Effects of a mindfulness-based smoking cessation program for an adult with mild intellectual disability

Smoking is a major risk factor for a number of health conditions and many smokers find it difficult to quit smoking without specific interventions. We developed and used a mindfulness-based smoking cessation program with a 31-year-old man with mild intellectual disabilities who had been a smoker for 17 years. The mindfulness-based smoking cessation program consisted of three components: intention, mindful observation of thoughts, and Meditation on the Soles of the Feet. A changing-criterion analysis showed that this man was able to fade his cigarette smoking from 12 at baseline to 0 within 3 months, and maintain this for a year. Follow-up data, collected every 3 months following the maintenance period, showed he was able to abstain from smoking for 3 years. Our study suggests that this mindfulness-based smoking cessation program merits further investigation.

Research highlights▶ Smoking is common in the community ▶ Some individuals with intellectual disability smoke but find it difficult to stop doing so ▶ Only one previous intervention study was found involving this population ▶ We used a mindfulness-based strategy (intention, meditation on thoughts, and Meditation on the Soles of the Feet) to help an adult with mind intellectual disabilities to stop smoking ▶ He was successful, and maintained his success during a year of maintenance and 3 years of follow-up.