COMPUTER-ASSISTED SMOKING CESSATION DEVICE

THE PROBLEM OF SMOKING AND THE DIFFICULTY OF CESSATION ARE WELL-DOCUMENTED PHENOMENA. DESPITE LARGE NUMBERS OF SUCCESSFUL QUITTERS, APPROXIMATELY 54 MILLION ADULTS CONTINUE TO SMOKE; HOWEVER, A MAJORITY OF THESE INDIVIDUALS REPORT THAT THEY WOULD LIKE TO QUIT SMOKING. ONE APPROACH THAT MAY HOLD PROMISE FOR THESE SMOKERS IS TO APPLY COMPUTERTECHNOLOGY IN A SELF-HELP FORMAT TO INDIVIDUALIZE THE TREATMENT OF SMOKING. THE CAPACITY OF COMPUTERS TO INDIVIDUALIZE A CESSATION PROGRAM BASED ON RESEARCH ON NICOTINE ADDICTION COULD PROVIDE AN IMPORTANT BREAKTHROUGH IN SMOKING CESSATION. HERETOFORE, INDIVIDUALIZATION OF SELF-HELP PROGRAMS WAS VIRTUALLY IMPOSSIBLE. LIKEWISE, EVENTHERAPIST-LED PROGRAMS BASED ON A NICOTINE ADDICTION MODEL HAVE NOT INDIVIDUALIZED THE TREATMENT REGIMEN. BEHAR, INC. HAS DEVELOPED A FIRST GENERATION, ENGINEERING PROTOTYPE OF ADEDICATED, HAND-HELD COMPUTER THAT CAN PROVIDE SMOKERS WITH A STRUCTURED, SELF-HELP CESSATION PROGRAM. THE ENGINEERING PROTOTYPE HAS BEEN PILOTED WITH A NUMBER OF SMOKERS TO DETERMINE ITS ACCEPTABILITY, SMOKERS' COMPLIANCE, AND OPTIONS FOR SOFTWARE DESIGN. THE DEVICE, BASED ON A SYSTEMATIC NICOTINE REDUCTION MODEL OF TREATMENT, DEFINES REDUCTIONS AS A FUNCTION OF BASELINE SMOKING AND ADJUSTS FORDEVIATIONS FROM INITIALLY DETERMINED RATES OF REDUCTION. INPHASE I, COMPLETION OF A SECOND GENERATION FIELD PROTOTYPE COMPUTER, MODIFICATION OF PREVIOUSLY DEVELOPED SUPPORT MATERIAL, EVALUATION OF A SERIES OF CLINICAL TRIALS, AND ASSESSMENT OF THE ACCEPTABILITY OF THE FIELD PROTOTYPE IN FOCUS GROUPS FOR SMOKERS WILL BE ACCOMPLISHED.