Predictors of 6-month tobacco abstinence among 1224 cigarette smokers treated for nicotine dependence

This study examined baseline characteristics associated with abstinence from tobacco 6 months after treatment for nicotine dependence. A total of 1224 cigarette smokers (619 females, 605 males) receiving clinical services for treatment of nicotine dependence between January 1, 1995 and June 30, 1997 were studied. The intervention involves a 45-min consultation with a nicotine dependence counselor. A treatment plan individualized to the patient's needs is then developed. The main outcome measure was the self-reported 7-day point prevalence abstinence from tobacco obtained by telephone interview 6-months after the consultation. A bootstrap resampling methodology for predictor variable selection was used to identify a set of multivariate predictors of 6-month tobacco abstinence. Five variables were multivariately associated with tobacco abstinence: male gender, no current psychiatric diagnosis, higher stage of change, longest duration of previous abstinence from tobacco of < 1 or greater than or equal to 30 days, and Fagerstrom Test for Nicotine Dependence (FTND) score of less than or equal to 5. Assessment of these variables may be useful clinically by assisting health care providers in tailoring nicotine dependence interventions to enhance outcomes. (C) 2002 Elsevier Science Ltd. All rights reserved.