The effects of contingent payment and frequent workplace monitoring on smoking abstinence.
This study examined the relative contribution of contingent payment and worksite CO monitoring to the long-term maintenance of smoking abstinence. Forty-seven hospital employees who had abstained from smoking for five days (confirmed by CO analysis) were randomly assigned to one of three follow-up groups: (a) contingent payment/frequent monitoring (n = 17); (b) noncontingent payment/frequent monitoring (n = 16); or (c) non-contingent payment/infrequent monitoring (n = 14). Contingent payment combined with frequent CO monitoring delayed but did not ultimately prevent subjects relapse to smoking by the end of the six month follow-up. Contingent subjects maintained CO values less than or equal to 11 ppm significantly longer than did either the Non-contingent or the Control subjects (p = .03). CO monitoring alone had no effect on abstinence outcomes; both Noncontingent and Control subjects showed high rates of early relapse.
Rand
C S
CS
Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, Maryland.
Stitzer
M L
ML
Bigelow
G E
GE
Mead
A M
AM
D000328:Adult; D001521:Behavior Therapy / Q000379:methods*; D001944:Breath Tests; D002248:Carbon Monoxide / Q000032:analysis; D005260:Female; D005500:Follow-Up Studies; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D009042:Motivation; D009786:Occupational Health Services; D012907:Smoking / Q000523:psychology / Q000628:therapy*
D002248:Carbon Monoxide