Impediment profiling for smoking cessation: results of a pilot study.
OBJECTIVE
To test the effectiveness of a smoking cessation program based on "impediment profiling," the elucidation of an individual participant's personal barriers, with provision of tailored interventions accordingly.


METHODS
A literature search was conducted to identify established impediments to smoking cessation. A long impediment profiler (LIP) was developed from validated survey instruments and used as a screening tool to identify individuals' barriers to quitting. Once barriers were identified, participants were assigned to up to seven interventions. Self-reported smoking cessation was confirmed with measurements of carbon monoxide concentrations in expired air of < or = 10 ppm.


RESULTS
Nineteen adults participated in the pilot program. At the year 1 mark, 63.2% of the study population was smoke-free. The mean number of impediments of the study population was 3.5 +/- 1.5. There was a negative association between subjects' quit status and the following impediments: stress (p = .0061), anxiety (p = .0445), and depression (p < .001). No single impediment was predictive of quit status.


CONCLUSIONS
Impediment profiling as a basis for tailored smoking cessation intervention is associated with a high quit rate in this initial study, and it appears promising. Long-term follow-up is warranted, as is replication in a larger cohort with a concurrent control group.
O'Connell
Meghan
M
Yale Prevention Research Center, 130 Division Street, Derby, CT 06418, USA.
Lucan
Sean C
SC
Yeh
Ming-Chin
MC
Rodriguez
Elaine
E
Shah
Dipti
D
Chan
Wendy
W
Katz
David L
DL
D000328:Adult; D003237:Connecticut; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D010865:Pilot Projects; D015397:Program Evaluation; D016540:Smoking Cessation / Q000379:methods*