Light smokers (��10cpd) report greater motivation and readiness to quit than heavy smokers (Okuyemi et al., 2004), however, they experience selleck chemicals difficulty quitting even with the aid of smoking cessation pharmacology such as nicotine gum (Ahluwalia et al., 2006). In order to better understand the effects of pharmacotherapy on light smokers�� cessation rates, research is needed to assess the relationship between perceived treatment assignment and quit rates among these smokers. The present study investigated the impact of perceived treatment assignment on smoking abstinence rates for African American light smokers (��10 cpd) in a clinical trial of bupropion (active versus placebo) combined with health education counseling (HE) at end-of-treatment (Week 7) and 6-month follow-up.

We hypothesized that participants in the treatment group would be more likely to report that they were given the active treatment (buproprion) in comparison to participants assigned to the placebo condition and that perceived assignment to bupropion would be related to greater success in cessation. Methods Study Design Data were obtained from a placebo-controlled, randomized, clinical trial of bupropion combined with HE for smoking cessation among African American light smokers. Participants were randomized to bupropion (150mg bid) or placebo for seven weeks. Study staff reviewed all procedures with eligible participants, including that the study participants would be randomly assigned to either bupropion or placebo, and obtained written informed consent.

At baseline, each participant received a culturally tailored smoking cessation guide designed for African American light smokers. All participants received six sessions of HE more than 16 weeks, and were followed up through study Week 26. The clinical trial was conducted at an urban, community-based health clinic that serves predominantly low-income, African American patients. See Cox et al. (2011) for a more detailed description of the clinical trial. All procedures were approved and monitored by the University of Kansas Medical Center Human Subjects Committee. Study Participants Eligible participants self-identified as African American, were 18 years or older, interested in quitting smoking, smoked 10 cpd or less for at least 2 years, smoked at least 25 days in the past month, and smoked for at least 3 years. Participants were excluded if they were currently using other tobacco products, smoking cessation medications, pregnant (or consider becoming pregnant) or breast feeding, or had medical AV-951 conditions that impacted their eligibility (e.g., insulin-dependent diabetes).