Tobacco Dependence Treatment for Korean Americans: Preliminary Findings

The study was conducted to examine the relative effectiveness of cognitive behavior therapy with a cultural tailoring intervention
compared to brief medication management. The study used a two-arm randomized controlled trial in which participant assignment
was stratified by gender. The intervention condition received eight weekly 40-min individualized counseling sessions of culturally
tailored cognitive behavior therapy, while the control condition received eight weekly 10-min individualized counseling sessions
of medication management. Both conditions received nicotine patches for 8 weeks. Data were collected at baseline and at four
follow-up points (one and 4 weeks, and three and 6 months post-quit). Treatment outcomes were presented as an intention-to-treat
analysis. Thirty Korean immigrants participated in the study. At 6-month follow-up, 57.1% of participants in the intervention
and 18.8% of participants in the control had 7-day point prevalence abstinence (odds ratio = 5.8, 95% confidence interval = 1.12–26.04,
P = 0.04). Participants’ self-reported abstinence was biochemically verified with exhaled carbon monoxide and salivary cotinine
levels. A combination of the culturally tailored cognitive behavior therapy and nicotine replacement therapy had a better
treatment outcome compared to brief medication management. The promising result suggests a need to further test the intervention
in larger samples and longer follow-up assessments before it can be adapted in clinical settings.