Intervention Study to Increase Smoking Cessation Rates Among Public Housing Residents
Condition: Tobacco Cessation
Study type: Interventional

Summary: 
      The purpose of this study is to determine whether public housing residents trained in Tobacco
      Cessation and Motivational Interviewing Techniques to become Tobacco Treatment Advocates(TTA)
      will be effective in increasing the quit rate of smokers in Boston Public Housing. The
      investigators hypothesize that smokers that receive multiple TTA visits will be more likely
      to (1) use smoking cessation resources and (2) quit compared to smokers who receive a single
      visit.
    

Detailed description: 
      The study is a group-randomized trial in which 10 pubic housing developments (PHDs) are
      randomized to the experimental condition and 10 to the control condition. All smokers who
      enroll in the study at a particular PHD receive the same intervention. Smokers at control
      sites receive written materials that offer strategies for quitting and information about
      availability of treatment programs, as well as a one-time meeting with a Tobacco Treatment
      Advocate (TTA). The intervention group receives the same written materials but also has much
      more extensive interactions with a TTA. TTAs provide peer counseling (Peer Counseling is
      defined as: performance of limited counselor functions, under counselor supervision, by
      person of similar age,gender, race, ethnicity and/or SES of the counselee) to smokers during
      in- person Motivational Enhancement meetings (target range 7-9) as well as additional in
      person and phone contacts, as needed for each participant, over a 6-month period. TTAs
      receive intensive training in motivational interviewing and smoking cessation counseling
      deliver the intervention components (counseling activities and provision of environmental
      supports) in addition to encouraging utilization of smoking cessation treatment programs such
      as the Smokers' QuitLine (SQL) and clinic-based programs. In order to avoid the potential for
      contamination due to TTAs interacting with participants at both intervention and control
      sites, meetings with participants at control sites are conducted by special Control TTAs.
      Data are collected from study participants at baseline, 3 months, 7 months and 12 months, and
      also from the SQL and clinics.
    

Intervention name(s): Motivational interviewing; Smoking cessation counseling; Navigation to smoking cessation resources; Social support
Intervention type(s): Behavioral; Behavioral; Behavioral; Behavioral
Intervention description(s): The TTA will use motivational interviewing (MI) techniques to assess the participant's motivation and readiness to quit, suggest plans, and assist the participant in selecting a method of treatment.; The TTA will provide information to the participant regarding evidence-based treatments for smoking cessation, including counseling and nicotine replacement therapy (NRT); assist in a quit plan; and discuss issues such as obtaining social support, staying in treatment, and dealing with lapses.; The TTA will assist participants in obtaining NRT and getting connected to smoking cessation counseling services, such as the Smokers' Quitline and clinic-based programs.; Meetings with the TTA will be a source of social support for the participant as they attempt to quit or stay quit.
Allocation: Randomized
Intervention model: Parallel Assignment
Masking: None (Open Label)
Primary purpose: Prevention
Keywords: Tobacco Cessation; Public Housing; Community Health Workers; Motivational Interviewing; Patient centered; Low-income; Tobacco Treatment Advocates; Social Epidemiology; Smoking cessation predictors; Behavioral Intervention; Non-pharmacologic