A Mindfulness Based Application for Smoking Cessation

Study Summary

Cigarette smoking is the leading cause of preventable death and disability in the world. Although over 70% of smokers want to quit, fewer than 5% achieve this goal annually. Additional effective, safe, and accessible treatments for nicotine dependence are needed due to the low abstinence rates (20-30%) achieved in behavioral therapies, the unappealing side effects of pharmacotherapy, and the frequent lack of accessibility to treatment. Recent evidence supports the central role of craving in maintaining nicotine dependence, and neither behavioral nor replacement therapies directly target the relationship between cravings and smoking. Mindfulness therapy has been found to be effective in teaching strategies to decouple the association between craving and smoking. Mindfulness based smoking therapy (MT) has preliminary support for reducing consumption in smokers, and Dr. Judson Brewer has recently translated this program into a mobile device application (app) for smoking cessation. With Dr. Brewer's consultation, we propose to assess the feasibility of implementation of a MT mobile application in local hospital and community clinics and the effectiveness of the MT mobile application compared to a National Cancer Institute (NCI) QuitPal behavioral change group. We will examine smoking results at end of treatment and 2 and 6 month follow-up as well as the role of craving. If MT smoking cessation is determined to be effective in a mobile phone application, this finding will be a significant step in providing an additional effective and safe treatment for smokers wishing to quit or cut down on their intake, and will be especially important in providing treatment options for marginalized or hard-to-access individuals wishing to reduce cigarette intake.

Primary Outcome

We will assess number of cigarettes smoked and CO levels

Interventions

• BEHAVIORAL Mindfulness based smoking cessation
• BEHAVIORAL Behavioral Smoking Cessation intervention