Nicotine dependence and likelihood of quitting smoking.

This study examined the hypothesis that high nicotine dependent smokers would have more difficulty with initial cessation of smoking than low dependent smokers as measured by the Fagerstrom Tolerance Questionnaire (FTQ). Two replications of a nicotine-fading smoking program were conducted at different worksites. Significantly less heavily dependent smokers quit smoking during treatment. The correlation between the FTQ and smoking rate at posttreatment remained even when the pretreatment rate of smoking was partialled out. It was concluded that the concept of nicotine dependence should be re-examined especially in the context of improving the quit rates of behavioral programs at the worksite.