Mayo researchers recruiting young adult drinkers for smoking cessation study

Friday, October 21, 2005

Researchers at Mayo Clinic are recruiting student smokers 18 - 25 years old who drink alcohol regularly for a National Institutes of Health-funded smoking cessation study. Participants must want to stop smoking.

"We know that the use of alcohol makes quitting difficult," says Steven Ames, Ph.D., the study's principal investigator. "Drinking puts those who quit smoking or want to quit smoking more at risk of relapsing or not doing well at their attempts to quit. This study will help students with that aspect."

One group of study participants will receive currently recognized best practice smoking cessation therapy that includes a tailored dose of nicotine through a transdermal nicotine patch and behavioral counseling. The other group of participants will receive the nicotine patch and a novel behavioral intervention designed for the young adult smoker-drinker.

"Everyone in the field knows that alcohol and smoking are related, and there's a lot of discussion about it," Ames says, "but no one has ever designed a smoking intervention that addresses this relationship. We're not asking people to quit consuming alcohol. We are asking people to quit smoking. That's the goal." Participants will receive one of the two 12-week interventions and follow up at weeks 14, 18 and 24 to determine abstinence from smoking.

Those interested in participating in the study may call (904) 953-2941.

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Mayo Clinic is the first and largest integrated group practice in the world. The staff in Jacksonville, Fla., includes 317 physicians working in more than 40 specialties to provide diagnosis, treatment and surgery. Patients who need hospitalization are admitted to nearby St. Luke's Hospital, a 289-bed hospital operated by Mayo Clinic. Mayo Clinics also are located in Rochester, Minn., and Arizona. Visit www.MayoClinic.org/news for all the news from Mayo Clinic.

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