Secondary smoking prevention in a university setting: a randomized comparison of an experiential, theory-based intervention and a standard didactic intervention for increasing cessation motivation.

College may represent an untapped opportunity to reach the growing number of student smokers who are at risk of progressing toward regular smoking. The aim of this study was to test the efficacy of a theory-based experiential intervention for increasing motivation to quit smoking and reducing smoking behavior. This study used a 3-arm, randomized design to examine the efficacy of an experiential secondary prevention intervention. The control groups included a traditional didactic smoking intervention and an experiential intervention on nutrition. The 2 primary dependent variables were change in self-reported intention to quit smoking, measured pre- and postintervention, and change in smoking behavior over the month following the intervention. As hypothesized, the experiential smoking intervention was more effective than either control group in increasing immediate motivation to quit, but the effect was found only among female participants. At 1-month follow-up, both smoking interventions produced higher rates of smoking cessation and reduction than did the nutrition control condition. Findings support the potential efficacy of an intensive experiential intervention for female smokers.