TWO UNIVERSITY OF KANSAS RESEARCHERS WANT TO UNDERSTAND WHY THIS TECHNIQUE IS SUCCESSFUL AND WHICH SMOKING SCHEDULES MAXIMIZE THE CHANCE FOR SUCCESS. THEY HOPE TO GAIN A BETTER UNDERSTANDING OF THE EFFECTS OF SMOKING IN CONTROLLED SITUATIONS.

WITH FUNDING FROM THE NATIONAL INSTITUTE ON DRUG ABUSE, KU ASSISTANT PROFESSOR OF PSYCHOLOGY JAMES GROBE AND DR. DELWYN CATLEY, ASSISTANT PROFESSOR OF PREVENTATIVE MEDICINE AND PUBLIC HEALTH AT THE K-U MEDICAL CENTER, ARE CONDUCTING A PILOT STUDY WITH TWENTY-FIVE SMOKERS IN THE LAWRENCE AREA. PROGRAMMING THEIR OWN SCHEDULED SMOKING SOFTWARE INTO A PALM PILOT, THEY'VE OUTFITTED SMOKERS WITH THESE HAND-HELD COMPUTERS.

Grobe: "We have some situations where people can smoke when they want, and they record their smoking. We have other situations where the computer is going to beep them and tell them when to smoke. And then we assess their responses in the natural environment."

GROBE ALSO BRINGS SMOKERS INTO A LABORATORY TO SMOKE. HE SAYS THE EFFECTS OF NICOTINE ON FUNCTIONING CAN BE DRAMATICALLY DIFFERENT WHEN SMOKING IN A CONTROLLED ENVIRONMENT VERSUS SMOKING IN A NATURAL SETTING.

GROBE SAYS THE SCHEDULED SMOKING TECHNIQUE IS SIMPLE. PRIOR TO QUITTING SMOKING, SOMEONE WILL SMOKE ACCORDING TO A SCHEDULE, DETERMINED BY A COMPUTER. THEY DO THIS FOR TWO TO FOUR WEEKS, AND THEN THEY QUIT. GROBE CITES ONE STUDY THAT SAYS SMOKERS WHO FOLLOWED THE SCHEDULED SMOKING ROUTINE AND THEN QUIT WERE MORE LIKELY TO ABSTAIN FROM SMOKING ONE YEAR LATER.

GROBE SAYS THE DATA BEING COLLECTED WILL BE USEFUL IN THE DESIGN OF A LARGER CLINICAL TRIAL.

GROBE SAYS THERE ARE AT LEAST TWO REASONS THIS PROCESS IS EFFECTIVE. THE TECHNIQUE OF SCHEDULED SMOKING DISASSOCIATES SMOKERS FROM THE CUES THAT TRIGGER THEM TO LIGHT UP.

Grobe: "So if you typically smoke with coffee, well the computer may not schedule the cigarette with the coffee. That forces you then to cope with that situation. You know you're going to have a cigarette eventually, but your not going to smoke with the coffee. So you start to learn some skills. When you actually do quit, you're more prepared for it."

GROBE SAYS THIS TECHNIQUE ALSO MAKES CIGARETTES LESS SATISFYING.

Grobe: "Being told to smoke when you don't want to actually makes that cigarette aversive. You actually don't want to smoke it and so it changes how you respond to the cigarette. It makes it less rewarding and so then that motivationally drives you away from cigarettes."

GROBE SAYS THE VAST MAJORITY OF SMOKERS START BEFORE THE AGE OF 18. HE SAYS THAT IN ADDITION TO THE HEALTH RISKS FOR ADOLESCENTS, RESEARCH SUGGESTS THERE ARE SOME PSYCHOLOGICAL PROBLEMS THAT CAN DEVELOP IN TEENAGE SMOKERS.

Grobe: "There are a handful of studies out there that have shown a predictive relationship between smoking and the onset of panic disorder. Tobacco smoking may be predictively associated with anxiety and other types of problems.

GROBE SAYS NICOTINE REPLACEMENT PRODUCTS SUCH AS THE PATCH, NICOTINE GUM, INHALERS AND NASAL SPRAYS ALSO ARE EFFECTIVE. HE SUGGESTS IF YOU WANT TO QUIT SMOKING, DON'T GIVE UP IF ONE DOESN'T WORK.