title: Need for cognition as a predictor and a moderator of outcome in a tailored letters smoking cessation intervention.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To analyze whether baseline need for cognition (NFC) was a predictor or a moderator of treatment outcome in a tailored letters intervention for smoking cessation.
  
  
  METHODS
  A total of 1,499 daily smokers were recruited from general medical practices in Germany within a quasi-randomized trial testing the efficacies of two brief interventions for smoking cessation: (a) computer-generated tailored letters and (b) physician-delivered brief counseling versus assessment-only. For this study, we used data from 1,097 daily smokers who were assigned to the tailored letters or the assessment-only condition.
  
  
  METHODS
  self-reported 6-month prolonged abstinence from tobacco smoking assessed at 12-, 18-, and 24-month follow-ups, and smoking cessation self-efficacy assessed at 6- and 24-month follow-ups.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Baseline NFC predicted 6-month prolonged smoking abstinence (p = .01) and smoking cessation self-efficacy (p < .01). When compared to assessment only, NFC did not moderate the effect of the tailored letters intervention on smoking abstinence (p > .05) but on smoking cessation self-efficacy (p = .05). Tailored letters resulted in higher smoking cessation self-efficacy only for persons with higher NFC.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Higher levels of NFC are required to increase smoking cessation self-efficacy in computer-tailored interventions for smoking cessation. Considering an individual's NFC might improve the efficacy of written interventions for smoking cessation.
authors.affiliation: Ernst-Moritz-Arndt-University Greifswald, Greifswald, Germany. severin.haug@uni-greifswald.de
authors.forename: Severin
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Haug
authors.forename: Christian
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Meyer
authors.forename: Sabina
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Ulbricht
authors.forename: Beatrice
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Gross
authors.forename: Hans-Jürgen
authors.initials: HJ
authors.lastname: Rumpf
authors.forename: Ulrich
authors.initials: U
authors.lastname: John
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D015928:Cognitive Behavioral Therapy; D015709:Correspondence as Topic; D003376:Counseling; D005260:Female; D005500:Follow-Up Studies; D005858:Germany; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D008960:Models, Psychological; D015999:Multivariate Analysis; D010353:Patient Education as Topic / Q000379:methods*; D020377:Self Efficacy; D012907:Smoking / Q000523:psychology; D016540:Smoking Cessation / Q000379:methods* / Q000523:psychology* / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D000074606:Smoking Prevention; D016896:Treatment Outcome; D055815:Young Adult