title: A randomized controlled trial of an appearance-related smoking intervention.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To investigate whether exposure to a smoking-related facial age-progression technique impacts on quit smoking cognitions, nicotine dependence, and self-reported and objectively assessed smoking in young women in a randomized controlled trial.
  
  
  METHODS
  eighteen- to 34-year-old women smokers (n = 70) were allocated at random to either an appearance-related intervention (plus usual care) or control (usual care) group. Women completed questionnaires assessing attitudes, subjective norms, perceived behavioral control and intention to quit smoking immediately before, immediately after, and four weeks after receiving the intervention or usual care. At the first and last time points they also completed measures of nicotine dependence and self-reported and objectively assessed smoking (breath carbon monoxide levels).
  
  
  RESULTS
  The two groups were well matched at baseline. Using intention to treat analyses and baseline as a covariate, women in the appearance-related intervention group compared to the control group had significantly more positive attitudes, subjective norms, perceived behavioral control, and intentions to quit smoking immediately after exposure. Only the effects on quit smoking attitudes remained significant at four weeks postintervention. Nicotine dependence and self-reported smoking (total cigarettes in last seven days), but not objective smoking, were significantly lower in the intervention compared with control group at four weeks.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  This study suggests that an appearance-related smoking intervention may be a useful adjunct to traditional cessation programs with young women smokers.
authors.affiliation: Centre for Health Psychology, Staffordshire University, Staffordshire, UK. s.c.grogan@staffs.ac.uk
authors.forename: Sarah
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Grogan
authors.forename: Keira
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Flett
authors.forename: David
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Clark-Carter
authors.forename: Mark
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Conner
authors.forename: Rachel
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Davey
authors.forename: Deborah
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Richardson
authors.forename: Giri
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Rajaratnam
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000375:Aging; D001294:Attitude to Health; D001504:Beauty; D004954:Esthetics; D005145:Face; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D033182:Intention; D016540:Smoking Cessation / Q000379:methods* / Q000523:psychology; D012984:Software; D014029:Tobacco Use Disorder / Q000523:psychology / Q000628:therapy*; D055815:Young Adult