 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
|
|
|
||||||
|
|
|
||||||
|
||||||||
|
|
|
||||||
|
|
 |
|
||||||
CENTURY Yale University School of Medicine SAC-203 Connecticut Mental Health Center 34 Park Street New Haven, CT 06519 Phone: 203-974-7591 Fax: 203-974-7606 E-mail: infocentury@yale.edu |
|
CENTURY/TTURC Press Release
New Haven, Conn. - For people who have tried to quit smoking before, and failed, this could be the year. The combination of making a New Year's pledge and enrolling in a treatment study at Yale University could provide smokers with the support they need to make their next quit effort stick. A study published recently in the Journal of Clinical Psychology says that people who make New Year's resolutions have higher rates of success at changing their behavior than people who don't make resolutions. "At least 40 percent of adults make one or more resolutions each year, and at least two-thirds of these pledges concern life-threatening behaviors - tobacco smoking, obesity and inactivity, for example - which psychologists have extensively studied and successfully treated," says the article, written by Dr. John Norcross of the University of Scranton and associates. The article was published in the Journal of Clinical Psychology (Vol. 58(4), 397-405 (2002)). "Contrary to widespread opinion, a considerable proportion of New Year resolvers do in fact succeed, at least in the short run." Several studies at Yale can help smokers quit, including one study that provides daily support and counseling in the first week of the quit effort, which is often the time during which most people fail. To further encourage smokers during this difficult time, the study provides payments of up to $422 over the course of a month, provided they do not smoke. "For the first week of the program, counseling support is daily," says Dr. Suchitra Krishnan-Sarin, an assistant professor in the Department of Psychiatry at Yale, who is heading up the study. "The first week has been shown to be the most difficult week in the quit effort. Evidence suggests that if people make it through the first week, the chances increase that they will not smoke in the long term." Most smokers who have tried to quit know that the first week can be difficult, and Dr. Krishnan-Sarin's study should help determine why. "That's the purpose of the study," she said. "That is what we are evaluating, so that we can use this information to develop additional strategies." Dr. Krishan-Sarin said this is a great program for people who have tried to quit before, but have been unsuccessful. "Absolutely. Our quit rates, at the end of the first week, are much higher than quit attempts that are made with no support. And people who smoke should understand that it is not unusual to have a few unsuccessful attempts. Most people in our program have tried to quit many times." During counseling sessions, participants will be taught how to prevent relapse to smoking. They are provided with strategies that they can use in place of smoking. Dr. Krishnin-Sarin said participants in the program seem to thrive on the frequent contact with counselors and that they have found the strategies useful. She said monetary incentives are provided to help motivate smokers. Sometimes, she said, when smokers experience withdrawal symptoms, it can be hard for them to focus on important long-term goals like improving their health and appearance. Money is a short-term incentive that has proven effective. "This way, the smokers can feel that they are benefiting today by not smoking," she said. "Even if people have tried everything else, they should consider trying this innovative program. The daily counseling, in combination with the payments is something that might help them stay smoke-free." Yale has other studies that can help smokers quit. One study, led by Dr. Stephanie O'Malley, professor of psychiatry at Yale School of Medicine, is investigating whether the drug naltrexone, used in combination with the nicotine patch, can help people quit smoking. In addition, the study will look at the effects of naltrexone on the craving for cigarettes, weight gain following quitting, and alcohol consumption. Another study, led by Dr. Peter Salovey, the Chris Argyris Professor and Chair of Psychology, and a professor of Epidemiology and Public Health at Yale, provides participants with Zyban, an FDA-approved medication used for quitting smoking. Zyban has been shown to effectively ease the process of quitting smoking by lessening cravings for cigarettes, reducing weight gain following quitting, and decreasing other withdrawal symptoms. All participants will also receive information designed to help smokers quit. The studies are part of a five-year grant from the National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA), the National Cancer Institute (NCI) and the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation. The grant has been used to create the Transdisciplinary Tobacco Use Research Center at Yale (TTURC). TTURC is part of the Center for Nicotine and Tobacco Use Research at Yale (CENTURY) . People who are interested in participating in any of these studies should contact Susan at 203-974-7588 or email at century@yale.edu . To find out more about how to quit smoking, check out our quick tips.
For more information about CENTURY, please see the web site at http://info.med.yale.edu/century/
For More Information, Please Contact: Pem McNerney
Dr. Stephanie O'Malley, Ph.D
|
|||||||
|
|
|
|
|
 |
Copyright © 2002 Center for Nicotine & Tobacco Use Research
at Yale. All rights reserved.
Comments or suggestions to the site editor. Last modified: September 27, 2007 (kp) Home URL: http://century.yale.edu
|
 |
