Tobacco Dependence Treatment for Asian Americans

Nicotine dependence is very common among Asian Americans; yet, research on understanding and treating nicotine dependence in this group is almost nonexistent. The proposed study is a first attempt to develop a smoking cessation program that is tailored to Korean-culture specific aspects. It is proposed that Korean Americans who receive a culturally tailored smoking cessation program will be more likely to have prolonged abstinence at 12-month follow-up than their counterparts who receive brief cessation counseling. Subjects in both arms receive nicotine patches for 8 weeks. Self-reported abstinence is validated with exhaled carbon monoxide and salivary cotinine tests.