Evaluation of a Tailored Approach for Tobacco Dependence Treatment for American Indians

Purpose. Evaluate a tailored approach for tobacco dependence treatment for American Indians. Design. A single-group design evaluation of a culturally specific curriculum for tobacco dependence treatment was implemented. Baseline assessment, program utilization, and 90-day follow-up interview data were analyzed. Setting. Fond du Lac Reservation in rural Minnesota and Mashkiki Waakaaigan Pharmacy in Minneapolis, Minnesota. Subjects. American Indian adults (N = 317). Intervention. Four 1-hour individual or group sessions of behavioral counseling paired with pharmacotherapy. Measures. Demographic variables, program satisfaction, and tobacco use behaviors. Analysis. Descriptive statistics; for abstinence, a smoking = missing analysis was used, assuming all nonrespondents were still smoking. Results. Sixty-three percent of participants completed the program. The 90-day follow-up response rate was 47%. Of those who completed, 47% reported abstinence at the 90-day follow-up. Missing = smoking analysis yielded a 21.8% quit rate. Continuing smokers cut their daily smoking by half from 17 to eight cigarettes, 88% reported an increase in self-efficacy for their next quit, and 44% planned to quit within 30 days. Conclusion. Evidence-based tobacco dependence treatment programs tailored to be culturally specific have the potential to significantly affect the burden of tobacco-related disparities among American Indian