Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
Randomized Controlled Trial
. 2009 Jun;11(6):739-49.
doi: 10.1093/ntr/ntp058. Epub 2009 May 14.

Contingency management and motivational enhancement: a randomized clinical trial for college student smokers

Tracy O'L Tevyaw  1 , Suzanne M Colby, Jennifer W Tidey, Christopher W Kahler, Damaris J Rohsenow, Nancy P Barnett, Chad J Gwaltney, Peter M Monti
Affiliations
Randomized Controlled Trial

Contingency management and motivational enhancement: a randomized clinical trial for college student smokers

Tracy O'L Tevyaw et al. Nicotine Tob Res. 2009 Jun.

Abstract

Introduction: The efficacy of contingency-management (CM) and motivational enhancement therapy (MET) for college student smoking cessation was examined.

Methods: Nontreatment-seeking daily smokers (N = 110) were randomly assigned to 3 weeks of CM versus noncontingent reinforcement (NR) and to three individual sessions of MET versus a relaxation control in a 2 x 2 experimental design. Expired carbon monoxide (CO) samples were collected twice daily for 3 weeks. Participants earned 5 US dollars for providing each sample; additionally, those randomized to CM earned escalating monetary rewards based on CO reductions (Week 1) and smoking abstinence (Weeks 2-3).

Results: Compared with NR, CM resulted in significantly lower CO levels and greater total and consecutive abstinence during the intervention. Those in the CM and MET groups reported greater interest in quitting smoking posttreatment, but rates of confirmed abstinence at follow-up were very low (4% at 6-month follow-up) and did not differ by group.

Discussion: Findings support the short-term efficacy of CM for reducing smoking among college students. Future research should explore enhancements to CM in this population, including a longer intervention period and the recruitment of smokers who are motivated to quit.

PubMed Disclaimer

Figures

Figure 1.
Figure 1.
Flow of participants through each stage of the research. CM, contingency management; NR, noncontingent reinforcement; MET, motivational enhancement therapy; REL, relaxation control; 1M, 1-month follow-up; 3M, 3-month follow-up; 6M, 6-month follow-up.
Figure 2.
Figure 2.
Smoking outcomes during the contingent-abstinence phase for each group. CM, contingency management; NR, noncontingent reinforcement; MET, motivational enhancement therapy; REL, relaxation control.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

References

    1. Abrams DB, Biener L. Motivational characteristics of smokers at the workplace: A public health challenge. Preventive Medicine. 1992;21:679–687. - PubMed
    1. Alessi SM, Badger GJ, Higgins ST. An experimental examination of the initial weeks of abstinence in cigarette smokers. Experimental and Clinical Psychopharmacology. 2004;12:287–276. - PubMed
    1. Bien TH, Miller WR, Tonigan JS. Brief interventions for alcohol problems: A review. Addiction. 1993;88:315–335. - PubMed
    1. Biener L, Abrams D. The contemplation ladder: Validation of a measure of readiness to consider smoking cessation. Health Psychology. 1991;10:360–365. - PubMed
    1. Borrelli B, Novak S, Hecht J, Emmons K, Papandonatos G, Abrams D. Home health nurses as a new channel for smoking cessation treatment: Outcomes from Project CAREA (Community-nurse Assisted Research and Education on Smoking) Preventive Medicine. 2005;41:815–821. - PubMed

Publication types