Grant Number:	5R01CA069425-06 Interpret this number
Primary Investigator:	Prokhorov, Alexander
Organization:	University Of Tx Md Anderson Can Ctr
Project Title:	Smoking Cessation Program for College Students
Fiscal Year:	2005

DESCRIPTION (provided by applicant): The proposed study continues a previously NCI-funded smoking cessation project that used motivational interviewing technique and health-status feedback (respiratory symptoms, lung function, and carbon monoxide in expired air) to induce and accelerate junior college students' progression through the stages of change. The continuation targets four-year college students and is based on the knowledge and experience gained from the original study, which showed considerable promise. Like the original study, the intervention will be guided by the Transtheoretical Model of Change and research from a social-cognitive perspective. The accessibility of the intervention will be improved by use of the Internet, and we will retain the individual counseling sessions as a component. The goals of the study are to examine the potency of health feedback and motivational interviewing in (1) inducing higher cessation rates and (2) progression through the stages of readiness to quit smoking. The study will also provide an analysis of the effect of various mediators on smoking cessation. The study employs a randomized, controlled design with repeated measures. A total of 650 students from University of Houston Central Campus, aged 18-35 years, will be randomized into either the motivational counseling/health feedback/tailored Internet contact group (MFI) or the standard care (SC) group. Participants of both groups will be offered the nicotine patch. The MFI treatment will consist of 2 in-person sessions (baseline and 3-month), 5 biweekly Internet contacts, and a final 10-month Internet assessment. The SC participants will receive both a hard copy of a self-help manual and Internet access to it. Smoking cessation will be the primary outcome from this project, and progression through the stages of readiness to quit smoking will be measured as a secondary outcome. The proposed study will contribute significantly to our understanding of the smoking cessation process among college students, who are an understudied population.