers (SS+). We sought to identify and characterize social smokers in a sample of ITS.
  
  
  METHODS
  204 adult ITS (smoking 4-27 days/month) recorded the circumstances of smoking in their natural settings using Ecological Momentary Assessment, while also recording their circumstances in nonsmoking moments. SS+ were defined as ITS who were with others when they smoked most of their cigarettes, and who were ≥50% more likely to be with others when smoking than when not.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Only 13% of ITS were SS+. Although defined solely on the basis of presence of others, SS+ showed a distinct pattern of smoking across multiple dimensions: compared to other ITS (who were significantly less likely to smoke when with others), SS+ smoking was more associated with socializing, being with friends and acquaintances, drinking alcohol, weekends, evening or nighttime, being in other people's homes, but not their own home. SS+ smoking was low in the morning and increased in the evening. SS+ smoked fewer days/week and were less dependent, but did not differ demographically.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Social smoking does constitute a highly distinct smoking pattern, but is not common among adult ITS.
authors.affiliation: Smoking Research Group, Department of Psychology, University of Pittsburgh, 130 N. Bellefield Avenue, Suite 510, Pittsburgh, PA 15213, USA. Electronic address: shiffman@pitt.edu.
authors.forename: Saul
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Shiffman
authors.affiliation: Department of Biostatistics, University of Pittsburgh, 130 De Soto Street, Pittsburgh, PA 15261, USA.
authors.forename: Xiaoxue
authors.initials: X
authors.lastname: Li
authors.affiliation: Smoking Research Group, Department of Psychology, University of Pittsburgh, 130 N. Bellefield Avenue, Suite 510, Pittsburgh, PA 15213, USA.
authors.forename: Michael S
authors.initials: MS
authors.lastname: Dunbar
authors.affiliation: School of Medicine, University of Tasmania, Private Bag 34, Hobart TAS 7001, Australia.
authors.forename: Stuart G
authors.initials: SG
authors.lastname: Ferguson
authors.affiliation: Division of General Internal Medicine, University of Pittsburgh, 230 McKee Place, Suite 600, Pittsburgh, PA 15213, USA.
authors.forename: Hilary A
authors.initials: HA
authors.lastname: Tindle
authors.affiliation: Smoking Research Group, Department of Psychology, University of Pittsburgh, 130 N. Bellefield Avenue, Suite 510, Pittsburgh, PA 15213, USA.
authors.forename: Sarah M
authors.initials: SM
authors.lastname: Scholl
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D015415:Biomarkers / Q000652:urine; D003367:Cotinine / Q000652:urine; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D012907:Smoking / Q000523:psychology* / Q000652:urine; D012919:Social Behavior; D055815:Young Adult
chemical_list: D015415:Biomarkers; D003367:Cotinine
keywords: Ecological Momentary Assessment; Non-daily smoking; Smoking; Social smoking