The effects of contingent payment and frequent workplace monitoring on smoking abstinence |
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Authors: | C S Rand M L Stitzer G E Bigelow A M Mead |
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Affiliation: | Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, Maryland. |
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Abstract: | This study examined the relative contribution of contingent payment and worksite CO monitoring to the long-term maintenance of smoking abstinence. Forty-seven hospital employees who had abstained from smoking for five days (confirmed by CO analysis) were randomly assigned to one of three follow-up groups: (a) contingent payment/frequent monitoring (n = 17); (b) noncontingent payment/frequent monitoring (n = 16); or (c) non-contingent payment/infrequent monitoring (n = 14). Contingent payment combined with frequent CO monitoring delayed but did not ultimately prevent subjects relapse to smoking by the end of the six month follow-up. Contingent subjects maintained CO values less than or equal to 11 ppm significantly longer than did either the Non-contingent or the Control subjects (p = .03). CO monitoring alone had no effect on abstinence outcomes; both Noncontingent and Control subjects showed high rates of early relapse. |
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