title: An experimental investigation of reactivity to ecological momentary assessment frequency among adults trying to quit smoking.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  Ecological Momentary Assessment (EMA) captures real-time reports in subjects' natural environments. This experiment manipulated EMA frequency to estimate effects on abstinence and peri-cessation subjective experiences.
  
  
  METHODS
  In this randomized trial, subjects had an equal chance of being assigned to low-frequency (once) or high-frequency (six times) daily EMA for 4 weeks (1 week pre- and 3 weeks post-cessation). Participants completed six office visits over 5 weeks and 6- and 12-week follow-up telephone interviews.
  
  
  METHODS
  Community participants were recruited from central New Jersey, USA.
  
  
  METHODS
  One hundred and ten adult daily smokers seeking to quit smoking were included in intent-to-treat analyses of tobacco abstinence; 94 were available for secondary analyses of peri-cessation subjective ratings.
  
  
  METHODS
  Primary outcomes were cessation (abstaining at least 24 hours within 2 weeks of attempting to quit) and prolonged abstinence (no relapse between weeks 2 and 12 post-quit). Secondary outcomes were mean levels and growth in ratings of cigarette craving, affect and quitting motivation and self-efficacy.
  
  
  RESULTS
  EMA frequency was unrelated to cessation (odds ratio = 1.367, 95% confidence interval = 0.603-3.098) or prolonged abstinence (odds ratio = 1.040, 95% confidence interval = 0.453-2.388) in intent-to-treat analyses. High-frequency EMA was associated with lower craving (B = -0.544, standard error (SE) = 0.183, P = 0.004, anxiety (B = -0.424, SE = 0.170, P = 0.015), anger (B = -0.474, SE = 0.139, P = 0.001), hunger (B = -0.388, SE = 0.170, P = 0.025) and positive affect (B = -0.430, SE = 0.196, P = 0.03).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  In smokers trying to quit, more frequent ecological momentary assessment self-monitoring results in lower craving, anxiety, anger, hunger and positive affect. It is not clear whether this translates into higher rates of smoking abstinence.
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychology and Institute for Health, Health Care Policy and Aging Research, Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey, New Brunswick, NJ, USA.
authors.forename: Danielle E
authors.initials: DE
authors.lastname: McCarthy
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychology and Institute for Health, Health Care Policy and Aging Research, Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey, New Brunswick, NJ, USA.|Department of Psychiatry and Human Behavior, The Warren Alpert Medical School of Brown University, Providence, RI, USA.
authors.forename: Haruka
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Minami
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychology and Institute for Health, Health Care Policy and Aging Research, Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey, New Brunswick, NJ, USA.|Department of Oncological Sciences, Mount Sinai School of Medicine, New York, NY, USA.
authors.forename: Vivian M
authors.initials: VM
authors.lastname: Yeh
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychology and Institute for Health, Health Care Policy and Aging Research, Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey, New Brunswick, NJ, USA.|Department of Psychiatry, Yale University School of Medicine, New Haven, CT, USA.
authors.forename: Krysten W
authors.initials: KW
authors.lastname: Bold
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000339:Affect; D000786:Anger; D001007:Anxiety / Q000523:psychology; D066249:Craving; D000072860:Ecological Momentary Assessment; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009042:Motivation; D016017:Odds Ratio; D020377:Self Efficacy; D012907:Smoking / Q000628:therapy*; D016540:Smoking Cessation / Q000379:methods*
keywords: Ecological momentary assessment; reactivity; self-monitoring; smoking cessation