ADVANCES IN SMOKING CESSATION

SIGNIFICANT ADVANCES IN TREATMENT METHODS TO HELP PEOPLE STOP SMOKING HAVE BEEN MADE THROUGH RESEARCH IN THE PAST DECADE, YET MANY OF THESE ADVANCES ARE NOT BEING USED IN THE FIELD. THERE IS NO HANDS-ON PROGRAM FOCUSED ON DISSEMINATING NEW TREATMENT METHODS TO INSTITUTIONS AND INDIVIDUALS WHO CONDUCT SMOKING CESSATION PROGRAMS. A TRAINING PROGRAM FOR CESSATION GROUP LEADERS WILL BE DEVELOPED AND TESTED BY A TEAM COMBINING EXPERIENCE IN SMOKING CESSATION PROGRAMS AND GROUP LEADER TRAINING. THE TRAINING METHOD WILL INCORPORATE RECENT ADVANCES GENERATED BY RESEARCH ON DISSEMINATION TECHNIQUES. THE TRAINEES WILL LEARN HOW TO USE A MULTIMODAL APPROACH EMBRACING COGNITIVE, BEHAVIORAL, AND PHARMACOLOGICAL APPROACHES. A CONTROLLED DESIGN WILL EVALUATE THE TRAINING USING SITUATIONAL COMPETENCY TESTS AND PRE-AND POSTKNOWLEDGE TESTS. ADDITIONAL EVALUATION WILL INCLUDE EXPERTS' REVIEW OF TRAINEES' PERFORMANCE ON VIDEOTAPES AND EVALUATION BY TRAINEES. THIS PHASE I RESEARCH WILL BE THE FOUNDATION FOR EXPANSION OF THE TRAINING AND FURTHER EVALUATION IN A LATER PHASE II PROJECT.