title: Comparing smoking treatment programs for lighter smokers with and without a history of heavier smoking.
abstract: The study examined the impact of counseling intensity (high vs. low) combined with either bupropion or the nicotine patch. Two hundred sixty participants smoking 6 to 15 cigarettes per day (cpd) were enrolled in a year-long study to examine the effects of treatment. Four groups of smokers under medication-blinded conditions were compared for treatment completion and abstinence at three follow-up points from the initiation of treatment (Weeks 12, 26, and 52). Both counseling groups had similar treatment completion rates (i.e., defined by a combination of counseling attendance and medication adherence levels). There was a main treatment effect for abstinence favoring the high counseling condition in early follow-up (Week 12) and for continuous abstinence. Participants with a history of heavier smoking (> or =20 cpd) and African American smokers were least likely to be smoke free at the end of the study. The study has implications for identifying the treatment needs of lighter smokers.
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychiatry, Center for the Study of Addictions, University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine, Philadelphia, PA 19104, USA. gariti_p@mail.trc.upenn.edu
authors.forename: Peter
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Gariti
authors.forename: Kevin
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Lynch
authors.forename: Arthur
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Alterman
authors.forename: Klye
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Kampman
authors.forename: Hu
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Xie
authors.forename: Kristi
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Varillo