DURATION ADJUSTMENTS IN SCHEDULED REDUCED SMOKING

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Development of behavioral therapies for smoking cessation has been superseded by pharmacological approaches for two decades. The advent of personal computerized devices has ushered in a resurgence of interest in behavioral approaches. Great advances have been made in monitoring usage, tailoring treatments, delivering complex regimens, and giving instantaneous feedback. Scheduled smoking reduction proved highly efficacious when executed with technological devices. Pioneering controlled studies, however, employed a three-stage step-down regimen of 21 days, following baseline collection week. This one-size-fits-all, arbitrarily derived protocol may show even greater effectiveness when it adapts to individual nuances. This study will test a technique for adjusting treatment durations for that highly regarded therapy. The strategy compares users' compliance with scheduled regimens and conducts weekly mid-course corrections that consider deviation from the plan. Uniquely designed to perform reduction algorithms, our computerized interactive communicator will be the delivery system for this regimen. The device significantly raises the standards for usage data collection, profile accuracy, personalized sensitivity and regimen tailoring. PROPOSED COMMERCIAL APPLICATION: This instrument will be commercially marketed for use as an over-the- counter stop-smoking therapy (l) as a highly-effective self-help minimum contact behavioral treatment alternative, (2) as an adjunct to other behavioral, pharmacological, and nicotine replacement therapies; and (3) as a research tool to more precisely record tobacco usage, smoker typology, and treatment compliance.