Racial and Ethnic Differences in Predictors of Smoking Cessation

Abstract

Racial/ethnic differences in the determinants of smoking cessation could have important treatment implications. The current study examined racial/ethnic differences in smoking cessation, prospective predictors of cessation, and whether the predictive ability of these factors differed by race/ethnicity. Participants were 709 employed adults recruited through the National Rural Electric Co-op Association or through natural gas pipeline corporations. Data were collected in 1990 and 1994. Although race/ethnicity was not predictive of abstinence, Hispanic, African American, and White smokers displayed differential on tobacco-, alcohol-, and work-related variables. These racial/ethnic differences highlight the specific factors that should be considered when providing smoking cessation treatment to specific populations. Limitations are noted.

Keywords:

• longitudinal
• racial/ethnic
• smoking cessation

Additional information

Notes on contributors

Patricia Daza

Patricia Daza, Ph.D., obtained her doctorate in clinical psychology at the University of Houston and finished her postdoctoral fellowship at the University of Texas M. D. Anderson Cancer Center with an emphasis in cancer prevention research. She has extensive experience working with underserved populations. She received a grant from the National Cancer Institute to conduct her own research on cancer prevention and is now an assistant professor at the Menninger Clinic in association with Baylor College of Medicine.

Ludmila Cofta-Woerpel

Ludmila Cofta-Woerpel, Ph.D., is Assistant Professor at the Department of Behavioral Science, the University of Texas M. D. Anderson Cancer Center. Dr. Cofta-Woerpel completed her doctorate at the Institute of Psychology, Polish Academy of Sciences in Warsaw, Poland and was awarded a Fulbright Grant to study the role of personality and psychosocial risk factors for cardiovascular disease at the Behavioral Medicine Research Center of Duke University. Her current research focuses on nicotine and tobacco. In particular, she has been studying racial/ethnic differences in nicotine dependence and temporal trajectories of postcessation withdrawal symptoms. She is interested in the methodology of real-time assessment of smoking and smoking cessation as well as in multilevel modeling of real-time data. She published empirical studies of predictors of smoking prevalence, cessation, and relapse in community samples as well as reviews of evidence-based treatments for tobacco dependence. Dr. Cofta-Woerpel has been serving as Senior Research Coordinator for the National Cancer Institute's Cancer Information Service helping to implement new CIS research program within the nationwide network of regional offices and to promote the CIS research agenda among research collaborators.

Carlos Mazas

Carlos A. Mazas, Ph.D., graduated from Indiana University, Bloomington in 2001, with a Ph.D. in Clinical Psychology. Dr. Mazas' research focuses on theoretical models of addictive and cancer-related behavior among underserved populations, in particular, how biobehavioral processes such as decision-making biases, behavioral inhibition/activation, executive cognitive function, negative affect, stress, and acculturation might serve to elevate risk for tobacco and alcohol use, abuse, and dependence. He has received several awards, including a Predoctoral Fellowship from the National Institute of Mental Health, Minority Supplement from the National Cancer Institute, Loan Repayment Program from the National Institutes of Health, and a Young Investigator Travel Award from the Society for Research on Nicotine and Tobacco. Currently, Dr. Mazas is at The University of Texas M. D. Anderson Cancer Center where he is on several studies of tobacco dependence and treatment among underserved populations, including treatment of nicotine dependence among African Americans, race/ethnicity and the process of smoking cessation, and smoking cessation services for hispanic smokers in Texas.

Rachel T. Fouladi

Rachel Tanya Fouladi, Ph.D. (1996, University of British Columbia, Quantitative Psychology/Psychometics), Co-Investigator, is an Assistant Professor in Theory and Methods, Department of Psychology, Simon Fraser University, Burnaby, British Columbia. She has extensive experience in modeling the bias, efficiency, Type I error control, and power of univariate and multivariate statistical procedures, including mixed effects multilevel modeling, multivariate analysis of variance, and covariance and correlation structure analysis under the varied population and sample conditions commonly encountered in the behavioral and health sciences. In particular, she has studied the performance characteristics of statistical procedures under conditions of distributional non-normality, heteroscedasticity, and outliers under small and large sample conditions. Recent federal funding from Canada (e.g., SFU/SSHRC small grant, NSERC) will allow her to continue this important work. Her methodological work informs her collaborations with other investigators. She is coinvestigator and serves as the biostatistician on several funded projects in the United States, including key studies of tobacco dependence and treatment among underserved populations, including treatment of nicotine dependence among African Americans, race/ethnicity and the process of smoking cessation, and smoking cessation services for Hispanic smokers in Texas. Because of her expertise she is regularly invited to review for methodological journals, including Psychological Methods and Educational and Psychological Measurement; has served on the editorial board of Interstat; ‘Psychology of Womens’ Quarterly, and the statistical advisory panel for the Texas Department of Human Services; and is currently serving as Chair of the Structural Equation Modeling Special Interest Group of the American Educational Research Association.

Paul M. Cinciripini

Paul M. Cinciripini, PH.D., is Professor and Deputy Chair of the Department of Behavioral Science at the University of Texas M.D. Anderson Cancer Center. He has over 19 years experience conducting basic and clinical research in the area of smoking cessation and nicotine psychopharmacology. He is an accomplished clinical researcher who will provide the PI with input into the design and execution of the treatment and experimental protocol. Dr. Cinciripini's major research accomplishments fall into three major areas. First, Dr. Cinciripini conducts basic laboratory studies evaluating psychophysiological psychopharmacological and genetic aspects of nicotine dependence. Examples of his work in this area include studies of nicotine titration and compensation, psychophysiological effects of nicotine during stress, individual differences in the effects of nicotine on EEG and cardiovascular activity, genetic factors treatment outcome, pharmacogenetic effects of antidepressants during smoking cessation, and recent studies using startle probe methodology to examine the relationship between genetics, emotional reactivity, nicotine exposure, and nicotine withdrawal. The second is the assessment of treatment process measures and psychological characteristics of the smoker that may influence the success of an intervention. Examples of his work in this area include studies of the effects of depression, coping behavior, and self-efficacy as well as genetic factors related to nicotine dependence. The third is the development and testing of novel approaches for the treatment of nicotine dependence in the form of behavioral and pharmacological therapies used alone and in combination. Examples of his work in this area include the development of a “scheduled smoking” procedure and a recent application of this technology for delivery on a handheld computer; testing novel pharmacological compounds, including anxiolytics, antidepressants, and nicotine and cannabinoid antagonists; development of a smoking cessation video series for pregnant smokers; and evaluating combination therapies using nicotine replacement, behavioral counseling, and other approaches. Dr. Cinciripini has been the recipient of several NIH, extramural, and industry-sponsored research grants and is the author of over 75 articles and book chapters. He is currently PI on two recently funded clinical trials. The major goal of the first project, “A Mood Management Intervention for Pregnant Smokers, is to test the hypothesis that cessation rates during pregnancy and at 3 and 6 months postpartum will be significantly greater for smokers in a mood management versus the health education counseling conditions. The major goal of the second project, “Pharmacogenetics, Emotional Reactivity and Smoking,” is to assess the effects of bupropion, nortriptyline, and placebo on changes in emotional reactivity during cessation, as measured by the human startle response, and to determine whether these effects are moderated by genotype.

Ellen R. Gritz

Ellen R. Gritz, Ph.D., is Professor and Chair of the Department of Behavioral Science and Frank T. McGraw Memorial Chair in the Study of Cancer at The University of Texas M. D. Anderson Cancer Center. She is an established leader in cancer prevention and control research and internationally known investigator. Dr. Gritz has published extensively on cigarette smoking behavior, including prevention, cessation, pharmacologic mechanisms, effects on weight, and special issues of concern to women and high-risk groups, including ethnic minorities, youth, and cancer patients. Other areas of her work include skin cancer prevention, psychosocial aspects of genetic testing and counseling for hereditary cancers, and quality of life in cancer patients, survivors, and family members.

David W. Wetter

David W. Wetter, Ph.D., is Professor and Chair of the Department of Health Disparities Research at the University of Texas M.D. Anderson Cancer Center. Dr. Wetter has been conducting research on models of smoking motivation and relapse and the development and evaluation of theoretically derived treatments among underserved and special populations for over 15 years. Dr. Wetter has over 50 peer-reviewed publications and is funded by both the National Cancer Institute and the National Institute on Drug Abuse.