PHARMACOLOGICAL AIDS FOR INTERACTIVE SMOKING CESSATION

DESCRIPTION: Pharmacological aids such as nicotine replacement (NR) products and buproprion (Zyban) have been demonstrated to be efficacious under FDA-specified conditions. However, despite the improved success in stopping smoking associated with using such products, many people either do not use them or do not use them properly. The primary aims of this project are to develop and test a tailored multimedia intervention designed to improve smoking cessation success by: a) motivating cigarette smokers to use pharmacological aids such as NR products and Zyban, b) assisting them in choosing the type of pharmacological aid best suited to them, and c) ensuring that they employ optimal technique for the use of the chosen pharmacological aid. In Phase I, a complete NR/Zyban intervention segment tailored for the older, Caucasian, female subpopulation was produced for use with our previously developed interactive multimedia smoking cessation programs. The efficacy of the segment was demonstrated in a randomized-control trial. In Phase II, we will develop pharmacological intervention materials explicitly tailored to the characteristics and needs of eleven other sub-populations (using three dimensions: age, race/ethnicity, and gender). The pharmacological intervention materials developed in Phase II will be disseminated in both kiosk and Internet/intranet formats.