Smoking cessation treatment among patients in community-based substance abuse rehabilitation programs: Exploring predictors of outcome as clues toward treatment improvement

Background: Predictors of smoking cessation (SC) treatment outcome were explored in a multisite clinical trial of SC treatment at community-based, outpatient, substance abuse rehabilitation programs affiliated with the National Drug Abuse Treatment Clinical Trials Network. Objectives: To explore baseline demographic and clinical predictors of abstinence during treatment. Methods: Cigarette smokers from five methadone maintenance programs and two drug and alcohol dependence treatment programs were randomly assigned to SC treatment as an adjunct to substance abuse treatment as usual or to substance abuse treatment as usual. SC treatment consisted of group counseling (weeks 1–8) plus transdermal nicotine patch treatment (21 mg/day, weeks 1–6; 14 mg/day, weeks 7–8). Demographic and clinical predictors of smoking abstinence were evaluated among those patients assigned to the active SC condition (N = 153) using logistic regression. Results: Abstinence during treatment was positively associated with younger age,...