An important area of smoking cessation research involves the development of individualized pharmacological treatment based on a smoker's genotype, or personal genetic profile. Because knowledge motivates health behavior, smokers'knowledge about the use of genotyping for cessation will be a key factor affecting their treatment decisions and ability to give informed consent. Little is known, however, about how people perceive genetic information related to smoking and what effect this information may have on their smoking-related cognitions, emotions, and behaviors. As scientific knowledge about genetic contributions to smoking advances, it is essential to explore smokers'responses to a genetic basis for smoking prior to implementing genetically-informed treatment. The primary purpose of this exploratory study is to determine the effects of an educational program about genetic contributions to smoking on smokers'cognitions, emotions, and behaviors within the context of standard smoking cessation treatment. The study is guided by social-cognitive theory and a self-regulation model, which views smoking as a complex behavior that includes mental representations, appraisals, and affective (emotional) responses. The central hypothesis is that smokers who receive information about genetic contributions to smoking will have greater knowledge about genetics and smoking, greater endorsement that genetics affects smoking, more positive attitudes towards nicotine replacement therapy, greater perceived risk for smoking, greater interest in genotyping, and increased abstainer self-representations. A secondary purpose is to explore whether personality (trait negative affectivity and curiosity) and educational level moderate the effect of the intervention on smoking-related outcomes. The purposes will be accomplished with convenience sampling and a randomized, longitudinal, two-group repeated measures design (experimental, control;N=80;40/group). The experimental group will receive two educational sessions about genetic contributions to smoking;the attention control group will received two educational sessions about nutrition. Both groups will receive standard smoking cessation treatment. Data will be collected at four-time points: baseline (T1);at the end of the educational and smoking cessation sessions (T2a&b);and 12 weeks (T3) and 6 months (T4) postintervention. Data will be analyzed with Generalized Estimating Equation methods and multiple and logistic regression. Determining responses to genetic education will better establish how genetic information can be offered to promote treatment participation and minimize the potential for psychological harm when genetically-informed cessation treatment becomes available. This knowledge will be used to develop interventions to promote informed consent and adaptive responses to genotyping for smoking cessation.
This study will test the effects of an educational program about genetics and smoking on smokers'thoughts, feelings, and behaviors before and after participating in smoking cessation treatment. This study will determine how smokers respond to information about genetics and smoking in anticipation of using genetic information to individualize pharmacological therapy for smoking cessation.
