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P
| p value | the probability, usually expressed as .05, .01 or .001, that a statistical finding is due to chance alone, e.g., a p value of .001 means a likelihood of one in a thousand that the finding is due to chance alone |
| Pack-a-Day | individual pattern of consumption of a full pack of 20 or 25 cigarettes a day on a regular basis |
| Pack of Cigarettes | packet containing, in Canada, 20 or 25 cigarettes |
| Pack-Years | estimate of a smoker’s cumulative exposure to tobacco smoke calculated by multiplying number of years of smoking by average number of packs smoked daily such that one year of smoking one pack daily equals one pack-yearReference: Duarte RL, Luiz RR, Paschoal ME. The cigarette burden (measured by the number of pack-years smoked) negatively impacts the response rate to the platinum-based chemotherapy in lung cancer patients. Lung Cancer 2008;61(2):244-254. |
| Paid Media | media coverage, e.g., of tobacco control issues, by means of purchased advertisements and public health messages as opposed to the so-called earned media coverage that appears in news stories, editorials and letters to the editor |
| PAR | Population-Attributable Risk |
| Partial Ban | a prohibition that applies to some locations, circumstances or persons but not to others, e.g., the partial ban on smoking on bar and restaurant patios under the Smoke-Free Ontario Act (exempting patios without a roof structure) (cf. Complete Ban) |
| Particulate Matter (PM) | airborne solid particles in mainstream smoke and sidestream smoke that act as respiratory irritants some of which are carcinogenic |
| Passive Smoking | exposure to secondhand smokeReference: U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. The Health Consequences of Involuntary Exposure to Tobacco Smoke: A Report of the Surgeon General. U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Coordinating Center for Health Promotion, National Center for Chronic Disease Prevention and Health Promotion, Office on Smoking and Health, 2006. Available at: http://www.surgeongeneral.gov/library/secondhandsmoke/report/executivesummary.pdf; accessed Feb. 25, 2009. |
| Patch | synonym for Nicotine Patch |
| PBRN | Practice-Based Research Network (see also Canadian Action Network for the Advancement, Dissemination and Adoption of Practice-Informed Tobacco Treatment) |
| Per Capita | by or for each person in a given population |
| Per Capita Consumption | number of tobacco products consumed per person in a given population for a stated period of time |
| Per Capita Funding | government expenditures on tobacco control, expressed as an amount per person rather than an overall amountReference: Ontario Tobacco Research Unit. The Tobacco Control Environment: Ontario and Beyond. [Special Reports: Monitoring and Evaluation Series, 2007-2008 (Vol. 14, No. 1)]. Tobacco Control Funding Commitments. Monitoring Update. Ontario Tobacco Research Unit, Toronto, 2008. Available at: http://www.otru.org/pdf/14mr/14mr_no1_5.pdf; accessed Feb. 10, 2009. |
| Per Capita Sales | number of tobacco products sold per person in a given population for a stated period of time |
| Perceived Behavioural Control | in the Health Belief Model, personal belief that one has control over one’s own smoking behaviour |
| PHAC | Public Health Agency of Canada http://www.phac-aspc.gc.ca/ |
| Pharmacological Therapy | synonym for Pharmacotherapy |
| Pharmacotherapy | aid to quitting smoking, e.g., nicotine replacement therapy, involving the use of a prescription or non-prescription drug |
| PHRED | (Ontario) Public Health Research Education and Development Program |
| PHU | (Ontario) Public Health Unit |
| Physical Availability | synonym for Availability, especially with regard to the number of places selling tobacco in the retail environment (see also Outlet Density)Reference: Ontario Tobacco Research Unit. The Tobacco Control Environment: Ontario and Beyond. [Special Reports: Monitoring and Evaluation Series, 2007-2008 (Vol. 14, No. 1)]. Prohibition of Tobacco Sales in Specific Places. Monitoring Update. Ontario Tobacco Research Unit, Toronto, 2008. Available at: http://www.otru.org/pdf/14mr/14mr_no1_4.pdf; accessed Feb. 11, 2009. |
| PIMS | Performance Indicators Monitoring System, a web-based performance monitoring system e.g., as designed by the Ontario Tobacco Research Unit (OTRU) to monitor tobacco control programs under the Smoke-Free Ontario StrategyAvailable at: http://www.otru.org/pdf/updates/update_feb2007.pdf; accessed Feb. 17, 2009. |
| Placement Fee | synonym for Slotting Fee |
| Plain Packaging | tobacco control measure whereby cigarette packages are stripped of promotional elements such as logos, graphic designs and coloursReference: Freeman B, Chapman S, Rimmer M. The case for the plain packaging of tobacco products. Addiction 2008;103:580-590. |
| Plug | smokeless tobacco consisting of cured tobacco leaves that have been pressed into a brick and are consumed by being chewed |
| PM | Particulate Matter |
| Point of Purchase (POP) | synonym for Point of Sale |
| Point of Purchase Advertising International (POPAI) | since 1936, an international trade association for marketing at retail, including marketing of tobacco products |
| Point of Sale (POS) | (1) broadly, a place in the wholesale or retail environment where tobacco products are sold; (2) in practice often refers to a place in the retail environment where tobacco products are sold (3) in tobacco industry usage, the place in the retail store where money changes hands (e.g., near the cash register) as opposed to the store itselfReference: Cohen JE, Planinac LC, Griffin K, Robinson DJ, O’Connor SC, Lavack A, Thompson FE, Di Nardo J. Tobacco promotions at point-of-sale. The last hurrah. Canadian Journal of Public Health 2008;99(3):166-171. |
| Point-of-Sale Display | display of tobacco products and brand name-associated tobacco product accessories at wholesale or retail point-of-sale |
| Policy Diffusion | a process whereby policy solutions to public health problems, e.g., smoke-free bylaws, spread from one jurisdiction to anotherReference: Nykiforuk CI, Eyles J, Campbell HS. Smoke-free spaces over time: a policy diffusion study of bylaw development in Alberta and Ontario, Canada. Health and Social Care in the Community 2008;16:64-74. |
| POP | Point of Purchase, synonym for Point of Sale |
| POPAI | Point Of Purchase Advertising International |
| Population Approach | synonym for Population Strategy |
| Population-Attributable Risk (PAR) | proportion of disease in the entire population that can be attributed to any one source of exposure, e.g., if the population-attributable risk of smoking were 30% for all cancers, then 30% of all cancers could be prevented by eliminating smoking |
| Population Health | the health of the population, measured by health status indicators (not to be confused with Public Health)Reference: Chaiton M, Cohen JE, Frank J. Population health and the hardcore smoker: Geoffrey Rose revisited. Journal of Public Health Policy 2008;29(3):307-318. |
| Population-Level Strategy | synonym for Population Strategy |
| Population Parameter | a value used to represent a certain quantifiable characteristic of a population, e.g., the population mean, median or mode |
| Population Strategy | a tobacco control (or other public health) strategy that seeks to lower the mean level of risk factors so that the whole level of exposure in a population is shifted in a favourable direction (cf. High-Risk Strategy)Reference: Rose G. Sick individuals and sick populations. International Journal of Epidemiology 1985;14(1):32-38. |
| POS | Point of Sale |
| Positive Affect | technical term for good mood or sense of well-being, which in smokers may be temporarily enhanced by the use of nicotine (cf. Negative Affect) |
| Possession Laws | synonym for Youth Possession Laws |
| Postpartum Relapse | recommencement of smoking by a woman who had quit smoking during or before pregnancy |
| Potential Reduced Exposure Product (PREP) | smoked tobacco product marketed by the tobacco industry purporting to reduce carcinogenic emissionsReference: Breland AB, Acosta MC, Eissenberg T. Tobacco specific nitrosamines and potential reduced exposure products for smokers: a preliminary evaluation. Tobacco Control 2003;12:317-321. |
| Power Wall | display of cigarette packages as a highly visible backdrop to the cash register in a retail outletReference: Non-Smokers’ Rights Association/Smoking and Health Action Foundation. The Influence of Tobacco Powerwall Advertising on Children. J. Gottheil Marketing Communications Inc., Richmond Hill, ON, 2005. Available at: http://www.nsra-adnf.ca/cms/file/pdf/Tobacco_Powerwalls.pdf; accessed Feb. 17, 2009. |
| Practice-Based Evidence | evidence derived from experience, especially of a service user or practitioner, rather than from research or theoryReference: McDonald PW, Viehbeck SM. From evidence-based practice making to practice-based evidence making: creating communities of research and practice. Health Promotion Practice 2007;8(2):140-144. |
| Precaution Adoption Process Model | theory positing 7 stages of change in an individual’s health-related behaviour, namely, unaware of issue, aware of issue but not personally engaged, engaged and deciding what to do, planning to act but not having acted yet, having decided not to act, acting and maintenanceReference: Weinstein ND. The precaution adoption process. Health Psychology 1988;7(4):355-386. |
| PRECEDE | in the Precede-Proceed Model, Predisposing Reinforcing and Enabling Constructs in Educational Diagnosis and Evaluation |
| Precede-Proceed Model | comprehensive structure for assessing health needs and for designing, implementing and evaluating health programsReference: Green LW, Kreuter MW. Health Program Planning: An Educational and Ecological Approach, 4th Edition, McGraw Hill, New York, 2005. |
| Precontemplation | in the Transtheoretical Model, a stage in the life of a smoker characterized by the absence of any intention to quit smoking in the next 6 months |
| Predatory Marketing Strategy | aggressive promotion and advertising, e.g., by the tobacco industry, with a connotation of methods designed to entice vulnerable persons and populations |
| Premature Death | death prior to life expectancy at a given age |
| Premium Brand | cigarette the tobacco industry sells at an unreduced price |
| PREP | Potential Reduced Exposure Product |
| Preparation | in the Transtheoretical Model, a stage in the life of a smoker characterized by the intention to quit smoking within the next 30 days accompanied by some steps towards that goal |
| Presence | a term used by the tobacco industry to denote the visibility of tobacco products and tobacco product accessories in the retail environment |
| Prevalence | number of events or amount of a characteristic in a specified population at a specified time, expressed as a percentage or similar rate, e.g., percentage of current smokers among Ontario adults in 2009 or number of current smokers per 100,000 Ontario adult population in 2009 (cf. Incidence) |
| Prevalence Elasticity | the rate of change in smoking prevalence relative to the rate of change in a (quantifiable) tobacco control measure |
| Prevention | (1) general term for initiatives meant to discourage smoking initiation and reduce smoking prevalence; (2) a goal area under the Smoke-Free Ontario Strategy designed to prevent smoking initiation and habitual use among children, youth and young adults(1) Reference: Norman CD, Maley O, Li X, Skinner HA. Using the internet to assist smoking prevention and cessation in schools: a randomized controlled trial. Health Psychology 2008;27(6):799-810. |
| Prevention Paradox | the tendency of population strategies to bring large benefits to the population as a whole and yet to offer little to most participating personsReference: Rose G. Sick individuals and sick populations. International Journal of Epidemiology 1985;14(1):32-38. |
| Price Differential | a significant difference in the price of cigarettes, especially between jurisdictions, thought to be an underlying factor associated with smuggling |
| Price Elasticity | the rate of change in the sale of tobacco products relative to the rate of change in the price of tobacco productsReference: Gruber J, Sen A, Stabile M. Estimating price elasticities when there is smuggling: the sensitivity of smoking to price in Canada. Journal of Health Economics 2003;22(5):821-842. |
| Price of Tobacco Products | cost paid at retail for tobacco products, e.g., a carton of cigarettes, which in Canada varies between provinces mainly because of different tax levels (see also Absolute Price, Goods and Services Tax (GST), Harmonized Sales Tax (HST), Provincial Sales Tax (PST), Real Price, Taxation of Tobacco Products)Reference: Gruber J, Sen A, Stabile M. Estimating price elasticities when there is smuggling: the sensitivity of smoking to price in Canada. Journal of Health Economics 2003;22(5):821-842. |
| Price-Sensitive | tendency noted particularly among youth to respond to an increase in the price of cigarettes by an overall reduced rate of purchasing and smoking cigarettesReference: Zhang B, Cohen J, Ferrence R, Rehm J. The impact of tobacco tax cuts on smoking initiation among Canadian young adults. American Journal of Preventive Medicine 2006;30(6):474-479. |
| Price Sign | sign in a retail store indicating the price of tobacco products, often required to meet legal restrictions regarding position, size and colours |
| Primary Prevention | action taken to avoid or remove the cause of a health problem in an individual or population before it arises, including health promotion and specific protection, e.g., from a disease agent (cf. Secondary Prevention)Reference: Last JM (ed.). A Dictionary of Epidemiology, Oxford University Press, New York, 2001. |
| PROCEED | in the Precede-Proceed Model, Policy Regulatory and Organizational Constructs in Educational and Environmental Development |
| Process Evaluation | assessment of the process of delivery of a tobacco control program |
| Product Cue | a visual or other stimulus in the retail environment that provokes the purchase of tobacco products, e.g., impulse purchases |
| Product Placement | visibility of tobacco products and tobacco product accessories in settings like movies and television programs, which serves the same function as advertising even though it is not perceived as advertisingReference: Feighery EC, Ribisl, KM, Clark PI, Haladjian HH. How tobacco companies ensure prime placement of their advertising and products in stores: interviews with retailers about tobacco company incentive programmes. Tobacco Control 2003;12(2):184-188. |
| Product Regulation | legislation governing ingredients, emissions, ingredient disclosure and marketing of tobacco products (see also Ingredient Regulation and Tobacco Product Information Regulations)Reference: World Health Organization. The Scientific Basis of Tobacco Product Regulation. WHO Technical Report Series 945. Report of a WHO Study Group. World Health Organization, Geneva, 2007. Available at: http://www.who.int/tobacco/global_interaction/tobreg/who_tsr.pdf; accessed Feb. 9, 2009. |
| Profit Maximization Imperative | legal requirement for corporations, e.g., tobacco companies, to maximize share value and profitsReference: Callard C, Thompson D, Collishaw N. Curing the Addiction to Profits: A Supply-Side Approach to Phasing Out Tobacco. Canadian Centre for Policy Alternatives and Physicians for a Smoke-Free Canada, Ottawa, 2005. |
| Program | see Tobacco Control Program |
| Program Training and Consultation Centre | a resource centre of the Smoke-Free Ontario Strategy and the Ontario Health Promotion Resource System http://www.ptcc-cfc.on.ca |
| Prohibition | synonym for BanReference: Ontario Tobacco Research Unit. The Tobacco Control Environment: Ontario and Beyond. [Special Reports: Monitoring and Evaluation Series, 2007-2008 (Vol. 14, No. 1)]. Prohibition of Tobacco Sales in Specific Places. Monitoring Update. Ontario Tobacco Research Unit, Toronto, 2008. Available at: http://www.otru.org/pdf/14mr/14mr_no1_4.pdf; accessed Feb. 11, 2009. |
| Prolonged Abstinence | synonym for Sustained Abstinence |
| Promising Practices | tobacco control interventions supported by preliminary research evidence to suggest they are likely to produce positive health-related outcomes, with the idea, however, that further research may give rise to better practices |
| Propel Centre for Population Health Impact | formalized in 2009, Propel is a partnership between the Canadian Cancer Society (CCS) and the University of Waterloo, committed to preventing cancer and chronic disease in Canada and around the world, with a focus on tobacco control, youth health and improved quality of life for those touched by cancer, through research, evaluation and knowledge exchangehttp://www.propel.uwaterloo.ca/?section=1&page=111 |
| Proportion | a type of ratio in which the numerator is included in the denominator, e.g., if there are 20 current smokers in a room of 100 people then the proportion of current smokers to other people in the room is 20/100 or 20%Reference: Last JM. A Dictionary of Public Health. Oxford University Press, New York, 2007. |
| Prospective Study | a research design also called a follow-up study, cohort study, or longitudinal study, in which the subjects are identified and then followed forward in time (cf. Retrospective Study)Reference: Last JM (ed.). A Dictionary of Epidemiology, Oxford University Press, New York, 2001. |
| Protection | (1) initiative designed to protect nonsmokers and persons not actively engaged in smoking from the harmful effects of secondhand smoke; (2) a goal area under the Smoke-Free Ontario Strategy to eliminate involuntary exposure to secondhand smokeReference: Ontario Tobacco Research Unit. The Tobacco Control Environment: Ontario and Beyond. [Special Reports: Monitoring and Evaluation Series, 2007-2008 (Vol. 14, No. 1)]. Protection from Secondhand Smoke. Monitoring Update. Ontario Tobacco Research Unit, Toronto, 2008. Available at: http://www.otru.org/pdf/14mr/14mr_no1_1.pdf; accessed Feb. 11, 2009. |
| Provincial Legislation | laws made by the government of any of the ten Canadian provinces, e.g., in Ontario, Health Protection and Promotion Act (HPPA), Smoke-Free Ontario Act (SFOA), Tobacco Tax Act |
| Provincial Sales Tax (PST) | a tax on goods and services, including cigarettes, which is set as a percentage of retail price (currently 7% on cigarettes in Manitoba and 5% on cigarettes in Saskatchewan), but which is not applied to cigarettes in Alberta, British Columbia, Prince Edward Island, Ontario, Quebec, the Northwest Territories, Nunavut or the Yukon (see also Taxation of Tobacco Products) |
| Provision | condition, requirement or item specified in a legal instrument such as an Act |
| PSA | Public Service Announcement |
| PSC | official abbreviation of Physicians for a Smoke-Free Canada (sometimes written as PSFC) http://www.smoke-free.ca/ |
| PSE | Passive Smoke Exposure, synonym for Passive Smoking |
| PST | Provincial Sales Tax |
| Psychosocial | factors reflecting the influence of psychological perspective and social relations |
| PTCC | (Ontario) Program Training and Consultation Centre |
| Public Health | according to the Ontario Health Protection and Promotion Ac (HPPA), the organization, provision and delivery of public health programs and services to prevent the spread of disease and to promote and protect the health of the people of Ontario (not to be confused with Population Health) |
| Public Health Research Education and Development Program (PHRED) | Ontario health promotion program involving boards of health, universities and the Ministry of Health and Long-Term Care (MOHLTC) http://www.phred-redsp.on.ca/aboutPHRED.htm |
| Public Health Unit (PHU) | in Ontario, any of 36 official health agencies established by urban and rural municipalities to provide health promotion and disease prevention programs, each unit being governed by a board of health and distributed geographically across 7 Tobacco Control Area Networks (TCANS)Available at: http://www.health.gov.on.ca/english/public/contact/phu/phu_mn.html; accessed Feb. 17, 2009. |
| Public Opinion Survey | poll of public attitudes by telephone or questionnaire, which in social science research is often designed to obtain a representative sample |
| Public Prosecution Service of Canada | federal body that prosecutes smuggling offenses as well as offenses concerning the unlawful manufacture, distribution and possession of contraband tobacco products http://www.ppsc-sppc.gc.ca/eng |
| Public Safety Canada | federal body that provides policy support and advice on smuggling issues and works with stakeholders to devise strategies to address the problem of contraband tobacco http://www.publicsafety.gc.ca |
| Puff | a single act of drawing on a cigarette, which, if it has occurred even once in a lifetime, by some definitions disqualifies a person as a lifetime abstainer |
| Pulmonary Obstructive Disease | synonym for Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD) |
| Purposive Sampling | a survey method that contacts potential participants with predefined characteristics for a specific purpose and does not aim for a representative sample |
| PYLL | Potential Years of Life Lost (synonym for YPLL, Years of Potential Life Lost) |
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The OTRU Glossary of Tobacco Control provides brief definitions of over 1,000 tobacco control terms, abbreviations and acronyms. Definitions are based on many sources including dictionaries, legislative texts, websites, reports, books, peer-reviewed journal articles and communications from tobacco control experts. A single definition often reflects material from more than one source.
While we have tried to be comprehensive in producing this resource, the language of tobacco control is constantly evolving and there may be relevant terms that are not listed or terms whose meanings may have changed.
Comments about the glossary or particular definitions are welcome and can be sent to lise_anglin@camh.net. For technical assistance, please contact sonja_johnston@camh.net