Nicotine addiction involves the coupling of smoking behaviors and nicotine craving with multiple situational and affective cues. Scheduled graduated reduction (SGR) of smoking appears to offer the greatest promise for uncoupling those cues from smoking behavior and promoting cessation and a gradual reduction in nicotine dependence. Delivery of a personalized SGR treatment schedule requires a programmable electronic device. We propose to develop a device that will deliver the SGR schedule, record smoking events, and provide real-time feedback as well. The device will be easy to use, convenient, inexpensive, unobtrusive, and able to record data continuously, 24 hours per day. Phase I research will test the effectiveness of the device in aiding smoking cessation against a non-treatment control group. In Phase II, we propose to enhance the capabilities of the device to record affective cues and situational triggers along with smoking events, and to download that data to a remote computer for analysis. Interactive personalize feedback reports along with suggests for coping strategies will be provided electronically.
It is anticipated that this instrument will be commercially marketable for use as a stand alone device to assist individuals attempting to stop smoking without other intervention; as an adjunctive component to other behavioral, pharmacological, and nicotine replacement therapies; and as a research tool to more precisely record and monitor tobacco usage, situational and affective cues, coping strategies, and other relevant data.
