Tobacco Cessation Training Program in Spanish-speaking Countries
Condition: Smoking; Smoking Cessation
Study type: Interventional

Summary: 
      This project is responsive to the identified gap of lack of tobacco cessation training
      programs in Latin American & Caribbean countries. Currently, smoking rates in the Latin
      American and Caribbean region are high, and previous surveys show that health professionals
      do not have enough skills to help smokers to quit. In consequence, in absence of trained
      health professionals, many smokers who visit health care services are under-treated. The
      Fruitful Project aims to adapt an original on-line course developed in Spain to the reality
      of the three Latin American countries (Bolivia, Guatemala and Paraguay) and disseminate
      evidence-based tobacco cessation interventions among health care professionals.
    

Detailed description: 
      Tobacco cessation training programs to treat tobacco dependence have measureable effects on
      patients' smoking. Tobacco consumption in low and middle income countries is increasing, but
      these countries usually lack measures to face the epidemic, including tobacco cessation
      training programs addressed to their health professionals and organizations.

      Based on a previous online training program for hospital workers in Spain, the Fruitful Study
      aims are twofold:

        1. to adapt the course to the reality of 3 Spanish-speaking low and middle income countries
           (Bolivia, Guatemala, and Paraguay) and;

        2. to evaluate the effectiveness of the program among the participant hospitals and
           workers.

      Investigators use a mixed methods design with a pre-post evaluation (quantitative approach)
      and in-depth interviews and focus groups (qualitative approach). The main outcomes will be:

        1. participants' attitudes, knowledge and behaviors before and after the training and

        2. the level of implementation of tobacco control policies within the hospitals before and
           after the training.

      The theoretical framework for this project includes Card's adapting model and Roger's
      diffusion of innovations model.

      This study will show whether it is possible to adapt an online course to the reality of
      developing countries. In addition, investigator will measure whether an online program will
      produce changes in tobacco control policies at the organizational level and increase the
      level of knowledge, attitudes and perception in tobacco cessation at participants' level.
    

Intervention name(s): Tobacco cessation online training
Intervention type(s): Behavioral
Intervention description(s): The original course has been developed in the online platform e-oncologia (http://www.e-oncologia.org/en/) based on the in-person courses offered during the last 10 years by the Tobacco Control Unit of the Catalan Institute of Oncology. The theoretical framework underpinning the training program is the Stages of Change Model and the curriculum was developed with the content of numerous meta-analysis and clinical practice guidelines. We created a fully referenced curriculum online, with feedback from an expert advisory group that oriented in the instructional design to ensure the course content was palatable for an online format and aligned with the learning objectives. The final curriculum content of the "Brief Intervention for Smoking Cessation Training Program" is composed of 4 modules.
Intervention model: Single Group Assignment
Masking: None (Open Label)
Primary purpose: Health Services Research