Have we lost our way? The need for dynamic formulations of smoking relapse proneness

Does Self-Reported smoking cessation fatigue predict making quit attempts and sustained abstinence among adults who smoke Regularly?

BACKGROUND

Quitting smoking is difficult and many people who smoke experience cessation fatigue (CF) as a result of multiple failed attempts. This study examined the association of CF with making and sustaining a smoking quit attempt.

METHODS

Data analysed were 4,139 adults (aged 18 years or older) who smoked daily or weekly and participated in the 2018 and 2020 International Tobacco Control Four Country Smoking and Vaping Surveys (ITC 4CV) conducted in Australia, Canada, England, and the US. CF was assessed at baseline using a single question: "To what extent are you tired of trying to quit smoking?" with response options: "Not at all tired"; "Slightly tired"; "Moderately tired"; "Very tired"; or "Extremely tired". We used binary logistic regression models to test the hypothesis that baseline CF would predict lower odds of both making a quit attempt and sustaining abstinence for a month or longer at follow-up adjusted for socio-demographic and smoking/vaping-related covariates.

RESULTS

Persons who currently smoked and reported at least some CF were more likely to make a quit attempt, but less likely to sustain abstinence for at least one month, than those who reported no CF. These associations were independent of socio-demographic variables, and they did not differ by country.

CONCLUSION

Contrary to expectation, CF was positively associated with making a quit attempt and non-linearly associated with lower rates of sustained abstinence at follow-up. While these findings should be replicated, they suggest that people with CF may benefit from targeted support to remain abstinent after a quit attempt.

An overview of traditional smoking cessation interventions and E-cigarettes

Many people still struggle with quitting smoking despite available treatment options, making it one of the most significant public health challenges that our society faces. The use of electronic cigarettes (E-cigarettes) has become increasingly popular among people who are seeking to quit smoking. The objective of this review paper is to present a comprehensive analysis of the mechanisms, several types, and impact of E-cigarettes, along with supporting evidence indicating their efficacy in aiding smokers to quit tobacco usage. Additionally, the review discusses recent developments in the treatment of smoking cessation, which include conventional smoking cessation methods. Also, the review discusses the challenges, potential risks, ethical considerations, and controversies surrounding the use of E-cigarettes. The present review presents a comprehensive examination of the existing methods and approaches employed in smoking cessation, including the emerging utilization of E-cigarettes as an effective option in smoking cessation. It explores their efficacy as a valuable instrument in promoting smoking cessation.

An Introduction and Practical Guide to Strategies for Analyzing Longitudinal Data in Clinical Trials of Smoking Cessation Treatment: Beyond Dichotomous Point-Prevalence Outcomes

Conceptualizing tobacco dependence as a chronic relapsing condition suggests the need to use analytic strategies that reflect that premise. However, clinical trials for smoking cessation typically define the primary endpoint as a measure of abstinence at a single timepoint distal to the intervention, typically 3-12 months. This reinforces the concept of tobacco outcomes as a dichotomous state-one is, or is not, abstinent. Fortunately, there are several approaches available to handle longitudinal data that reflect the relapsing and remitting nature of tobacco use during treatment studies. In this paper, sponsored by the Society for Research on Nicotine and Tobacco's Treatment Research Network, we present an introductory overview of these techniques and their application in smoking cessation clinical trials. Topics discussed include models to examine abstinence outcomes (eg, trajectory models of abstinence, models for transitions in smoking behavior, models for time to event), models that examine reductions in tobacco use, and models to examine joint outcomes (eg, examining changes in the use of more than one tobacco product). Finally, we discuss three additional relevant topics (ie, heterogeneity of effects, handling missing data, and power and sample size) and provide summary information about the type of model that can be used based on the type of data collected and the focus of the study. We encourage investigators to familiarize themselves with these techniques and use them in the analysis of data from clinical trials of smoking cessation treatment. Implications Clinical trials of tobacco dependence treatment typically measure abstinence 3-12 months after participant enrollment. However, because smoking is a chronic relapsing condition, these measures of intervention success may not accurately reflect the common trajectories of tobacco abstinence and relapse. Several analytical techniques facilitate this type of outcome modeling. This paper is meant to be an introduction to these concepts and techniques to the global nicotine and tobacco research community including which techniques can be used for different research questions with visual summaries of which types of models can be used for different types of data and research questions.

Probability and predictors of long-term smoking relapse among Chinese adult smokers: A longitudinal study

Numerous smokers attempt to quit smoking, but most cessation efforts prove unsuccessful. Scarce evidence exists regarding predictors of long-term relapse in China. This study aims to evaluate the probability of relapse and examine factors may contribute to relapse among Chinese adults. A dynamic cohort of 6,036 observations on 2,378 adult quitters was constructed from the China Family Panel Studies in 2010, 2012, 2014, 2016 and 2018. The life table method was employed to calculate the probability of relapse for long-term smoking abstinence. Multivariate complementary log-log survival models were developed to examine the predictors of smoking relapse. We found that the probability of relapse decreased as the duration of abstinence increased, with rates of 49.07 %, 20.05 %, 10.29 %, and 6.63 % at 2, 4, 6, and 8 years of abstinence, respectively. The cumulative probability of relapse within 8 years was 65.89 %. Age ≥65 years, higher educational attainment, respiratory disease, and a satisfying lifestyle were associated with a reduced likelihood of relapse. Conversely, higher occupational prestige, alcohol drinking, cohabitant smoking, and greater future confidence were associated with an increased risk of relapse. These findings demonstrated that the probability of relapse decreased progressively over time, with most relapses occurring in the initial two years following quit attempts. Predictors of Chinese quitters' relapse behavior in our study were similar to those in previous studies. Drinking and cohabitant smoking were identified as strong predictors of relapse in this population.

Quitting behavior during the tobacco sales ban in South Africa: Results from a broadly nationally representative survey

INTRODUCTION

In response to COVID-19, the South African government banned the sale of tobacco products for 20 weeks. Before the ban, the illicit cigarette market was well-entrenched and smoking cessation services were not widely available. Several surveys conducted to ascertain cigarette smokers' responses to the ban reported substantial differences in the proportion of smokers who quit. This study provides a broadly nationally representative ex-post investigation into cigarette smokers' quitting behavior related to the sales ban.

METHODS

We used data from wave three of NIDS-CRAM (the National Income Dynamics Study-Coronavirus Rapid Mobile Survey) conducted in November-December 2020. We first investigated the proportion of people who quit and who continued smoking during and after the sales ban. We subsequently linked the NIDS-CRAM survey to the fifth wave of NIDS (2017) to identify a subset of established smokers, and considered whether their quitting behavior differed from that of all smokers who smoked at the start of the sales ban.

RESULTS

The cross-sectional analysis showed that 7.8% of cigarette smokers quit during the sales ban, but that 55% of these quitters relapsed after it was lifted. Of the pre-ban smokers, 3.5% indicated that they did not smoke both during and after the sales ban, and 3.7% quit after the ban was lifted. The longitudinal analysis showed that 7% of people who were smoking in 2017, quit smoking cigarettes during the tobacco sales ban, but that >70% of quitters relapsed after it was lifted. Only 2% of pre-ban established smokers indicated that they did not smoke during or after the ban.

CONCLUSIONS

The sales ban did not have the intended objective of encouraging large-scale smoking cessation. This reflects policy failures to provide smokers with appropriate cessation support and to effectively control the illicit market both prior to and during the sales ban.

Estimation and inference for the mediation effect in a time-varying mediation model

Background

Traditional mediation analysis typically examines the relations among an intervention, a time-invariant mediator, and a time-invariant outcome variable. Although there may be a total effect of the intervention on the outcome, there is a need to understand the process by which the intervention affects the outcome (i.e., the indirect effect through the mediator). This indirect effect is frequently assumed to be time-invariant. With improvements in data collection technology, it is possible to obtain repeated assessments over time resulting in intensive longitudinal data. This calls for an extension of traditional mediation analysis to incorporate time-varying variables as well as time-varying effects.

Methods

We focus on estimation and inference for the time-varying mediation model, which allows mediation effects to vary as a function of time. We propose a two-step approach to estimate the time-varying mediation effect. Moreover, we use a simulation-based approach to derive the corresponding point-wise confidence band for the time-varying mediation effect.

Results

Simulation studies show that the proposed procedures perform well when comparing the confidence band and the true underlying model. We further apply the proposed model and the statistical inference procedure to data collected from a smoking cessation study.

Conclusions

We present a model for estimating time-varying mediation effects that allows both time-varying outcomes and mediators. Simulation-based inference is also proposed and implemented in a user-friendly R package.

Supplementary Information

The online version contains supplementary material available at (10.1186/s12874-022-01585-x).

Comparison of an automated smartphone-based smoking cessation intervention versus standard quitline-delivered treatment among underserved smokers: protocol for a randomized controlled trial

BACKGROUND

Smoking is the leading cause of preventable morbidity and mortality in the United States. Individuals with low socioeconomic status have disproportionately high smoking rates and greater difficulty quitting smoking. Efficiently connecting underserved smokers to effective tobacco cessation programs is crucial for disease prevention and the elimination of health disparities. Smartphone-based interventions have the potential to enhance the reach and efficacy of smoking cessation treatments targeting underserved smokers, but there is little efficacy data for these interventions. In this study, we will partner with a large, local hunger-relief organization to evaluate the efficacy and economic impact of a theoretically-based, fully-automated, and interactive smartphone-based smoking cessation intervention.

METHODS

This study will consist of a 2-group randomized controlled trial. Participants (N = 500) will be recruited from a network of food distribution centers in West Central Florida and randomized to receive either Standard Treatment (ST, n = 250) or Automated Treatment (AT, n = 250). ST participants will be connected to the Florida Quitline for telephone-based treatment and will receive a 10-week supply of nicotine replacement therapy (NRT; transdermal patches and lozenges). AT participants will receive 10 weeks of NRT and a fully-automated smartphone-based intervention consisting of interactive messaging, images, and audiovisual clips. The AT intervention period will span 26 weeks, with 12 weeks of proactive content and 26 weeks of on-demand access. ST and AT participants will complete weekly 4-item assessments for 26 weeks and 3-, 6-, and 12-month follow-up assessments. Our primary aim is to evaluate the efficacy of AT in facilitating smoking abstinence. As secondary aims, we will explore potential mediators and conduct economic evaluations to assess the cost and/or cost-effectiveness of ST vs. AT.

DISCUSSION

The overall goal of this project is to determine if AT is better at facilitating long-term smoking abstinence than ST, the more resource-intensive approach. If efficacy is established, the AT approach will be relatively easy to disseminate and for community-based organizations to scale and implement, thus helping to reduce tobacco-related health disparities.

TRIAL REGISTRATION

Clinical Trials Registry NCT05004662 . Registered August 13, 2021.

A novel smoking-specific self-control task: An initial study of feasibility, acceptability, and changes in self-control and cigarette smoking behaviors among adults using cigarettes

Objective: Self-control is a key factor in quitting cigarettes and practicing general self-control tasks may strengthen self-control. This study examined the feasibility and acceptability of a novel smoking-related self-control task. Method: Seventy-five adults with current cigarette smoking (Mage = 44.8, 74.7% male, 63.5% Black, 74.3% non-Latinx) were randomly assigned to practice a smoking-specific self-control task (Delay Smoking Task, n = 39) or a general self-control task (Posture Task, n = 36) for 1 week. Assessments included cigarettes per day (CPD), motivation to quit smoking, self-control, and task acceptability. Results: Most participants completed both appointments with no difference between task groups (p = .69). The Delay Smoking Task group rated the task as more difficult (p = .04) and more helpful for quitting smoking (p = .005) than did the Posture Task group. Self-control task groups did not differ in task effort (p = .66), task success (p = .14), or self-control used to practice the task (p = .13). Both task groups reported increased quit desire, expected quit success, quit confidence, and quit motivation (p < .05; partial η²s = 0.108-0.333). The time by task group interaction approached significance for expected quit success (p = .06; partial η² = .053), with the Delay Smoking Task group showing greater increases than the Posture Task group. Over the week, smoking decreased an average of 1.0 CPD with no difference between groups (p = .72; partial η² = 0.165). Conclusions: Practicing self-control was associated with increases in motivation to quit, confidence in quitting, and expected success at quitting smoking with similar changes for those practicing a smoking-specific versus a general self-control task. Self-control tasks may be useful for increasing motivation to quit cigarettes. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2022 APA, all rights reserved).

Prospective Prediction of Lapses in Opioid Use Disorder: Protocol for a Personal Sensing Study

BACKGROUND

Successful long-term recovery from opioid use disorder (OUD) requires continuous lapse risk monitoring and appropriate use and adaptation of recovery-supportive behaviors as lapse risk changes. Available treatments often fail to support long-term recovery by failing to account for the dynamic nature of long-term recovery.

OBJECTIVE

The aim of this protocol paper is to describe research that aims to develop a highly contextualized lapse risk prediction model that forecasts the ongoing probability of lapse.

METHODS

The participants will include 480 US adults in their first year of recovery from OUD. Participants will report lapses and provide data relevant to lapse risk for a year with a digital therapeutic smartphone app through both self-report and passive personal sensing methods (eg, cellular communications and geolocation). The lapse risk prediction model will be developed using contemporary rigorous machine learning methods that optimize prediction in new data.

RESULTS

The National Institute of Drug Abuse funded this project (R01DA047315) on July 18, 2019 with a funding period from August 1, 2019 to June 30, 2024. The University of Wisconsin-Madison Health Sciences Institutional Review Board approved this project on July 9, 2019. Pilot enrollment began on April 16, 2021. Full enrollment began in September 2021.

CONCLUSIONS

The model that will be developed in this project could support long-term recovery from OUD-for example, by enabling just-in-time interventions within digital therapeutics.

INTERNATIONAL REGISTERED REPORT IDENTIFIER (IRRID)

DERR1-10.2196/29563.

Evaluating the Efficacy of Automated Smoking Treatment for People With HIV: Protocol for a Randomized Controlled Trial

Background

Smoking prevalence rates among people with HIV are nearly 3 times higher than those in the general population. Nevertheless, few smoking cessation trials targeting smokers with HIV have been reported in the literature. Efforts to develop and evaluate sustainable, low-cost, and evidence-based cessation interventions for people with HIV are needed. Given the widespread proliferation of mobile phones, the potential of using mobile health apps to improve the reach and efficacy of cessation interventions is promising, but evidence of efficacy is lacking, particularly among people with HIV.

Objective

This study will consist of a 2-group randomized controlled trial to evaluate a fully automated smartphone intervention for people with HIV seeking cessation treatment.

Methods

Participants (N=500) will be randomized to receive either standard treatment (ST; 250/500, 50%) or automated treatment (AT; 250/500, 50%). ST participants will be connected to the Florida Quitline and will receive nicotine replacement therapy in the form of transdermal patches and lozenges. This approach, referred to as Ask Advise Connect, was developed by our team and has been implemented in numerous health systems. ST will be compared with AT, a fully automated behavioral treatment approach. AT participants will receive nicotine replacement therapy and an interactive smartphone-based intervention that comprises individually tailored audiovisual and text content. The major goal is to determine whether AT performs better in terms of facilitating long-term smoking abstinence than the more resource-intensive ST approach. Our primary aim is to evaluate the efficacy of AT in facilitating smoking cessation among people with HIV. As a secondary aim, we will explore potential mediators and moderators and conduct economic evaluations to assess the cost and cost-effectiveness of AT compared with ST.

Results

The intervention content has been developed and finalized. Recruitment and enrollment will begin in the fall of 2021.

Conclusions

There is a critical need for efficacious, cost-effective, and sustainable cessation treatments for people with HIV who smoke. The AT intervention was designed to help fill this need. If efficacy is established, the AT approach will be readily adoptable by HIV clinics and community-based organizations, and it will offer an efficient way to allocate limited public health resources to tobacco control interventions.

Trial Registration

ClinicalTrials.gov NCT05014282; https://clinicaltrials.gov/ct2/show/NCT05014282

International Registered Report Identifier (IRRID)

PRR1-10.2196/33183

Smoking Treatment: A Report Card on Progress and Challenges

The impact of tobacco smoking treatment is determined by its reach into the smoking population and the effectiveness of its interventions. This review evaluates the reach and effectiveness of pharmacotherapy and psychosocial interventions for smoking. Historically, the reach of smoking treatment has been low, and therefore its impact has been limited, but new reach strategies such as digital interventions and health care system changes offer great promise. Pharmacotherapy tends to be more effective than psychosocial intervention when used clinically, and newer pharmacotherapy strategies hold great promise of further enhancing effectiveness. However, new approaches are needed to advance psychosocial interventions; progress has stagnated because research and dissemination efforts have focused too narrowly on skill training despite evidence that its core content may be inconsequential and the fact that its mechanisms are either unknown or inconsistent with supporting theory. Identifying effective psychosocial content and its mechanisms of action could greatly enhance the effectiveness of counseling, digital, and web interventions.

Abstinence-related motivational engagement for smoking cessation: Longitudinal patterns and predictive validity

The Abstinence-Related Motivational Engagement (ARME) scale was developed to assess motivation to remain abstinent after a smoking cessation attempt. The ARME demonstrated reliability and validity among a small sample of ex-smokers. This study expands the psychometric evaluation of the ARME and tests the ARME as a predictor of smoking status among a sample of participants quitting smoking. The parent trial tested the efficacy of a self-help smoking cessation intervention (N = 1874), with assessments every 6 months. Internal consistency and factor structure of the ARME was evaluated at each assessment to confirm use of the measure as designed. Discriminant validity was assessed by comparing the ARME to the Situation-specific Abstinence Self-Efficacy (SSE) scale via inter-correlations and prediction of future smoking status. Finally, the trajectories of both the ARME and SSE were compared among continuous abstainers and continuous smokers. A single-factor structure was observed at each assessment. Cronbach's alphas ranged from 0.88-0.91 for the total sample. Correlations between the ARME and the SSE ranged from 0.38-0.47 (ps <0.001) among smokers; and from 0.09-0.15 (most ps > 0.05) among abstainers. Among current smokers, the ARME and SSE were independent positive predictors of subsequent abstinence (AORs 1.28-2.29, ps <0.001). For those currently abstinent, only the SSE predicted subsequent abstinence (AORs 1.69-2.60, ps <0.05). GEE analyses showed different trajectories for the two measures, as well as between abstainers and smokers. In conclusion, the ARME is a reliable, valid measure with unique predictive utility for current smokers and a distinct trajectory among those who have successfully quit.

Time-varying effects of 'optimized smoking treatment' on craving, negative affect and anhedonia

AIMS

To identify when smoking cessation treatments affect craving, negative affect and anhedonia, and how these symptoms relate to abstinence, to help evaluate the effects of particular intervention components in multi-component treatments and accelerate treatment refinement.

DESIGN

Secondary analysis of data from a two-arm randomized controlled trial.

SETTING

Seven primary care clinics in Wisconsin, United States.

PARTICIPANTS

Adult primary care patients who smoked daily (n = 574).

INTERVENTION AND COMPARATOR

Intervention was abstinence-optimized treatment (A-OT, n = 276) comprising 3 weeks of nicotine mini-lozenges pre-target quit day (TQD), 26 weeks of combination nicotine patch and mini-lozenges post-TQD and extensive psychosocial support. The comparator was recommended usual care (RUC, n = 298), comprising brief counseling and 8 weeks of nicotine patch post-TQD.

MEASUREMENTS

Time-varying effect models examined dynamic effects of A-OT (versus RUC) on the primary outcomes of nightly cigarette craving, negative affect and anhedonia from 1 week pre- to 2 weeks post-TQD. Exploratory models examined within-person relations between nicotine medication use and same-day symptom ratings. Secondary logistic regression analyses examined associations between post-TQD craving, negative affect and anhedonia and 1-month post-TQD abstinence.

FINDINGS

A-OT significantly suppressed pre- and post-TQD craving (β = -0.27 to -0.46 across days) and post-TQD anhedonia (β = -0.24 to -0.38 across days), relative to RUC. Within individuals, using patches was associated with lower negative affect in RUC (β = -0.42 to -0.52), but not in A-OT. Using more mini-lozenges was associated with greater craving (β = 0.04-0.07) and negative affect (β = 0.03-0.05) early, and with lower anhedonia (β = -0.06 to -0.12) later. Greater post-TQD craving (OR = 0.68) and anhedonia (OR = 0.85) predicted lower odds of abstinence 1 month post-TQD.

CONCLUSION

Time-varying effect models showed that a multi-component treatment intervention for smoking cessation suppressed significant withdrawal symptoms more effectively than recommended usual care among daily adult smokers motivated to quit. The intervention reduced craving pre- and post-target quit day (TQD) and anhedonia post-TQD.

The social gradient in smoking: individual behaviour, norms and nicotine dependence in the later stages of the cigarette epidemic

The cigarette epidemic tends to develop in a similar pattern across diverse populations in different parts of the world. First, the prevalence of smoking increases, then it plateaus and finally it declines. The decline in smoking prevalence tends to be more pronounced in higher social strata. The later stages of the cigarette epidemic are characterized by emerging and persisting socioeconomic gradients in smoking. Due to its detrimental health consequences, smoking has been the subject of extensive research in a broad range of academic disciplines. I draw on literature from both the social and medical sciences in order to develop a model in which physiological nicotine dependence, individual smoking behaviour and norms surrounding smoking in the immediate social environment are related through reflexive processes. I argue that the emergence and persistence of social gradients in smoking at the later stages of the cigarette epidemic can be attributed to a combination of the pharmacological properties of nicotine, network homophily and the unequal distribution of material and non-material resources across social strata.

Effectiveness of Mindfulness-Based Relapse Prevention Program as an Adjunct to the Standard Treatment for Smoking: A Pragmatic Design Pilot Study

INTRODUCTION

Posttreatment relapse is a major roadblock to stemming the global epidemic of tobacco-related illness. This article presents results from a pilot trial evaluating the feasibility and initial efficacy of Mindfulness-Based Relapse Prevention (MBRP) as an adjunct to standard relapse prevention treatment (ST) for smoking cessation.

AIMS AND METHODS

Smokers (n = 86) in the maintenance phase of treatment were randomized to receive either ST plus MBRP (MBRP) (n = 44) or ST alone (ST) (n = 42). Data were collected at baseline and at 4-, 12-, and 24-week follow-up points. We evaluated the feasibility of the protocol with frequency analysis, and the efficacy with both intention to treat and complete case analyses of the effects of MBRP on abstinence. Secondary outcomes included mindfulness, craving, depression, anxiety, and positive/negative affect.

RESULTS

High adherence suggested MBRP is acceptable and feasible. Participants in the MBRP group reported increases in mindfulness (M = -7.833, p = .016), and reductions in craving (M = 17.583, p = .01) compared with the ST group. Intention to treat analysis found that, compared with MBRP (36.4%), ST (57.1%) showed trend-level superiority in abstinence at Week 4 (Prevalence Ratio = 0.63, p = .06); however at Week 24, the ST group (14.3%) demonstrated a twofold greater decrease in abstinence, compared with the MBRP group (20.1%) (Prevalence Ratio = 2.25, p = .08). Therefore, the MBRP group maintained a higher abstinence rate for longer. Reported effects were greater in the complete case analysis.

CONCLUSIONS

MBRP holds promise for preventing relapse after aided tobacco quit attempts.

IMPLICATIONS

Findings suggest that MBRP is acceptable, feasible, and valued by participants. At 24-week follow-up, there was a large effect size and a statistical trend toward fewer MBRP patients relapsing compared with ST patients. MBRP conferred ancillary benefits including reductions in craving and increases in levels of mindfulness. MBRP for tobacco cessation is highly promising and merits further research.

TRIAL REGISTRATION

clinicaltrials.gov.

IDENTIFIER

NCT02327104.

Quitting Failure and Success With and Without Using Medication: Latent Classes of Abstinence and Adherence to Nicotine Monotherapy, Combination Therapy, and Varenicline

INTRODUCTION

Nonadherence to pharmacotherapies complicates studies of comparative pharmacotherapy effectiveness. Modeling adherence and abstinence simultaneously may facilitate analysis of both treatment acceptability and effectiveness.

METHODS

Secondary analyses of a three-arm randomized comparative trial of nicotine patch, varenicline, and combination nicotine patch and lozenge among adult daily smokers (N = 1086) were conducted. Adherence rates collected via interactive voice response systems during the first 27 days of quitting were compared across treatment conditions. Repeated measures latent class analyses of adherence and abstinence in 3-day parcels through 27 days of a quit attempt were conducted with treatment, demographic, and smoking history covariates.

RESULTS

Adherence varied across treatments and was lowest for nicotine lozenge use in combination nicotine replacement therapy (NRT). Five latent classes that differed significantly in 6-month abstinence rates were retained, including three subgroups of adherent participants varying in treatment response and two nonadherent groups varying in abstinence probabilities. Nonadherence was more likely among those receiving varenicline and combination NRT, relative to patch monotherapy. Varenicline and combination NRT did not promote abstinence among adherent latent classes but did promote abstinence among those partially adherent, relative to patch alone. Combination therapy attenuated increased risk of treatment disengagement with more years smoking. Minority smokers, those high in dependence, and those with shorter past abstinence were at increased risk for low-adherence and low-abstinence latent classes.

CONCLUSIONS

Varenicline and combination nicotine patch and lozenge are less likely to be used as directed and may not increase first-month abstinence better than patch alone when taken adherently.

IMPLICATIONS

This secondary analysis of adherence and abstinence in a comparative effectiveness trial shows that adherence is highest for the nicotine patch, next highest for varenicline, and lowest for combination nicotine patch and lozenge therapy due to low lozenge use. Distinct latent classes were found that varied in both first-month abstinence and adherence. Varenicline and combination NRT may not enhance abstinence over patch alone among smokers who take medication adherently. Adherent use of medication especially benefits those who are low in dependence and have positive quitting histories; it is less beneficial to at-risk smokers and members of racial minorities.

Using Elastic Net Penalized Cox Proportional Hazards Regression to Identify Predictors of Imminent Smoking Lapse

Introduction

Machine learning algorithms such as elastic net regression and backward selection provide a unique and powerful approach to model building given a set of psychosocial predictors of smoking lapse measured repeatedly via ecological momentary assessment (EMA). Understanding these predictors may aid in developing interventions for smoking lapse prevention.

Methods

In a randomized-controlled smoking cessation trial, smartphone-based EMAs were collected from 92 participants following a scheduled quit date. This secondary analysis utilized elastic net-penalized cox proportional hazards regression and model approximation via backward elimination to (1) optimize a predictive model of time to first lapse and (2) simplify that model to its core constituent predictors to maximize parsimony and generalizability.

Results

Elastic net proportional hazards regression selected 17 of 26 possible predictors from 2065 EMAs to model time to first lapse. The predictors with the highest magnitude regression coefficients were having consumed alcohol in the past hour, being around and interacting with a smoker, and having cigarettes easily available. This model was reduced using backward elimination, retaining five predictors and approximating to 93.9% of model fit. The retained predictors included those mentioned above as well as feeling irritable and being in areas where smoking is either discouraged or allowed (as opposed to not permitted).

Conclusions

The strongest predictors of smoking lapse were environmental in nature (e.g., being in smoking-permitted areas) as opposed to internal factors such as psychological affect. Interventions may be improved by a renewed focus of interventions on these predictors.

Implications

The present study demonstrated the utility of machine learning algorithms to optimize the prediction of time to smoking lapse using EMA data. The two models generated by the present analysis found that environmental factors were most strongly related to smoking lapse. The results support the use of machine learning algorithms to investigate intensive longitudinal data, and provide a foundation for the development of highly tailored, just-in-time interventions that can target on multiple antecedents of smoking lapse.

Indicators of cigarette smoking dependence and relapse in former smokers who vape compared with those who do not: findings from the 2016 International Tobacco Control Four Country Smoking and Vaping Survey

BACKGROUND AND AIMS

It has been proposed that many smokers switch to vaping because their nicotine addiction makes this their only viable route out of smoking. We compared indicators of prior and current cigarette smoking dependence and of relapse in former smokers who were daily users of nicotine vaping products ('vapers') or who were not vaping at the time of survey ('non-vapers').

DESIGN

Cross-sectional survey-based comparison between vaping and non-vaping former smokers, including a weighted logistic regression of vaping status onto predictor variables, adjusting for covariates specified below.

SETTING

United States, Canada, Australia and England.

PARTICIPANTS

A total of 1070 people aged 18+ years from the 2016 International Tobacco Control (ITC) Four Country Smoking and Vaping Wave 1 Survey who reported having ever been daily smokers but who stopped less than 2 years ago and who were currently vapers or non-vapers.

MEASUREMENTS

Dependent variable was current vaping status. Predictor variables were self-reported: (1) smoking within 5 minutes of waking and usual daily cigarette consumption, both assessed retrospectively; (2) current perceived addiction to smoking, urges to smoke and confidence in staying quit. Covariates: country, sample sources, sex, age group, ethnicity, income, education, current nicotine replacement therapy use and time since quitting.

FINDINGS

Vapers were more likely than non-vapers to report: (1) having smoked within 5 minutes of waking [34.3 versus 15.9%, adjusted odds ratio (aOR) = 3.74, 95% confidence interval (CI) = 1.99, 7.03), χ2  = 16.92, P < 0.001]; having smoked > 10 cigarettes/day (74.4 versus 47.2%, aOR = 4.39, 95% CI = 2.22, 8.68), χ2  = 18.18, P < 0.001); (2) perceiving themselves to be still very addicted to smoking (41.3 versus 26.2%, aOR = 2.89, 95% CI = 1.58, 5.30, χ2  = 11.87, P < 0.001) and feeling extremely confident about staying quit (62.1 versus 36.6%, aOR = 3.22, 95% CI = 1.86, 5.59, χ2  = 17.36, P < 0.001). Vapers were not more likely to report any urges to smoke than non-vapers (27.7 versus 38.8%, aOR = 0.86, 95% CI = 0.44, 1.65, χ2  = 0.21, P = 0.643).

CONCLUSIONS

While former smokers who currently vape nicotine daily report higher levels of cigarette smoking dependence pre- and post-cessation compared with former smokers who are current non-vapers, they report greater confidence in staying quit and similar strength of urges to smoke.

The Time-Varying Relations Between Risk Factors and Smoking Before and After a Quit Attempt

Introduction

Intensive longitudinal data (ILD) collected with ecological momentary assessments (EMAs) can provide a rich resource for understanding the relations between risk factors and smoking in the time surrounding a cessation attempt.

Methods

Participants (N = 142) were smokers seeking treatment at a safety-net hospital smoking cessation clinic who were randomly assigned to receive standard clinic care (ie, counseling and cessation medications) or standard care plus small financial incentives for biochemically confirmed smoking abstinence. Participants completed EMAs via study provided smartphones several times per day for 14 days (1 week prequit through 1 week postquit). EMAs assessed current contextual factors including environmental (eg, easy access to cigarettes, being around others smoking), cognitive (eg, urge to smoke, stress, coping expectancies, cessation motivation, cessation self-efficacy, restlessness), behavioral (ie, recent smoking and alcohol consumption), and affective variables. Temporal relations between risk factors and smoking were assessed using a logistic time-varying effect model.

Results

Participants were primarily female (57.8%) and Black (71.8%), with an annual household income of <$20000 per year (71.8%), who smoked 17.6 cigarettes per day (SD = 8.8). Individuals assigned to the financial incentives group had decreased odds of smoking compared with those assigned to usual care beginning 3 days before the quit attempt and continuing throughout the first week postquit. Environmental, cognitive, affective, and behavioral variables had complex time-varying impacts on smoking before and after the scheduled quit attempt.

Conclusions

Knowledge of time-varying effects may facilitate the development of interventions that target specific psychosocial and behavioral variables at critical moments in the weeks surrounding a quit attempt.

Implications

Previous research has examined time-varying relations between smoking and negative affect, urge to smoke, smoking dependence, and certain smoking cessation therapies. We extend this work using ILD of unexplored variables in a socioeconomically disadvantaged sample of smokers seeking cessation treatment. These findings could be used to inform ecological momentary interventions that deliver treatment resources (eg, video- or text-based content) to individuals based upon critical variables surrounding their attempt.

Longer duration of smoking abstinence is associated with waning cessation fatigue

BACKGROUND

Cessation fatigue, a construct theorized to reflect exhaustion of coping resources due to quitting smoking, has been found to predict relapse. This study examines the association between cessation fatigue and duration of abstinence among 1397 adult former smokers who participated in the 2016 International Tobacco Control (ITC) Four Country Smoking and Vaping Wave 1 Survey (4CV). We hypothesized lower levels of cessation fatigue will be correlated with longer duration of abstinence.

METHOD

Data for this cross-sectional study were collected in a web-based survey which recruited national samples from Australia, Canada, England, and United States. Former smokers were abstinent up to five years.

RESULTS

Lower cessation fatigue was associated with longer duration of smoking abstinence. Cessation fatigue was highest in former smokers that had been quit for up to six months, with lower cessation fatigue found in those quit for at least seven months and another drop-off in fatigue observed for those quit for at least two years.

CONCLUSIONS

Cessation fatigue is highest soon after quitting smoking but declines over time for those who remain abstinent. Understanding the mechanisms by which cessation fatigue is related to abstinence could potentially offer insights into ways to help individuals sustain quitting.

Does cessation fatigue predict smoking-cessation milestones? A longitudinal study of current and former smokers

OBJECTIVE

Long-term abstinence can be undermined by cessation fatigue-an exhaustion of coping resources attributable to quitting smoking/staying quit. The current study examines the predictive validity of a Cessation Fatigue Scale (CFS; three subscales). Among current smokers, we hypothesized higher fatigue would predict longer latency to both quit initiation and achieving 7-day point prevalence abstinence (7-day PPA). Among recent quitters, we expected higher cessation fatigue would confer greater lapse/relapse risk. Lower rates of abstinence at 2-month follow-up were expected for those with higher fatigue.

METHOD

Current smokers motivated to quit in the next month (n = 301) and recent quitters (n = 242) were assessed biweekly over the course of 2 months. Retention rates were high (>85%). Cox and logistic regression analyses tested hypotheses.

RESULTS

Among smokers, greater emotional exhaustion predicted longer delay to achieving 7-day PPA (HR = .53, 95% CI [.40, -.68], p < .001) and lower likelihood of 7-day PPA at 2-month follow-up (OR = .27, 95% CI [.16, -.46], p < .001), even after controlling for nicotine dependence and motivation to quit. Among recent quitters, emotional exhaustion progressively increased over the first 6 weeks since quit initiation. Elevated exhaustion was associated with greater lapse (HR = 1.65, 95% CI [1.06, 2.56], p < .05) and relapse (HR = 2.33, 95% CI [1.37, 3.97], p < .01) risk, and lower likelihood of 7-day PPA at 2-month follow-up (OR = .39, 95% CI [.16, .94], p < .05), even after controlling for nicotine withdrawal and motivation to quit.

CONCLUSIONS

Cessation fatigue, as measured by the CFS's emotional exhaustion subscale, prospectively predicted important cessation milestones. Findings suggest that cessation fatigue is a novel process that undermines smoking cessation and a viable target for intervention. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2018 APA, all rights reserved).

Association Between Socioeconomic Status and Access to Care and Quitting Smoking With and Without Assistance

Introduction

Socio-economic disparities in smoking rates persist, in Ontario, despite public health care and universal tobacco control policies. Mechanisms for continuing disparities are not fully understood. Unequal access or utilization of assistance for cessation may contribute. The objective of this research was to use longitudinal data on smokers to examine the associations between socioeconomic status (SES) and access to care measures and assisted and unassisted quit attempts.

Methods

Data were taken from 3578 smokers with at least one follow-up interview participating in the Ontario Tobacco Survey (OTS). Multinomial regression models with imputed missing values were run for each measure of SES and access to care to assess the association with quitting behavior and use of assistance, unadjusted and while adjusting for smoking history and demographic covariates.

Results

Adjusted analyses found smokers living in areas with the lowest ethnic concentration were more likely to make an assisted quit attempt compared to unassisted quitting (RR = 1.64; 95% CI = 1.08-2.50) or making no quit attempt (RR = 1.65; 95% CI = 1.15-2.37). Smokers who reported visiting a doctor in the previous 6 months were more likely to quit with assistance versus unassisted compared to those not visiting a doctor, whether they were advised (RR = 1.89, 95% CI = 1.43-2.48) or not advised to quit (OR = 1.32, 95% CI = 1.01-1.74). Similar results were seen when comparing assisted quit attempts with no quit attempts.

Conclusions

Adjusted analyses showed that quitting with assistance was unrelated to measures of SES except ethnic concentration. Physician intervention with patients who smoke is important for increasing assisted quit attempts.

Implications

For most measures of SES there were no significant associations with either assisted or unassisted quitting adjusting for demographic and smoking history. Smokers who live in areas with the lowest ethnic concentration were most likely to use assistance as were smokers who visited their doctor and were advised to quit smoking. Interventions to increase the delivery of effective quitting methods in smokers living in areas with high ethnic concentrations and to increase physician compliance with asking and advising patients to quit may increase assisted quit attempts.

Do predictors of smoking relapse change as a function of duration of abstinence? Findings from the United States, Canada, United Kingdom and Australia

AIMS

To estimate predictors of time to smoking relapse and test if prediction varied by quit duration.

DESIGN

Longitudinal cohort data from the International Tobacco Control Four-Country survey with annual follow up collected between 2002 and 2015.

SETTING

Canada, United States, United Kingdom and Australia.

PARTICIPANTS

A total of 9171 eligible adult smokers who had made at least one quit attempt during the study period.

MEASUREMENTS

Time to relapse was the main outcome. Predictor variables included pre-quit baseline measures of nicotine dependence, smoking and quitting-related motivations, quitting capacity and social influence, and also two post-quit measures, use of stop-smoking medications and quit duration (1-7 days, 8-14 days, 15-31 days, 1-3 months, 3-6 months, 6-12 months, 1-2 years and 2+ years), along with socio-demographics.

FINDINGS

All factors were predictive of relapse within the first 6 months of quitting but only wanting to quit, quit intentions and number of friends who smoke were still predictive of relapse in the 6-12-month period of quitting [hazard ratios (HR) = 1.20, P < 0.05; 1.13, P < 0.05; and 1.21, P < 0.001, respectively]. Number of friends smoking was the only remaining predictor of relapse in the 1-2 years quit period (HR = 1.19, P = 0.001) with none predictive beyond the 2-year quit period. Use of stop-smoking medications during quit attempts was related negatively to relapse during the first 2 weeks of quitting (HR = 0.71-0.84), but related positively to relapse in the 1-6-month quit period (HR = 1.29-1.54). Predictive effects of all factors showed significant interaction with quit duration except for perceiving smoking as an important part of life, prematurely stubbing out a cigarette and wanting to quit.

CONCLUSIONS

Among adult smokers in the United States, Canada, United Kingdom and Australia, factors associated with smoking relapse differ between the early and later stages of a quit attempt, suggesting that the determinants of relapse change as a function of abstinence duration.

Potential Predictor of Tobacco Cessation among Factory Workers: A Baseline Data of Worksite Tobacco Cessation Programs in the Central Part of India

AIM

Our study aimed to evaluate the prevalence of tobacco use among factory workers and identify the predicting factors for quitting tobacco use.

MATERIALS AND METHODS

In this cross-sectional study, a total of 640 factory workers were included and divided into the quitter group and who had never quit the tobacco habit in the past. Data were collected by standardized and validated questionnaire pro forma, which comprised the demographic profile, smoking history, and Fagerstrom scale to check the nicotine dependence. Data were analyzed using descriptive analysis and Chi-squares test, whereas logistic regression was used to predict the factor for quitting the tobacco habit. All tests were applied using Statistical Package for the Social Sciences (SPSS) version 17.0.

RESULTS

The mean age among the quitters was comparatively low than the never-quit group. Out of 640 participants, the majority of quitters and those who never quit were found to consume smokeless tobacco (232 [93.5]; 288 [73.5]). As per logistic regression analysis, gender of participants, age of starting tobacco use, and frequency of tobacco use can be considered as good predictors to quit smoking/chewing tobacco.

CONCLUSION

The present study found that participants in the quitter group were less dependent on tobacco, and these participants were more likely to quit smoking if behavioral support was provided at the early days of the quitting attempt.

CLINICAL SIGNIFICANCE

This study's result provides valuable insight into the current tobacco usage and potential predicting factors for quitting tobacco use among factory workers in India. These data can help in developing a policy for the implementation of tobacco cessation programs at the worksite.

Development and initial validation of a cessation fatigue scale

BACKGROUND

Smoking cessation fatigue, or tiredness of attempting to quit smoking, has been posited as a latent construct encompassing loss of motivation, loss of hope in cessation success, decreased self-efficacy, and exhaustion of self-control resources. Despite the potential clinical impact of characterizing cessation fatigue, there is currently no validated measure to assess it. Using a rational scale development approach, we developed a cessation fatigue measure and examined its reliability and construct validity in relation to a) smokers' experience of a recently failed quit attempt (QA) and b) readiness to engage in a subsequent QA.

METHODS

Data were drawn from an online cross-sectional survey of 484 smokers who relapsed from a QA within the past 30days.

RESULTS

Exploratory factor analysis identified three factors within the 17-item Cessation Fatigue Scale (CFS), which we labeled: emotional exhaustion, pessimism, and devaluation. High internal consistency was observed for each factor and across the full scale. As expected, CFS overall was positively associated with withdrawal severity and difficulty quitting. CFS was negatively associated with previously validated measures of intention to quit, self-efficacy, and abstinence-related motivational engagement, even after adjusting for nicotine dependence.

CONCLUSIONS

Findings provide initial validation for a new tool to assess cessation fatigue and contribute needed information on a theory-driven component of cessation-related motivation and relapse risk.

Poststroke Fatigue: Emerging Evidence and Approaches to Management: A Scientific Statement for Healthcare Professionals From the American Heart Association

At least half of all stroke survivors experience fatigue; thus, it is a common cause of concern for patients, caregivers, and clinicians after stroke. This scientific statement provides an international perspective on the emerging evidence surrounding the incidence, prevalence, quality of life, and complex pathogenesis of poststroke fatigue. Evidence for pharmacological and nonpharmacological interventions for management are reviewed, as well as the effects of poststroke fatigue on both stroke survivors and caregivers.

Self-control depletion and nicotine deprivation as precipitants of smoking cessation failure: A human laboratory model

OBJECTIVE

The need to understand potential precipitants of smoking relapse is exemplified by relapse rates as high as 95%. The Self-Control Strength model, which proposes that self-control is dependent upon limited resources and susceptible to fatigue, may offer insight into relapse processes. The current study tested the hypothesis that self-control depletion (SCD), produced from engagement in emotional suppression, would serve as a novel antecedent for cessation failure, as indexed by a validated laboratory analogue of smoking lapse and relapse. We also examined whether SCD effects interacted with those of a well-established relapse precipitant (i.e., nicotine deprivation). Craving and behavioral economic indices (delay discounting and demand) were tested as hypothesized mechanisms for increased cessation failure. Ultimately, a moderated mediation model was used to test nicotine deprivation as a hypothesized moderator of SCD effects.

METHOD

We used a 2 × 2 (12-hr deprivation vs. no deprivation; SCD vs. no SCD) factorial between-subjects design (N = 128 smokers).

RESULTS

The primary hypothesis of the study was supported, as SCD increased lapse behavior (p = .04). Nicotine deprivation significantly increased craving, cigarette demand, delay discounting, and lapse behavior. No main effects were found for SCD on putative mediators (i.e., craving, demand, and discounting), but the SCD and deprivation manipulations interacted upon craving (p = .04). The moderated mediation model was significant. SCD was found to increase craving among nicotine deprived smokers, which mediated effects on lapse behavior.

CONCLUSIONS

SCD appears to play an important role in smoking relapse and may be a viable target for intervention. (PsycINFO Database Record

Relapse prediction: A meteorology-inspired mobile model

Predicting relapses to binge drinking in non-dependent drinkers may now be possible with smartphones. Smartphones have been shown to help individuals reduce their drinking and may help binge drinkers accelerate that process. Predicting the weather has improved greatly over the past 50 years, but predicting a binge drinking episode may be less difficult. It is hypothesized that the number of factors with high predictive value for any particular individual may not be large. Collecting data over time, a smartphone should be able to learn which combination of factors has a high probability of leading to an episode of binge drinking.

Hazardous Alcohol Drinking as Predictor of Smoking Relapse (3-, 6-, and 12-Months Follow-Up) by Gender

Diverse studies have found a relation between alcohol consumption and smoking relapse. Few studies have analyzed the relation of smoking relapse with pretreatment alcohol consumption and gender differences. The main purpose of this study is to analyze the influence of alcohol consumption in smoking relapse over 12 months (3-, 6-, and 12-months follow-up) and to determine possible gender differences. The sample included 374 smokers who quit smoking by participating in a psychological smoking cessation treatment. We assessed hazardous pretreatment alcohol drinking (AUDIT), cigarette consumption (FTND; number of cigarettes) and sociodemographic variables. Higher scores on hazardous pretreatment alcohol drinking predict smoking relapse at 3-, 6-, and 12-months after smoking cessation. In males, higher scores on hazardous pretreatment alcohol drinking predict relapse at 6 and at 12 months. In females, higher scores on hazardous pretreatment alcohol drinking predict tobacco relapse at 3 months. Hazardous pretreatment alcohol drinking predicts relapse at all intervals after smoking cessation (3-, 6-, and 12-months follow-up). However, the influence of hazardous pretreatment alcohol drinking on smoking relapse differs as a function of gender, as it is a short-term predictor in women (3 months) and a long-term predictor in men (6 and 12 months).

A Preliminary Exploration of Former Smokers Enrolled in an Internet Smoking Cessation Program

BACKGROUND

Internet interventions may have an important role to play in helping self-quitters maintain an initial period of abstinence. Little is known about the characteristics and utilization patterns of former smokers who use Internet cessation programs.

OBJECTIVE

The overarching aim of this preliminary study was to establish the feasibility of a subsequent randomized trial of the effectiveness of Internet interventions in preventing relapse. Specifically, this study sought to determine the number of former smokers that register on a smoking cessation website, the characteristics of former smokers and their website utilization patterns, and potential predictors of sustained abstinence.

METHODS

Participants were self-identified former smokers who registered on a free smoking cessation website. Recruitment occurred immediately following site registration. Participants completed Web-based baseline and 1-month follow-up assessments. Website utilization metrics were extracted at 1 month. Descriptive statistics were used to characterize the full sample. Baseline differences were examined between recent quitters (≤7 days of abstinence at enrollment) and more established quitters (8+ days of abstinence at enrollment) using chi-square tests and t tests. Univariate logistic regression examined demographic, smoking, psychosocial characteristics, and website utilization metrics as predictors of 1-month abstinence.

RESULTS

During the 10-month study period, 1141 former smokers were recruited to participate: 494 accepted the invitation, 395 were eligible, 377 provided informed consent, and 221 completed the baseline and fully enrolled (56% of those eligible). At 1 month, 55.7% (123/221) of participants completed the follow-up survey. Mean age was 44.25 years (SD 12.78) and the sample was primarily female (174/221, 78.7%), white (196/221, 88.7%), and had at least some college education (177/221, 80.1%). Slightly more than half of participants (123/221, 55.7%) reported quitting more than a week prior to website registration and 43.9% (97/221) had quit within 7 days of registration. The website features most likely to be used were an interactive Quit Date tool (166/221, 75.1%) and the Community (134/221, 60.6%). Univariate regression models showed that recent quitters, those with higher motivation to remain abstinent, and those who used cessation medication in the past year were more likely to use the Community. Older age, longer duration of abstinence at registration, better health status, and health care provider advice to quit were associated with 1-month abstinence. Website utilization metrics did not predict abstinence, though odds ratios suggested higher utilization was associated with greater odds of abstinence.

CONCLUSIONS

This exploratory study demonstrated the feasibility of recruiting former smokers to a research study and documented the uptake of an Internet cessation intervention among this group of self-quitters. Results also showed higher levels of website utilization and greater likelihood of community use among smokers early in their quit attempt compared to those with a longer period of abstinence at enrollment. Important areas for future research include identifying former smokers who may be more susceptible to relapse and determining which components of an Internet intervention are most helpful to prevent relapse in the early and later stages of a quit attempt.

Relations among affect, abstinence motivation and confidence, and daily smoking lapse risk

This study tested the hypothesis that changes in momentary affect, abstinence motivation, and confidence would predict lapse risk over the next 12-24 hr using Ecological Momentary Assessment (EMA) data from smokers attempting to quit smoking. One hundred and three adult, daily, treatment-seeking smokers recorded their momentary affect, motivation to quit, abstinence confidence, and smoking behaviors in near real time with multiple EMA reports per day using electronic diaries postquit. Multilevel models indicated that initial levels of negative affect were associated with smoking, even after controlling for earlier smoking status, and that short-term increases in negative affect predicted lapses up to 12, but not 24, hr later. Positive affect had significant effects on subsequent abstinence confidence, but not motivation to quit. High levels of motivation appeared to reduce increases in lapse risk that occur over hours although momentary changes in confidence did not predict lapse risk over 12 hr. Negative affect had short-lived effects on lapse risk, whereas higher levels of motivation protected against the risk of lapsing that accumulates over hours. An increase in positive affect was associated with greater confidence to quit, but such changes in confidence did not reduce short-term lapse risk, contrary to expectations. Relations observed among affect, cognitions, and lapse seem to depend critically on the timing of assessments.

A randomized clinical trial of a tailored behavioral smoking cessation preparation program

Despite considerable progress in reducing cigarette smoking prevalence and enhancing smoking cessation treatments, most smokers who attempt to quit relapse. The current randomized clinical trial evaluated the efficacy of an adjunctive behavioral smoking cessation treatment based on learning theory. Adult daily smokers were randomly assigned to standard treatment (N = 47) with nicotine patch and individual counseling or to standard treatment plus a "practice quitting" program involving seven sessions of escalating prescribed abstinence periods (N = 46) prior to a target stop smoking date. Practice quitting was designed to extinguish smoking in response to withdrawal symptoms. Retention in treatment was excellent and the treatment manipulation increased the interval between cigarettes across practice quitting sessions on average by 400%. The primary endpoint, seven-day point-prevalence abstinence four weeks post-quit, was not significantly affected by practice quitting (31.9% in the standard treatment condition, 37.0% in the practice quitting condition). Practice quitting increased latency to a first lapse among those who quit smoking for at least one day and prevented progression from a first lapse to relapse (smoking daily for a week) relative to standard treatment, however. Practice quitting is a promising adjunctive treatment in need of refinement to enhance adherence and efficacy.

Does Effectiveness of Adolescent Smoking-Cessation Intervention Endure Into Young Adulthood? 7-Year Follow-Up Results from a Group-Randomized Trial

BACKGROUND

The Hutchinson Study of High School Smoking was the first randomized trial to show effectiveness of a smoking cessation intervention on 6-months prolonged smoking abstinence at one year post-intervention in a large population-based sample of adolescent smokers. An important question remains: Do the positive effects from teen smoking cessation interventions seen at up to 12 months post-intervention endure into young adulthood? This study examines for the first time whether such positive early effects from teen smoking cessation intervention can endure into young adulthood in the absence of additional intervention.

METHODS

High school smokers (n = 2,151) were proactively recruited into the trial from fifty randomly selected Washington State high schools randomized to the experimental (Motivational Interviewing + Cognitive Behavioral Skills Training telephone counseling intervention) or control (no intervention) condition. These smokers were followed to 7 years post high school to ascertain rates of six-year prolonged smoking abstinence in young adulthood. All statistical tests are two-sided.

RESULTS

No evidence of intervention impact at seven years post high school was observed for the main endpoint of six-year prolonged abstinence, neither among all smokers (14.2% in the experimental condition vs. 13.1% in the control condition, difference = +1.1%, 95% confidence interval (CI) = -3.4 to 5.8, p = .61), nor among the subgroups of daily smokers and less-than-daily smokers, nor among other a priori subgroups. But, observed among males was some evidence of an intervention impact on two endpoints related to progress towards quitting: reduction in number of days smoked in the past month, and increase in the length of the longest quit attempt in the past year.

CONCLUSIONS

There was no evidence from this trial among adolescent smokers that positive effectiveness of the proactive telephone intervention for smoking abstinence, observed previously at one year post-intervention, was sustained for the long-term into young adulthood. In light of the positive short-term effectiveness consistently observed from this and other trials for teen smokers, together with the lack of evidence from this study that such short-term impact can endure into young adulthood, sustained interventions that continue into young adulthood should be developed and tested for long-term impact.

TRIAL REGISTRATION

ClinicalTrials.gov NCT00115882.

Designing adaptive intensive interventions using methods from engineering

OBJECTIVE

Adaptive intensive interventions are introduced, and new methods from the field of control engineering for use in their design are illustrated.

METHOD

A detailed step-by-step explanation of how control engineering methods can be used with intensive longitudinal data to design an adaptive intensive intervention is provided. The methods are evaluated via simulation.

RESULTS

Simulation results illustrate how the designed adaptive intensive intervention can result in improved outcomes with less treatment by providing treatment only when it is needed. Furthermore, the methods are robust to model misspecification as well as the influence of unobserved causes.

CONCLUSIONS

These new methods can be used to design adaptive interventions that are effective yet reduce participant burden.

Comparative effectiveness of intervention components for producing long-term abstinence from smoking: a factorial screening experiment

AIMS

To identify promising intervention components that help smokers attain and maintain abstinence during a quit attempt.

DESIGN

A 2 × 2 × 2 × 2 × 2 randomized factorial experiment.

SETTING

Eleven primary care clinics in Wisconsin, USA.

PARTICIPANTS

A total of 544 smokers (59% women, 86% white) recruited during primary care visits and motivated to quit.

INTERVENTIONS

Five intervention components designed to help smokers attain and maintain abstinence: (1) extended medication (26 versus 8 weeks of nicotine patch + nicotine gum); (2) maintenance (phone) counseling versus none; (3) medication adherence counseling versus none; (4) automated (medication) adherence calls versus none; and (5) electronic medication monitoring with feedback and counseling versus electronic medication monitoring alone.

MEASUREMENTS

The primary outcome was 7-day self-reported point-prevalence abstinence 1 year after the target quit day.

FINDINGS

Only extended medication produced a main effect. Twenty-six versus 8 weeks of medication improved point-prevalence abstinence rates (43 versus 34% at 6 months; 34 versus 27% at 1 year; P = 0.01 for both). There were four interaction effects at 1 year, showing that an intervention component's effectiveness depended upon the components with which it was combined.

CONCLUSIONS

Twenty-six weeks of nicotine patch + nicotine gum (versus 8 weeks) and maintenance counseling provided by phone are promising intervention components for the cessation and maintenance phases of smoking treatment.

An experimental investigation of reactivity to ecological momentary assessment frequency among adults trying to quit smoking

AIMS

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.

DESIGN

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.

SETTING

Community participants were recruited from central New Jersey, USA.

PARTICIPANTS

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.

MEASUREMENTS

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.

FINDINGS

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.

Abstinence and relapse among smokers who use varenicline in a quit attempt-a pooled analysis of randomized controlled trials

BACKGROUND AND AIMS

Varenicline increases the likelihood of long-term abstinence following a quit attempt. It has been suggested that (1) part of its benefit arises from 'recruiting into abstinence' smokers who are not able to stop on the target quit date and (2) there may be a higher rate of relapse after treatment. This study addressed these issues.

METHODS

Meta-analyses of data from randomized controlled trials (RCTs) of varenicline identified from the 2012 Cochrane review of nicotine receptor partial agonists for smoking cessation were used to compare the abstinence and relapse patterns on active drug and placebo. Studies of varenicline compared with placebo in adult daily smokers with longest follow-up at either 6 or 12 months and with at least three follow-ups in the first month were included. Biochemically verified abstinence rates at each of six follow-up time-points (2, 3, 4, 12, 24 and 52 weeks) were pooled for studies reporting point prevalence abstinence. Biochemically verified abstinence rates at three follow-up time-periods (9-12 weeks, 9-24 weeks and 9-52 weeks) were pooled for studies reporting continuous abstinence. Random effects meta-analysis was used to estimate pooled proportions with 95% confidence intervals.

RESULTS

Nineteen RCTs were included. In varenicline-treated participants, point-prevalence abstinence increased by 22 percentage points from week 2 [32%: 95% confidence interval (CI) = 25-40%] to week 12 (54%: 95% CI = 48-61%). The increase was 8 percentage points in the placebo group: 16% (95% CI = 11-21%) to 24% (95% CI = 17-33%). In varenicline-treated participants the relapse from weeks 9-12 to week 52 was 55%: 49% abstinent in weeks 9-12 (95% CI = 45-53%) versus 22% at week 52 (95% CI = 19-25%). In placebo-treated participants it was 53%: 17% (95% CI = 13-25%) in weeks 9-12 versus 8% (95% CI = 6-12%) at week 52.

CONCLUSIONS

Varenicline recruits smokers into abstinence following the target quit date to a greater extent than placebo. Relapse rates from end of treatment to 52 weeks are similar in varenicline- and placebo-treated smokers.

Paths to tobacco abstinence: A repeated-measures latent class analysis

OBJECTIVE

Knowledge of smoking change processes may be enhanced by identifying pathways to stable abstinence. We sought to identify latent classes of smokers based on their day-to-day smoking status in the first weeks of a cessation attempt. We examined treatment effects on class membership and compared classes on baseline individual differences and 6-month abstinence rates.

METHOD

In this secondary analysis of a double-blind randomized placebo-controlled clinical trial (N = 1,433) of 5 smoking cessation pharmacotherapies (nicotine patch, nicotine lozenge, bupropion SR, patch and lozenge, or bupropion SR and lozenge), we conducted repeated-measures latent class analysis of daily smoking status (any smoking vs. none) for the first 27 days of a quit attempt. Treatment and covariate relations with latent class membership were examined. Distal outcome analysis compared confirmed 6-month abstinence rates among the latent classes.

RESULTS

A 5-class solution was selected. Three-quarters of smokers were in stable smoking or abstinent classes, but 25% were in classes with unstable abstinence probabilities over time. Active treatment (compared to placebo), and particularly the patch and lozenge combination, promoted early quitting. Latent classes differed in 6-month abstinence rates and on several baseline variables, including nicotine dependence, quitting history, self-efficacy, sleep disturbance, and minority status.

CONCLUSIONS

Repeated-measures latent class analysis identified latent classes of smoking change patterns affected by treatment, related to known risk factors, and predictive of distal outcomes. Tracking behavior early in a change attempt may identify prognostic patterns of change and facilitate adaptive treatment planning.

Time-varying processes involved in smoking lapse in a randomized trial of smoking cessation therapies

INTRODUCTION

Researchers have increasingly begun to gather ecological momentary assessment (EMA) data on smoking, but new statistical methods are necessary to fully unlock information from such data. In this paper, we use a new technique, the logistic time-varying effect model (logistic TVEM), to examine the odds of smoking in the 2 weeks after a quit attempt.

METHODS

Data are from a subsample of participants from a randomized, placebo-controlled trial of smoking cessation pharmacotherapies who achieved initial abstinence (N = 1,106, 58% female). Participants completed up to 4 EMA assessments per day during the 2 weeks after their quit day. Predictors include baseline nicotine dependence, EMA measures of craving and negative affect, and whether an individual was assigned to a placebo, monotherapy, or combination therapy condition. Time-varying effects of these predictors were estimated using logistic TVEM.

RESULTS

Cravings were a significant predictor of smoking throughout the entire 2 weeks postquit, whereas the effect of baseline dependence became nonsignificant by the second week, and the effect of negative affect increased over time. Individuals in the monotherapy and combination therapy conditions had decreased odds of smoking compared with placebo in the first week postquit, but these differences were nonsignificant in the second week.

CONCLUSIONS

Findings suggest that pharmacotherapies are more effective compared with placebo earlier in a quit attempt, when the effect of baseline nicotine dependence on smoking is stronger, whereas the effect of craving and negative affect increased over time. Future cessation therapies may be more successful by providing additional support in the second week after quit attempt.

Withdrawal: Expanding a Key Addiction Construct

Withdrawal is an essential component of classical addiction theory; it is a vital manifestation of dependence and motivates relapse. However, the traditional conceptualization of withdrawal as a cohesive collection of symptoms that emerge during drug deprivation and decline with either the passage of time or reinstatement of drug use, may be inadequate to explain scientific findings or fit with modern theories of addiction. This article expands the current understanding of tobacco withdrawal by examining: (1) withdrawal variability; (2) underlying causes of withdrawal variability, including biological and person factors, environmental influences, and the influence of highly routinized behavioral patterns; (3) new withdrawal symptoms that allow for enhanced characterization of the withdrawal experience; and (4) withdrawal-related cognitive processes. These topics provide guidance regarding the optimal assessment of withdrawal and illustrate the potential impact modern withdrawal conceptualization and assessment could have on identifying treatment targets.

Adolescent brain maturation and smoking: what we know and where we're headed

Smoking is a leading cause of mortality and morbidity worldwide. Smoking initiation often occurs during adolescence. This paper reviews and synthesizes adolescent development and nicotine dependence literatures to provide an account of adolescent smoking from onset to compulsive use. We extend neurobiological models of adolescent risk-taking, that focus on the interplay between incentive processing and cognitive control brain systems, through incorporating psychosocial and contextual factors specific to smoking, to suggest that adolescents are more vulnerable than adults to cigarette use generally, but that individual differences exist placing some adolescents at increased risk for smoking. Upon smoking, adolescents are more likely to continue smoking due to the increased positive effects induced by nicotine during this period. Continued use during adolescence, may be best understood as reflecting drug-related changes to neural systems underlying incentive processing and cognitive control, resulting in decision-making that is biased towards continued smoking. Persistent changes following nicotine exposure that may underlie continued dependence are described. We highlight ways that interventions may benefit from a consideration of cognitive-neuroscience findings.

Positive smoking outcome expectancies mediate the association between negative affect and smoking urge among women during a quit attempt

Ecological momentary assessment was used to examine associations between negative affect, positive smoking outcome expectancies, and smoking urge during the first 7 days of a smoking quit attempt. Participants were 302 female smokers who enrolled in an individually tailored smoking cessation treatment study. Multilevel mediation analysis was used to examine the temporal relationship among the following: (a) the effects of negative affect and positive smoking outcome expectancies at 1 assessment point (e.g., time j) on smoking urge at the subsequent time point (e.g., time j + 1) in Model 1; and, (b) the effects of negative affect and smoking urge at time j on positive smoking outcome expectancies at time j + 1 in Model 2. The results from Model 1 showed a statistically significant effect of negative affect at time j on smoking urge at time j + 1, and this effect was mediated by positive smoking outcome expectancies at time j, both within- and between-participants. In Model 2, the within-participant indirect effect of negative affect at time j on positive smoking outcome expectancies at time j + 1 through smoking urge at time j was nonsignificant. However, a statistically significant indirect between-participants effect was found in Model 2. The findings support the hypothesis that urge and positive smoking outcome expectancies increase as a function of negative affect, and suggest a stronger effect of expectancies on urge as opposed to the effect of urge on expectancies.

Improving understanding of the quitting process: psychological predictors of quit attempts versus smoking cessation maintenance among college students

This study examined motivation, positive and negative outcome expectations of quitting, and self-efficacy as predictors of quit attempts and cessation maintenance in a smoking cessation intervention for college students (N = 303). Psychological measures assessed at baseline were used to predict smoking behavior outcomes. Analysis of variance (ANOVA) and logistic regression analysis revealed that motivation and self-efficacy were strong, differential predictors of quit attempts and cessation maintenance, respectively. This study extends the previous findings regarding psychological predictors of quitting processes to college students, and suggests the need for interventions tailored according to phases of quitting processes.

Prize contingency management for smoking cessation: a randomized trial

BACKGROUND

Adjunctive behavioral smoking cessation treatments have the potential to improve outcomes beyond standard care. The present study had two aims: (1) compare standard care (SC) for smoking (four weeks of brief counseling and monitoring) to SC plus prize-based contingency management (CM), involving the chance to earn prizes on days with demonstrated smoking abstinence (carbon monoxide (CO) ≤6 ppm); and (2) compare the relative efficacy of two prize reinforcement schedules-one a traditional CM schedule, and the second an early enhanced CM schedule providing greater reinforcement magnitude in the initial week of treatment but equal overall reinforcement.

METHODS

Participants (N=81 nicotine-dependent cigarette smokers) were randomly assigned to one of the three conditions.

RESULTS

Prize CM resulted in significant reductions in cigarette smoking relative to SC. These reductions were not apparent at follow-up. We found no meaningful differences between the traditional and enhanced CM conditions.

CONCLUSIONS

Our findings reveal that prize CM leads to significant reductions in smoking during treatment relative to a control intervention, but the benefits did not extend long-term.

Modeling complexity of EMA data: time-varying lagged effects of negative affect on smoking urges for subgroups of nicotine addiction

INTRODUCTION

Ecological momentary assessments (EMA) are increasingly used in studies of smoking behavior. Through EMA, examination of lagged relationships is particularly useful for establishing a temporal order of events and for identifying types and timing of risk factors. The time-varying effect model (TVEM) handles EMA data challenges and addresses unique questions about the time-varying effects.

METHODS

Generalized TVEM was applied to EMA data from a smoking cessation study to investigate a "time-varying lagged" effect of negative affect on high smoking urges. Participants included 224 smokers with a smoking history of 23.1 years (SD = 9.8) smoking 27.3 cigarettes per day (SD = 10.7), which provided 11,394 EMAs following a quit attempt and prior to a smoking lapse.

RESULTS

The effect of negative affect was found to vary as a function of a time lag, with stronger immediate effects: estimated odds ratio (OR) of 2.7 for the lower nicotine-dependence group (time to first morning cigarette > 5 min, 57.6%) and OR of 2.4 for the higher nicotine-dependence group (≤ 5 min). The magnitude of the effect persisted up to 7 hr while decreasing over time.

CONCLUSIONS

This analysis confirmed the importance of negative affect as a precursor of smoking urges while showing that the magnitude of the effect varies over time. An assumption of a constant lagged effect may bias estimates of the relationships and fail to provide a comprehensive outlook of the relational dynamics.

Randomized trial on mindfulness training for smokers targeted to a disadvantaged population

We report the results of a randomized trial comparing a novel smoking cessation treatment Mindfulness Training for Smokers (MTS) to a usual care therapy (Controls), which included the availability of a tobacco quit line and nicotine patches. Data were collected from 196 low socioeconomic status smokers in 2010-2011 in Madison, Wisconsin. Participants were randomized to either MTS or a telephonic quit line. The primary outcome was 6-month smoking abstinence measured by carbon monoxide breath testing and Time-Line Follow-Back. Among treatment initiators (randomized participants who participated in the intervention), abstinence rates were significantly different between the MTS (38.7%) and control (20.6%, p = .05) groups. Study limitations are also discussed. Results suggest that further study is warranted.

Individual and combined effects of multiple high-risk triggers on postcessation smoking urge and lapse

INTRODUCTION

Negative affect, alcohol consumption, and presence of others smoking have consistently been implicated as risk factors for smoking lapse and relapse. What is not known, however, is how these factors work together to affect smoking outcomes. This paper uses ecological momentary assessment (EMA) collected during the first 7 days of a smoking cessation attempt to test the individual and combined effects of high-risk triggers on smoking urge and lapse.

METHODS

Participants were 300 female smokers who enrolled in a study that tested an individually tailored smoking cessation treatment. Participants completed EMA, which recorded negative affect, alcohol consumption, presence of others smoking, smoking urge, and smoking lapse, for 7 days starting on their quit date.

RESULTS

Alcohol consumption, presence of others smoking, and negative affect were, independently and in combination, associated with increase in smoking urge and lapse. The results also found that the relationship between presence of others smoking and lapse and the relationship between negative affect and lapse were moderated by smoking urge.

CONCLUSIONS

The current study found significant individual effects of alcohol consumption, presence of other smoking, and negative affect on smoking urge and lapse. Combing the triggers increased smoking urge and the risk for lapse to varying degrees, and the presence of all 3 triggers resulted in the highest urge and lapse risk.

Understanding the role of cessation fatigue in the smoking cessation process

BACKGROUND

To understand the dynamic process of cessation fatigue (i.e., the tiredness of trying to quit smoking) with respect to its average trend, effect on relapse, time-varying relations with craving and negative affect, and differences among genders and treatment groups.

METHOD

Randomized placebo-controlled clinical trial. Participants received either placebo, monotherapy (bupropion SR, nicotine patch, nicotine lozenge), or combined pharmacotherapy (bupropion SR+nicotine lozenge, nicotine patch+nicotine lozenge). Data were collected from 1504 daily smokers who were motivated to quit smoking. The participants completed baseline assessments and ecological momentary assessments for 2 weeks post-quit.

RESULTS

Cessation fatigue reduced the likelihood of 6-month post-quit abstinence (OR=0.97, 95% CI (0.95, 0.99)), and was positively associated with craving and negative affect. After controlling for these two factors, average cessation fatigue increased over time. Compared to men, women experienced greater fatigue (t=-10.69, p<0.0001) and a stronger relation between fatigue and craving (t=-8.80, p<0.0001). The relationship between fatigue and negative affect was significantly stronger in men (t=5.73, p<0.0001). Cessation fatigue was significantly reduced by combined pharmacotherapy (t=-13.4, p<0.0001), as well as monotherapy (t=-6.2, p<0.0001).

CONCLUSIONS

Cessation fatigue was closely related to craving, negative affect, and cessation outcomes. Women reported greater cessation fatigue than men. Current treatments appeared to reduce fatigue and weaken its relations with craving and negative affect.

Relapse Situations According to Marlatt’s Taxonomy in Smokers

Relapse is common during the process of giving up smoking. The aim of the present study is to explore the relapse situations, according to Marlatt’s relapse taxonomy, in a sample of 428 smokers (43.9% men and 56.1% women) who participated in a cognitive-behavior psychological treatment for quitting smoking. At the end of the treatment, 221 participants were abstinent, of whom 119 (41.2% men and 58.8% women) relapsed in the course of the 12-month follow-up, the majority in the first 3 months (69.74%). Most of the relapses were attributed to intrapersonal and environmental determinants (61.33%), the most common of which were “coping with negative emotional states” (38.65%), followed by “giving in to temptations or urges” (9.24%) and “testing personal control” (8.40%). Interpersonal determinants occurred in 38.66% of relapses, this percentage being made up mostly of “social pressure”, which was the relapse situation in 34.46% of all relapses. These results, similar to those of Marlatt’s original studies and others, contribute to improving our knowledge of the relapse situations process, with a view to interventions that may help to avoid it.