Helping Veterans with Chronic Pain Quit Smoking
Official title: Enhancing an Intervention for Smokers with Chronic Pain using IVR: A Randomized Clinical Trial of Smoking Cessation Counseling for Veterans
Funded at VA Connecticut Healthcare System · NIH-11112332 · Data updated 2026-11-12
This project helps Veterans who have chronic pain and smoke find better ways to quit.
Quick facts
| Grant type | NIH-funded research |
|---|---|
| Study type | NIH-funded research |
| Funding institution | VA Connecticut Healthcare System NIH-funded |
| Lab location | 1 site (West Haven, United States) |
| Project start | June 1, 2024 |
| Project end | May 31, 2028 |
| Funding year | 2025 |
| NIH project number | 5I01HX003607-02 |
| Project ID | NIH-11112332 on NIH RePORTER |
Who could benefit from this research
✓Could help
Ideal candidates are Veterans who smoke and also experience chronic pain.
✕Less likely to help
Patients who do not smoke or do not have chronic pain would likely not receive direct benefit from this specific intervention.
What this research studies
Many Veterans experience both chronic pain and smoking, and these two issues can make each other worse. Standard methods to help people with chronic pain stop smoking often don't work well because pain can be a strong trigger to smoke. This project builds on a previous effort that showed some success in helping Veterans with chronic pain reduce smoking and pain interference. We are now working to make this special program even more effective for those who need it most.
Why it matters
Potential benefit: If successful, this enhanced program could help Veterans with chronic pain quit smoking more effectively and experience less pain interference in their daily lives.
How similar studies have gone: A previous version of this intervention showed promising results in helping Veterans with chronic pain reduce smoking and pain, though it did not meet all initial goals for superiority.
Where this research is happening
-
VA Connecticut Healthcare System
West Haven, United States Active
Researchers
- Principal investigator: Bastian, Lori a — VA Connecticut Healthcare System
- Study coordinator: Bastian, Lori a
Related research
Other NIH-funded projects on the same topics.
-
Very low nicotine cigarettes to help quitting for people with chronic back pain
A study will test whether switching to very low nicotine cigarettes helps people with chronic back pain quit smoking and feel less pain.
-
Targeting Reinforcement to Help Smokers with Opioid Use Disorder and Chronic Pain Quit
A study to see if switching people who smoke and are on buprenorphine for opioid use disorder and chronic pain to cigarettes with very low nicotine can help them quit smoking.
-
Smoking cessation program for Veterans with chronic pain using interactive voice/phone support
A randomized trial tests whether an integrated pain-and-smoking cessation program delivered to Veterans with chronic pain helps people quit smoking better than standard quitting methods.
-
Very low nicotine cigarettes to help people on buprenorphine with chronic pain quit smoking
This compares switching to very low nicotine cigarettes versus regular cigarettes for people with opioid use disorder who have chronic pain to see if it reduces smoking, cravings, withdrawal, and pain.
-
Using very low nicotine cigarettes to help people with opioid use disorder and chronic pain quit smoking
This study is looking at whether switching to very low nicotine cigarettes can help people with opioid use disorder and chronic pain quit smoking, by tracking their cravings and smoking habits over four weeks to see how it affects their pain and withdrawal symptoms.
-
Social stress and smoking: why disadvantaged young adults struggle to quit
This grant looks at how daily social stress affects if and when disadvantaged young adults who smoke can quit and stay quit.
About this research
- This is an active NIH-funded research project — typically early-stage science, not a clinical trial accepting patient enrollment.
- Some NIH-funded labs run parallel clinical studies or seek volunteers for related work. To check, contact the principal investigator or institution listed above.
- For full project details, budget, and progress reports, visit the official NIH RePORTER page.