Smoking cessation treatment among patients in community-based substance abuse rehabilitation programs: exploring predictors of outcome as clues toward treatment improvement.

BACKGROUND

Predictors of smoking cessation (SC) treatment outcome were explored in a multisite clinical trial of SC treatment at community-based, outpatient, substance abuse rehabilitation programs affiliated with the National Drug Abuse Treatment Clinical Trials Network.

OBJECTIVES

To explore baseline demographic and clinical predictors of abstinence during treatment.

METHODS

Cigarette smokers from five methadone maintenance programs and two drug and alcohol dependence treatment programs were randomly assigned to SC treatment as an adjunct to substance abuse treatment as usual or to substance abuse treatment as usual. SC treatment consisted of group counseling (weeks 1-8) plus transdermal nicotine patch treatment (21 mg/day, weeks 1-6; 14 mg/day, weeks 7-8). Demographic and clinical predictors of smoking abstinence were evaluated among those patients assigned to the active SC condition (N = 153) using logistic regression.

RESULTS

Abstinence during treatment was positively associated with younger age, Hispanic or Caucasian (as opposed to African American) ethnicity/race, employment or student status, fewer cigarettes per day at baseline, lower severity of the primary substance problem at baseline, and higher methadone doses (among the subsample in methadone treatment).

CONCLUSIONS AND SCIENTIFIC SIGNIFICANCE

During future efforts to improve SC treatments among drug- and alcohol-dependent patients, consideration should be given to adequate treatment to reduce the severity of the primary drug or alcohol problem, tailoring treatments for patients with greater severity of smoking and of the primary substance problem, and culturally sensitive interventions. Analysis of predictors of outcome may be a useful tool for treatment development.