A secondary aim was to identify the potential role of tobacco dependence as a mediator underlying significant relations. METHODS Participants selleck chem inhibitor and Procedures Data were collected as part of a longitudinal study examining changes in risk perceptions over time among community smokers attempting to quit smoking. Inclusion criteria were as follows: English-speaking current smokers aged 18�C65 who endorse smoking ��5 cigarettes/day for ��12 months, willingness to quit smoking within the next week, functioning telephone number and a permanent home address, and sixth grade literacy level. Exclusion criteria were as follows: regular use of tobacco products other than cigarettes, the use of pharmacological smoking cessation treatments at enrollment, reported medical contraindications to the nicotine patch, pregnancy or lactation, other household members enrolled in the study, participation in a smoking cessation program in the last 3 months, or active substance use or dependence (other than tobacco).

Participants in the parent study were 200 smokers from Houston, TX, who were enrolled in 2006�C2007; however, due to the inadequate representation of some racial and ethnic groups in the sample, the current study was limited to the non-Hispanic White and non-Hispanic Black participants in the parent project (n = 183). Data were collected during a phone screening for eligibility and five in-person clinic visits. These visits occurred 1 week prior to the participants�� quit date (baseline), on the quit date (week 0), and weeks 1, 2, and 3 following the quit date (week 1, week 2, and week 3).

All participants in the parent protocol had access to four brief cessation counseling sessions and 4 weeks of nicotine replacement therapy (the patch), and were compensated for their time and effort with a $25 department store gift card at each in-person clinic visit they attended. The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center Institutional Review Board approved this study. Written informed consent was obtained before data collection. Measures Sociodemographics Sociodemographics collected during the phone screen included age, race, gender, total annual household income, educational level, employment status, and partner status. Menthol Use Status Menthol use was assessed during the phone screen by a single item assessing if participant��s usual brand of cigarettes was menthol or nonmenthol.

Results yielded a binary predictor variable (nonmenthol vs. menthol; reference group = nonmenthol). Continuous Short-Term Smoking Abstinence Smoking status was assessed at postquit weeks 1, 2, and 3. Continuous abstinence from smoking was defined as a self-report of no cigarettes smoked since the quit date (not even a puff) and an expired Brefeldin_A carbon monoxide level of <10 ppm at each assessment.