# Pain-related Anxiety Invervention for Smokers with Chronic Pain: A Comparative Effectiveness Trial of Smoking Cessation Counseling for Veterans

> **NIH VA I01** · VA CONNECTICUT HEALTHCARE SYSTEM · 2020 · —

## Abstract

Impacts: Cigarette smoking is the single greatest cause of preventable deaths in the U.S. Military service is a
risk factor for smoking and approximately 20% of US Veterans are smokers. Pain is frequently reported by
Veterans and research suggests smoking is associated with concurrent pain intensity. Veterans with chronic
pain represent an important population in which to focus smoking cessation efforts.
Background: Smoking cessation among patients with chronic medical illnesses substantially decreases
morbidity and mortality; yet, many patients (>50%) with chronic pain continue to smoke. Recently, Hooten et al
tested a standard smoking cessation protocol augmented with a cognitive behavioral intervention (CBI)
targeting coping strategies for emotional distress to address smoking among hospitalized patients with chronic
pain. Results revealed that 20% of the patients in the CBI condition were abstinent from smoking compared to
none in the control group at the 6 month follow-up. Concomitant efforts to address smoking cessation and
pain-related anxiety, via established CBIs, have the potential to provide smokers with pain the requisite skills to
navigate the smoking cessation process and manage the associated anxiety-related cues that interfere with
efforts to quit. Given the widespread prevalence of smoking and its staggering impact on Veteran health, VHA
has highlighted the need for adopting a public health approach to smoking cessation. From a public health
perspective, the impact is defined as Reach (i.e., number of Veterans who access/receive an intervention)
multiplied by Efficacy (effect size of an intervention). Efforts to improve the reach of smoking cessation efforts
while simultaneously removing barriers that limit access to and participation in effective interventions is critical
to improving cessation rates at the population level. The current investigation combines the established
efficacy of a CBI and the reach of a proactive telephone-delivered intervention. This study aims to test the
telephone delivery of a CBI, for smoking cessation among Veteran smokers with chronic pain.
Objectives: AIM 1: Evaluate the impact of smoking cessation plus CBI (SMK-CBI) on cigarette abstinence
rates among Veterans with chronic pain at 6 and 12-months.
Hypotheses 1.1 & 1.2: Prolonged abstinence rates (H 1.1) and 7-day point prevalence abstinence rates
(H 1.2) will be significantly higher among Veterans with chronic pain who receive SMK-CBI compared with
those in 2) smoking cessation telephone counseling control (SMK Control).
AIM 2: Evaluate the impact of SMK-CBI on pain intensity and pain interference among Veterans at 6- and12-
months.
Hypothesis 2.1: Veterans in SMK-CBI will report significantly lower usual pain intensity and pain interference
relative to SMK Control.
AIM 3: Assess whether change in self-efficacy and pain-related anxiety mediate the impact of SMK-CBI on
smoking cessation in Veterans with pain at 6- and 12-months.
Hypothesis 3.1: T...

## Key facts

- **NIH application ID:** 9757601
- **Project number:** 5I01HX001875-03
- **Recipient organization:** VA CONNECTICUT HEALTHCARE SYSTEM
- **Principal Investigator:** WILLIAM C BECKER
- **Activity code:** I01 (R01, R21, SBIR, etc.)
- **Funding institute:** VA
- **Fiscal year:** 2020
- **Award amount:** —
- **Award type:** 5
- **Project period:** 2017-02-01 → 2021-01-31

## Primary source

NIH RePORTER: https://reporter.nih.gov/project-details/9757601

## Citation

> US National Institutes of Health, RePORTER application 9757601, Pain-related Anxiety Invervention for Smokers with Chronic Pain: A Comparative Effectiveness Trial of Smoking Cessation Counseling for Veterans (5I01HX001875-03). Retrieved via AI Analytics 2026-05-22 from https://api.ai-analytics.org/grant/nih/9757601. Licensed CC0.

---

*[NIH grants dataset](/datasets/nih-grants) · CC0 1.0*