Bumps along the translational pathway: anticipating uptake of tailored smoking cessation treatment

To assess potential barriers to clinical integration of tailored smoking cessation treatment among African American and white smokers in the USA.

A total of 392 smokers (203 white and 189 African American) identified within a national random digit dial survey (response rate: 40.1%; 81.2% among households with whom we were able to make contact) of 1200 African Americans and 1200 white Americans. Respondents answered several closed-ended survey items addressing beliefs regarding what influences a smoker's ability to quit, past pharmacotherapy use, and their willingness to undergo genetic assessment in order to be matched to optimal treatment, among other items.

In this first nationally representative survey of US smokers, 77% of respondents expressed willingness to undergo genetic testing in order to be matched to optimal pharmacotherapy, yet only 18% had ever used pharmacotherapy in a previous quit attempt. Smokers who rated 'medications and counseling' as very important in quitting were significantly more likely to endorse genetic testing (odds ratio [OR]: 8.94; 95% CI: 1.86-43.06), while those rating 'having God's help' as very important were significantly less likely to express willingness to undergo testing (OR: 0.11; 95% CI: 0.02-0.71). African American smokers were more likely than white smokers to express willingness to undergo genetic testing (OR: 3.80; 95% CI: 1.09-13.22), despite lower rates of previous pharmacotherapy use.

While smokers reported high rates of willingness to undergo genetic testing to be matched to optimal treatment, these results suggest that smokers' willingness to use medications indicated by genetic test results may prove a significant barrier to realizing the promise of tailored smoking cessation treatment. The role of spirituality in smokers' willingness to use medication is an area for further study.