Please select the eligibility criteria that correspond to the clinical trial below.
Title: An Effectiveness Trial of Maintenance Therapy for Nicotine Dependence
Brief Summary: The transdermal nicotine patch is the most widely used form of tobacco dependence treatment in the US and Europe, but most smokers are unable to successfully quit with this form of treatment. Failure to respond to this treatment may, to a large extent, be due to the use of nicotine patches for only 8 weeks, the recommended treatment duration. We have found in a controlled randomized clinical trial that using the nicotine patch for 24 weeks can increase quit rates significantly. We propose here a clinical trial to replicate and extend these results to a community setting in the real-world, using the same research design utilized in clinical trials to demonstrate the effectiveness of methadone maintenance therapy for opiate dependence. Specifically, 540 smokers will receive counseling and standard (8-weeks), extended (24-weeks), or maintenance (52 weeks) therapy with transdermal nicotine patches. The main outcome is biochemically-verified smoking cessation at week 52. The cost-effectiveness, safety, and mechanism of effect (e.g., promotion of recovery following a lapse) for maintenance therapy with transdermal nicotine will also be assessed. The study results may change how we treat nicotine dependence with transdermal nicotine.


Options:
A: Inclusion Criteria:

* Among patients applying to the smoking cessation outpatient clinic between March and October 2017,
* \>18-year old volunteers who smoked at least one cigarette/day,
* using WhatsApp at least on four days of the week,
* accepting the 3-month follow-up were included in the study.

Exclusion Criteria:

* Besides people who did not meet the inclusion criteria, other patients applying to the clinic but who were referred to another centre without receiving any treatment,
* people who were not 'ready to quit' according to the TTM stages of change evaluation
* who had already quit before applying to the clinic were excluded.
* If two or more patients were living in the same house or had applied to the clinic together, only the first of these was included and the rest were excluded from the study, as they could show the arriving messages to their friend/ partner/ relative.
B: Inclusion Criteria:

* Age 18-80
* Current and regular smoker 5 or more cigarettes per day
* Interested in making a quit attempt in the next 14 days
* Personal phone available

Exclusion Criteria:

* Pregnancy or plans to become pregnant in the next year
* Cannot speak English
* Not a union member or employee of specified worksite or immediate family member
* Member of household is currently enrolled in the study
* Not willing to comply with study protocol
C: Inclusion Criteria: Participants will be: 1) males and females over age 18 who smoke at least 10 cigarettes/day; 2) able to communicate in English; 3) able to use NRT safely (e.g., no allergy to latex, no serious abnormal ECG reading); 4) able to provide written informed consent for study procedures; and 5) residing in the geographic area for at least 12 months.

Exclusion Criteria: Participants will be ineligible for the trial if they: 1) are unable to communicate in English; 2) Have a current diagnosis of psychosis and/or manic depression; 3) have a current medical condition that would make using transdermal nicotine patch unsafe (e.g., allergy to latex, serious, abnormal ECG reading)- participants with asthma, diabetes, hypertension, or heart disease (e.g., coronary artery disease, abnormal heart rhythm, an arrhythmia) will be permitted to enroll in the study with medical clearance from the participant's physician or the study physician; 4) have had a heart attack within the past 6 months, 5) are pregnant or planning to become pregnant or lactating, or 6) are currently enrolled or plan to enroll in another research or smoking cessation program within the next 12 months.
D: Inclusion Criteria:

* Smoked at least 1 cigarette a day when first joined ICSC
* Aged 18 or above at the baseline of the RCT
* Clients who have received 3 to 5 smoking cessation counseling provided by ICSC
* Reported tobacco abstinence in the past 7 days at the 8-week follow-up since receiving treatment from ICSC
* Able to communicate in Cantonese and read Chinese
* Have a local network mobile phone with mobile internet access

Exclusion Criteria:

* Those with unstable physical or psychological conditions as advised by the doctor or counselor in charge
* Smokers with diagnosed alcohol dependence by clinicians or the score of the Alcohol Use Disorders Identification Test (AUDIT) is 8 or higher

Answer: C