Monitoring and quantification of smoking behaviors

Abstract

The invention provides methods for characterizing a subject's overall smoking behavior and the subject's puff morphology in dependence on tidal volume information provided by ambulatory physiological monitoring. This invention also systems for executing the methods of this invention and computer-readable media having encoded the methods of this invention.

Description

[0001]This application claims the benefit of U.S. provisional application No. 60 / 781,468 filed Mar. 9, 2006, the entire content of which is included herein by reference in its entirety for all purposes.FIELD OF THE INVENTION[0002]The present invention is related to ambulatory physiological monitoring, and in particular to automatic systems and methods that quantify a subject's overall smoking behaviors over time and that quantify characteristics of the subject's method of smoking, e.g., the nature of the subject's puffs.BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION[0003]Smoking, whether of cigarettes, cigars, pipes, or other smoking materials, is well known as a serious health problem worldwide leading to significant morbidity and mortality primarily from induced lung disease. It is advantageous to provide smokers with facilities and information to aid them to cease smoking, or to limit smoking, or to smoke in less pathogenic ways. It is also advantageous to estimate the likelihood and severity of po...

AI Technical Summary

Benefits of technology

[0006]This invention includes the use of an ambulatory cardio-respiratory monitoring system to provide data that can be processed and interpreted to monitor and quantify specific characteristics of a subject's cigarette and other types of smoking. This monitoring will enable a greater understanding of the interaction between smoker and cigarette, or other smoking material. It will also aid individual smokers to cease, limit, or improve their smoking behaviors.

Problems solved by technology

Smoking, whether of cigarettes, cigars, pipes, or other smoking materials, is well known as a serious health problem worldwide leading to significant morbidity and mortality primarily from induced lung disease.

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