Adding addiction to the transtheoretical model for smoking cessation

Addiction is important to account for when designing smoking cessation interventions as withdrawal symptoms impede quitting. Ameliorating symptoms may increase those successfully quitting. A two-group, two-time, five-week, multi-site experimental design using the Transtheoretical Model examined whether addiction predicted post-intervention smoking behavior (point prevalence and stage of change), controlling for NRT (nicotine replacement therapy use) in adult FreshStart participants (N=109). The intervention group self-designated an Indigenous Helper (IH) Inde from their social network; the control group did not. The Fagerstrom Test for Nicotine Dependence (FTND) and the Stage of Change questionnaire were completed at baseline and 4 weeks. NRT use, but not the FTND, predicted smoking behavior. There is a need for an accurate nicotine addiction measure. Future smoking cessation studies should include NRT as a covariate.