# Improving Access to Cigarette Cessation Treatment Among African American Smokers: Development and Evaluation of an Integrated mHealth Application

> **NIH NIH U54** · UNIVERSITY OF HOUSTON · 2024 · $571,289

## Abstract

Tobacco use is the leading cause of preventable death and disability and results in substantial economic 
burden. Estimates suggest that 13.7% of adults in the United States (US) are current smokers. Yet tobacco 
use is not equally distributed in society. African American smokers evince elevated smoking rates (14.6%) and 
are significantly more likely to use menthol cigarettes, which are associated with a host of flavor-specific 
negative health outcomes. Additionally, African American smokers are less likely to maintain cessation 
compared to European American and Hispanic smokers despite making more quit attempts. A major 
contributing factor to smoking among African Americans appears to be their increased exposure to 
interoceptive-stress symptoms. Consequently, cessation interventions directed toward African American 
smokers might benefit from specific focus on increasing the ability to adaptively respond to interoceptive stress 
(e.g., anxiety, bodily sensations) during a quit attempt and thereafter). Notably, motives for smoking to cope 
with negative mood states are central to cigarette use among those with greater sensitivity to stress (i.e., 
higher anxiety sensitivity [AS]; a well-established malleable, transdiagnostic construct for emotional symptoms 
and disorders and the maintenance of smoking). Past work has not leveraged the potential of AS to better 
understand smoking and interoceptive stress relations among this established health disparities group. The 
present proposal aims to refine and comprehensively adapt an initially tested novel, mobile intervention that 
targets AS among African American smokers (Mobile Anxiety Sensitivity Program for Smoking: MASP). Our 
intervention is framed within the context of interoceptive stress among African American smokers, which is 
supported by theory, empirical evidence, and characteristics of this group. In Phase I, we will further tailor our 
preliminarily test treatment (MASP 1.0) with African American-smoking content and history to develop MASP 
2.0, which will be pilot tested during this phase. In Phase I, 25 African American smokers with elevated AS will 
be administered MASP 2.0 for 6 weeks. Following completion of Phase I, we will further refine MASP 2.0 
based on qualitative and quantitative data from participants and the research team to produce MASP 3.0. In 
Phase II, 200 African American smokers with elevated AS will be enrolled and randomly assigned to: (1) the 
smartphone-based National Cancer Institute (NCI) QuitGuide app for standard mobile smoking cessation 
treatment (2) MASP 3.0. Participants in Phase I and Phase II will complete an in-person baseline assessment, 
pre- and post-quit ecological momentary assessments, an end-of-treatment qualitative interview, and follow-up 
assessments at weeks 1, 2 (quit date), 3, 4, 5, 6, 28, and 54 (52 weeks post-quit) via the app as well as 
receive nicotine replacement therapy.

## Key facts

- **NIH application ID:** 10845602
- **Project number:** 5U54MD015946-05
- **Recipient organization:** UNIVERSITY OF HOUSTON
- **Principal Investigator:** MICHAEL J. ZVOLENSKY
- **Activity code:** U54 (R01, R21, SBIR, etc.)
- **Funding institute:** NIH
- **Fiscal year:** 2024
- **Award amount:** $571,289
- **Award type:** 5
- **Project period:** 2020-09-08 → 2026-10-31

## Primary source

NIH RePORTER: https://reporter.nih.gov/project-details/10845602

## Citation

> US National Institutes of Health, RePORTER application 10845602, Improving Access to Cigarette Cessation Treatment Among African American Smokers: Development and Evaluation of an Integrated mHealth Application (5U54MD015946-05). Retrieved via AI Analytics 2026-05-24 from https://api.ai-analytics.org/grant/nih/10845602. Licensed CC0.

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