Low-Cost Contingency Management for Smoking Cessation
- Conditions
- Tobacco Use Cessation
- Interventions
- Registration Number
- NCT01040260
- Lead Sponsor
- University of California, San Francisco
- Brief Summary
An innovative low-cost form of contingency management has been developed in which participants receive the chance to draw vouchers from a fish bowl depending on whether or not their abstinence from tobacco is confirmed by expired-air carbon monoxide. The vouchers can be redeemed for prizes of varying value. This form of contingency management has been shown to be effective in the treatment of a variety of substance use disorders, but has not been investigated in a clinical trial focusing on smoking cessation. Thus, the primary purpose of the proposed study will be to investigate the effects of a low-cost prize-based form of contingency management in the treatment of nicotine dependence. To accomplish this objective, we enrolled 103 current smokers into the study. The participants in Study Arm 1 received the contingency management intervention for 8 weeks, and the participants in Study Arm 2 had their smoking status assessed but did not receive the contingency management intervention. Both interventions received brief counseling and nicotine replacement therapy. The counseling was conducted in two 60-minute individual sessions scheduled one week apart with two follow-up phone calls at weeks 3, 4, and 6.
The primary outcome for this study was biochemically-validated smoking status at 3 months (end of treatment), and at 6- and 12-month follow-up. Both continuous and point-prevalent abstinence rates were determined. Saliva cotinine levels were measured in all participants reporting abstinence at each assessment. This study had 80% power to detect a 10% absolute difference in smoking cessation rates between the two treatment conditions (i.e., a 28% quit rate in Study Arm 1 versus a 18% quit rate in Study Arm 2) with alpha set at 0.05. These estimates included an anticipated 15% loss to follow-up over the 12-month study period.
- Detailed Description
Contingency management as a treatment for substance use disorders involves the use of tangible rewards for confirmed abstinence. There is preliminary evidence that contingency management shows promise as a smoking cessation intervention. An innovative low-cost form of contingency management has been developed in which participants receive the chance to draw vouchers from a fish bowl depending on whether or not their abstinence from tobacco is confirmed by expired-air carbon monoxide. The vouchers can be redeemed for prizes of varying value. This form of contingency management has been shown to be effective in the treatment of a variety of substance use disorders, but has not been investigated in a clinical trial focusing on smoking cessation. Thus, the primary purpose of the proposed study was to investigate the effects of a low-cost prize-based form of contingency management in the treatment of nicotine dependence. To accomplish this objective, we enrolled 103 current smokers into the study. The participants in Study Arm 1 received the contingency management intervention for 8 weeks, and the participants in Study Arm 2 had their smoking status assessed but did not receive the contingency management intervention. Both interventions received brief counseling and nicotine replacement therapy. The counseling was conducted in two 60-minute individual sessions scheduled one week apart with two follow-up phone calls at weeks 3, 4, and 6.
The primary outcome for this study was biochemically-validated smoking status at 3 months (end of treatment), and at 6- and 12-month follow-up. Both continuous and point-prevalent abstinence rates were determined. Saliva cotinine levels were measured in all participants reporting abstinence at each assessment. This study had 80% power to detect a 10% absolute difference in smoking cessation rates between the two treatment conditions (i.e., a 28% quit rate in Study Arm 1 versus a 18% quit rate in Study Arm 2) with alpha set at 0.05. These estimates included an anticipated 15% loss to follow-up over the 12-month study period.
Recruitment & Eligibility
- Status
- COMPLETED
- Sex
- All
- Target Recruitment
- 103
- Smoke at least 5 cigarettes per day
- Interested in quitting
- Cognitive impairment or unstable psychotic disorder that would significantly interfere with the individual's ability to participate in the study.
- Self-reported problem with alcohol or other drugs during the past three months
- Current use of any smoking cessation medication
- Presence of any contraindications for nicotine patches, lozenges, or gum
- Pregnancy
Study & Design
- Study Type
- INTERVENTIONAL
- Study Design
- PARALLEL
- Arm && Interventions
Group Intervention Description Contingency management Contingency management Use of tangible rewards for verified abstinence Counseling plus nicotine patches Counseling Counseling plus nicotine patches Counseling plus nicotine patches Nicotine patches Counseling plus nicotine patches
- Primary Outcome Measures
Name Time Method Abstinence Rate 52 weeks Number of participants who abstained from smoking during the 7 day period verified by CO testing
- Secondary Outcome Measures
Name Time Method
Trial Locations
- Locations (1)
VA Medical Center
🇺🇸San Francisco, California, United States