Review of smoking treatment programs to recruit thousands across state

A new groundbreaking study on smoking and health being conducted in Madison and Milwaukee is recruiting 2,800 Wisconsin smokers for head-to-head comparisons of five smoking cessation treatments.

The study will also analyze the effects over three years of smoking and quitting on the health and lifestyles of participants. The study, funded by a grant from the National Institutes of Health, is being conducted by the Center for Tobacco Research and Intervention (UW-CTRI) at the UW Medical School.

“This is the most comprehensive study ever conducted on smokers and the effects of quitting smoking,” says Timothy Baker, UW–Madison professor of psychology and the study’s principal investigator. “We will assess physical and lifestyle factors both before and after the volunteers quit smoking. We want to know what the long-term effects of quitting or not quitting have on the body and on the individual.”

The study will be using genetic, physiological and psychological tests to determine the best way to match smokers and the appropriate treatments.

“Although we have a variety of treatments to help smokers quit, we don’t really know how these treatments work and how to individualize their use with specific smokers,” says Dr. Michael Fiore, UW-CTRI director. “This study will help us develop a method for deciding which treatments to use with which patients.”

Participants may receive medication at no cost and all will receive counseling on quitting smoking. Participants will get physical examinations, including comprehensive medical tests beyond those usually received by the average patient. Smokers wishing to participate can call 1 (877) END-CIGS or log on to WWW.ENDCIGS.COM.

The study brings together a number of specialists in tobacco dependence as well as health and fitness. Cardiologists from the UW Medical School and experts in nutrition, fitness, alcohol dependence and psychology will be involved in the study. Assessments will include cardiovascular status, personality, psychiatric symptoms, diet, exercise, quality of life, alcohol use, smoking withdrawal symptoms, stress and nicotine dependence.

The study will have two parts. The first will include an intensive program to help people quit, comparing five medications. Before the quit attempt, a number of assessments will be completed to determine the mental and physical health, lifestyle and social relationships of smokers at the start of the study.

The second part will determine the long-term outcomes of quitting or continuing to smoke, using the same tests conducted before quitting was attempted. The long-term study will also allow researchers to examine in detail what helps or hinders quitting smoking for good.

The ultimate goal of the study is to reduce relapse, improve quit rates and reduce any negative impacts of quitting. UW-CTRI has previously developed a new measure of tobacco dependence and conducted studies on relapse using hand-held computers.

This study is part of the Transdisciplinary Tobacco Use Research Center program, funded by the National Cancer Institute, the National Institute on Drug Abuse and the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism. The Center for Tobacco Research and Intervention, University of Wisconsin Medical School, has provided cessation and prevention services in Wisconsin since 1992 and is a nationally recognized research center.