Fig. 2
Schedule of enrolment interventions and assessments. 1Decrease by 7 mg/week—the duration of taper will depend on the dose at week 12; 2Blood for genetics sub-study may be drawn at any week; 3Sitting systolic/diastolic BP, pulse, respiratory rate, and body temperature were measured; 4Demographics, readiness, and importance to stop smoking, smoking behaviors; 5Urine anabasine (tobacco-specific biomarker) at week 13 (EoT) and urine cotinine at weeks 26 and 52. List of abbreviations: 7-day PPA = 7-day point prevalence abstinence; AUDIT = Alcohol Use Disorders Identification Test; CO = carbon monoxide; CPD = cigarettes per day; DASS 21 = Depression, Anxiety and Stress Scale; DAST-10 = Drug Abuse Screening Test; EoT = end of treatment visit; FTND = Fagerström Test for Nicotine Dependence; IP = in person; mCEQ = cigarette evaluation questionnaire; MNWS = Minnesota Nicotine Withdrawal Scale – validated measure of tobacco withdrawal during cessation treatment; Opt = optional; PHQ-9 = Patient Health Questionnaire—validated self-completed measure of depressive symptoms mapped on to DSM-IV criteria; QSU-brief = 10-item Questionnaire of Smoking Urges; SF-36 = 36-Item Short-Form Health Survey; T = telephone; tNRT = transdermal nicotine replacement therapy