A Mindfulness-Based Smoking Cessation Program for Individuals with Mild Intellectual Disability

Smoking is a major public health issue; it is a risk factor for numerous health conditions. Tobacco use is the primary preventable
cause of disability and disease in many countries, including the USA, but many smokers find it difficult to quit smoking without
specific interventions. We evaluated the effectiveness of a mindfulness-based smoking cessation program with three men with
mild intellectual disabilities who had been smokers for many years and who had previously failed to quit smoking with other
interventions. The mindfulness-based smoking cessation program included basic concentration meditation, daily intention, mindful
observation of thoughts, and Meditation on the Soles of the Feet. A changing criterion analysis showed that the men were able to fade their cigarette smoking from a daily average of 28.4,
34.8, and 13.8 at baseline to 0 within 111, 165, and 77 days, respectively, and maintain this for a year. Follow-up data,
collected every 3 months following the maintenance period, showed that they were able to abstain from smoking for 3 years.
Our study suggests that this mindfulness-based smoking cessation program may be effective with other individuals with mild
intellectual disabilities.