Smoking Cessation 1: An Overview of Research

Abstract

Although tobacco smoking has long been recognized as having negative health consequences, more than one quarter of the US adult population smokes. This article presents (a) national trends in the prevalence of tobacco smoking, (b) health consequences associated with tobacco smoking and tobacco's mode of action (how tobacco/nicotine cause the problems), and (c) a brief overview of the smoking cessation treatment literature and several recommendations based on the review of research.

Index Terms:

• behavioral interventions
• cancer
• smoking cessation
• tobacco

Additional information

Notes on contributors

Karyn L. Skaar

Drs Skaar, Tsoh, and McClure are postdoctoral fellows in the Department of Behavioral Science, Division of Cancer Prevention at the University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center in Houston, where Dr Cinciripini is an associate professor and the director of the Tobacco Research and Treatment Program. Ms Friedman is a counseling psychology graduate student at the University of Houston. Dr Wetter, an assistant professor in the Department of Behavioral Science, Division of Cancer Prevention at UT MD Anderson Cancer Center, is the assistant director of the Tobacco Research and Treatment Program at MD Anderson, and Dr Gritz is chairman of the Department of Behavioral Science, Division of Cancer Prevention at the UT MD Anderson Cancer Center.