Computer-Assisted, Counselor-Delivered Smoking Cessation Counseling for Community College Students: Intervention Approach and Sample Characteristics

• NCJ Number: 219343
• Journal: Journal of Child & Adolescent Substance Abuse Volume: 16 Issue: 3 Dated: 2007 Pages: 35-62
• Author(s): Alexander V. Prokhorov; Rachel T. Fouladi; Carla L. Warneke; Mario Luca; Mary Mullin Jones; Carol Rosenblum; Karen M. Emmons; Karen Suchanek Hudmon; Tracey E. Yost; Ellen R. Gritz; Carl de Moor
• Date Published: 2007
• Length: 28 pages
• Grant Number(s): R01 CA69425-01A1
• Sponsoring Agency: National Cancer Institute
• Publication Format: Article
• Publication Type: Program/Project Evaluation
• Language: English
• Country: United States of America

Annotation

This report describes the experimental approach and presents baseline findings from "Look at Your Health," an ongoing study that is developing and evaluating a computer-assisted, counselor-delivered smoking cessation program for community college students.

Abstract

In the baseline survey completed by participants, 86 percent had a least one daily respiratory symptom or a noticeable discrepancy between the lung age and the chronological age. Almost 60 percent of the student smokers exhibited an estimated lung age that was 10 years or more beyond their chronological age. Although virtually all participants reported that their health had been affected by smoking, more than three-fourths of participants did not report experiencing any symptoms or illness related to smoking. Sixty-five percent of participants showed some degree of nicotine dependence. Baseline data showed that the members of the cohort perceived many functional utilities of smoking (pros) and had numerous temptations to smoke across various situations. It is hoped that the computer-assisted, counselor-delivered interventions will have a significant impact on these important mediating variables that have been previously shown to be associated with smoking cessation. The baseline sample consisted of 426 students who smoked at least 1 cigarette per day and attended 1 of 15 college campuses located in or near Houston, TX. Participants will receive either standard smoking cessation advice or computer-assisted smoking cessation counseling. The latter is tailored to the individual student's personal smoking-related characteristics and stage of readiness to quit smoking. The primary outcome for the study is 7-day point prevalence abstinence. Secondary outcomes include attempting to quit and progression through the stages of change. Self-reported smoking status is validated with salivary nicotine measurement at baseline and at the 10-month followup. 1 figure, 2 tables, and 43 references