Impact of Quitline Services on Tobacco Cessation: An Application of Modern Epidemiological Methods.

This study investigated the effectiveness of quitline service intensity (high vs. low) on past 30-day tobacco abstinence at 7-months follow-up, using observational data from the Oklahoma Tobacco Helpline (OTH) between April 2020 and December 2021. To assess the impact of loss to follow-up and non-random treatment assignment, we fit the parameters of a marginal structural model to estimate inverse probability weights for censoring (IPCW) and treatment (IPTW) and combined (IPCTW). The Risk Ratio (RR) was estimated using modified Poisson regression with robust variance estimator. Of the 4,695 individuals included in the study, 64% received high-intensity cessation services, and 53% were lost to follow-up. Using the conventional complete case analysis (responders only), high-intensity cessation services were associated with abstinence (RR=1.18; 95 CI: 1.04, 1.34). The effect estimate was attenuated after accounting for censoring (RR=1.14; 95% CI: 1.00, 1.30). After adjusting for both baseline confounding and selection bias via IPTCW, high-intensity cessation services were associated with 1.23 times (95% CI: 1.08, 1.41) the probability of abstinence compared to low-intensity services. Despite relatively high loss to follow-up, accounting for selection bias and confounding did not notably impact quit rates or the relationship between intensity of quitline services and tobacco cessation among OTH participants.

Implementation, enrollment, and engagement in an opt-out telehealth pharmacist-assisted tobacco treatment program for patients seen in oncology outpatient clinics.

OBJECTIVE: To describe the workflow, reach, cost, and self-reported quit rates for an opt-out tobacco treatment program (TTP) for patients seen in 43 oncology outpatient clinics. METHODS: Between May 25, 2021, and December 31, 2022, adult patients (≥18 years) visiting clinics affiliated with the Medical University of South Carolina Hollings Cancer Center were screened for smoking status. Those currently smoking were referred to a telehealth pharmacy-assisted TTP. An attempt was made to contact referred patients by phone. Patients reached were offered free smoking cessation counseling and a 2-week starter kit of nicotine replacement medication. A random sample of 420 patients enrolled in the TTP were selected to participate in a telephone survey to assess smoking status 4 to 12 months after enrollment. RESULTS: During the reference period 35,756 patients were screened and 9.3% were identified as currently smoking. Among the 3319 patients referred to the TTP at least once, 2393 (72.1%) were reached by phone, of whom 426 (12.8%) were ineligible for treatment, 458 (13.8%) opted out of treatment, and 1509 (45.5%) received treatment. More than 90% of TTP enrollees smoked daily, with an average of 13.1 cigarettes per day. Follow-up surveys were completed on 167 of 420 patients, of whom 23.4% to 33.5% reported not smoking; if all nonresponders to the survey are counted as smoking, the range of quit rates is 9.3% to 13.3%. CONCLUSION: The findings demonstrate the feasibility of reaching and delivering smoking cessation treatments to patients from a diverse set of geographically dispersed oncology clinics.

The effectiveness of a standardized tobacco cessation program on psychophysiological parameters in patients with addiction undergoing long-term rehabilitation: a quasi-experimental pilot study.

BACKGROUND: Although there is a very high comorbidity between tobacco dependence and other addictive disorders, there are only few studies examining the implementation and outcomes of a tobacco cessation program in patients with addictive diseases. Therefore, the aim of this study is to investigate to what extent a standardized tobacco cessation program leads to improvements regarding psychological/physical parameters in patients with addiction undergoing therapy and whether there is a reduction in tobacco consumption. METHODS: The study took place in a therapeutic community specialized in addiction therapy. A total sample of 56 participants were non-randomly assigned to an intervention group (IG; n = 31) and a treatment as usual group (TAUG; n = 25). The IG participated in a 6-week tobacco cessation program, while the TAUG received no additional treatment. Both groups were assessed for changes in primary outcomes (tobacco dependence, smoked cigarettes per day (CPD), and general substance-related craving) and secondary outcomes (heart rate variability (HRV): root mean square of successive differences, self-efficacy, and comorbid psychiatric symptoms) at two measurement time points (pre- and post-treatment/6 weeks). RESULTS: We observed significant improvements in self-efficacy (F(1,53) = 5.86; p < .05; ηp2 = .11) and decreased CPD in the IG (ß = 1.16, ρ < .05), while no significant changes were observed in the TAUG. No significant interaction effects were observed in psychiatric symptoms, general substance-related craving, and HRV. CONCLUSIONS: The results highlight the potential benefit of an additional tobacco cessation program as part of a general addiction treatment. Although no improvements in the physiological domain were observed, there were significant improvements regarding self-efficacy and CPD in the IG compared to the TAUG. Randomized controlled trials on larger samples would be an important next step. TRIAL REGISTRATION: ISRCTN15684371.

Examining Links Between Distinct Affective States and Tobacco Lapse During a Cessation Attempt Among African Americans: A Cohort Study.

BACKGROUND: Affect states are posited to play a pivotal role in addiction-related processes, including tobacco lapse (i.e., smoking during a quit attempt), and distinct affective states (e.g., joy vs. happiness) may differentially influence lapse likelihood. However, few studies have examined the influence of distinct affective states on tobacco lapse. PURPOSE: This study examines the influence of 23 distinct affect states on tobacco lapse among a sample of tobacco users attempting to quit. METHODS: Participants were 220 adults who identified as African American (50% female, ages 18-74). Ecological momentary assessment was used to assess affect and lapse in real-time. Between and within-person associations testing links between distinct affect states and lapse were examined with multilevel modeling for binary outcomes. RESULTS: After adjusting for previous time's lapse and for all other positive or negative affect items, results suggested that at the between-person level, joy was associated with lower odds of lapse, and at the within-person level, attentiveness was associated with lower odds of lapse. Results also suggested that at the between-person level, guilt and nervous were associated with higher odds of lapse, and at the within-person level, shame was associated with higher odds of lapse. CONCLUSIONS: The present study uses real-time, real-world data to demonstrate the role of distinct positive and negative affects on momentary tobacco lapse. This work helps elucidate specific affective experiences that facilitate or hinder the ability to abstain from tobacco use during a quit attempt.

Tobacco Cessation Interventions in Non-Respiratory Cancers: A Systematic Review With Meta-analysis of Randomized Controlled Trials.

BACKGROUND: Considering the high rates of persistent tobacco use, effective cessation interventions are needed for cancer patients and caregivers. Despite the need, there is a significant lack of research on tobacco cessation, especially for non-respiratory cancers (breast, prostate, colorectal, cervical, and bladder cancer). PURPOSE: The objective was to evaluate tobacco use and tobacco cessation interventions among patients and caregivers for non-respiratory cancers. METHODS: Randomized controlled trials assessing tobacco cessation interventions were identified. Five electronic databases were searched in accordance with the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic reviews and Meta-analyses guidelines through July 2023. Studies exclusive to lung, oral, thoracic, and head and neck cancers were excluded. Effect sizes were estimated; risk of bias was assessed. RESULTS: Of 3,304 studies, 17 were included. Interventions included behavioral (n = 6), pharmacotherapy (n = 2), and a combination (n = 9) treatment. Eight studies included a health behavior model; mean behavioral change techniques were 5.57. Pooled magnitude of the odds of cessation was positive and significant (odds ratio = 1.24, 95% confidence interval [Lower Limit 1.02, Upper Limit 1.51]) relative to usual care/placebo. Cumulative meta-analysis examined the accumulation of results over-time and demonstrated that studies have been significant since 2020. Two studies included caregivers' who were involved in the provision of social support. CONCLUSIONS: Current interventions have the potential to reduce tobacco use in non-respiratory cancers. Results may be beneficial for promoting tobacco cessation among non-respiratory cancers. There is a considerable lack of dyadic interventions for cancer survivors and caregivers; researchers are encouraged to explore dyadic approaches.

We aimed to understand effective ways for cancer patients and caregivers to quit using tobacco. We focused on non-respiratory cancers (cancers not related to breathing issues) like breast, prostate, and colorectal cancer. We reviewed 17 randomized controlled trials designed to help people quit tobacco, which included behavioral therapies (e.g., education and counseling), pharmacotherapy (i.e., medicine), and combinations of both. We found that people in these studies quit using tobacco, especially when more than one approach was used. The studies also showed that these approaches have been more successful since 2020. The research highlighted a need for more studies that include both patients and their caregivers together in the quitting process. This approach, called dyadic intervention, could be more effective in supporting patients and their caregivers. Overall, while the current approaches are promising, more research is needed to develop better ways to help cancer patients and caregivers quit smoking for longer.

Behavioral Activation mHealth Application for Smoking Cessation: A Randomized Controlled Pilot Trial.

BACKGROUND: Behavioral activation (BA) is an effective intervention for both depression and substance use disorders. Combining BA with a standard smoking cessation intervention may improve quit rates by addressing depressive symptoms, a key barrier to quitting. This study preliminarily evaluated the acceptability and efficacy of the BA-based Actify! mobile health application (mHealth app) for smoking cessation. METHODS: We conducted a pilot randomized controlled trial (n=242) comparing Actify! with the National Cancer Institute's (NCI) app for smoking cessation (QuitGuide) on acceptability (user satisfaction, app openings), smoking abstinence, and mechanisms of change (behavioral activation and depressive symptoms) at 8 weeks and 6 months post-randomization. Participants were US adults recruited online who smoked daily. RESULTS: Treatment satisfaction was uniformly higher in the Actify! arm. Number of app openings was similar across arms (M=34.3 openings over 8 weeks in both arms). Self-reported 30-day point prevalence abstinence (PPA) at 8 weeks was 12.6% for Actify! vs. 7.3% for QuitGuide. Differences in 30-day PPA continued through 6 months (18.5% for Actify! vs. 12.2% for QuitGuide). Changes between baseline and 8 weeks in depressive symptoms and behavioral activation favored Actify!. Planned subgroup analyses suggested greater benefit of Actify! among participants with pre-treatment mild to moderate depression symptom severity compared to those with no depression symptoms. CONCLUSIONS: Actify! showed considerable promise as a novel mHealth treatment, as evidenced by high usage and higher user satisfaction and quit rates than QuitGuide at both short- and long-term follow-up. The next step is to evaluate Actify! in a fully-powered efficacy trial. IMPLICATIONS: Study findings demonstrate the promise of a behavioral activation (BA)-based mobile health app (Actify!) for smoking cessation as a population-level intervention that can effectively address depressive symptoms as a risk factor for worse smoking treatment outcomes. The Actify! app is the first standalone BA-based app to demonstrate potential for improved acceptability and efficacy relative to a standard care comparison app, with user satisfaction and smoking quit rates descriptively exceeding those of the National Cancer Institute's QuitGuide app.

Process evaluation of a pragmatic feasibility trial on smokeless tobacco cessation intervention delivered in dental hospitals.

BACKGROUND: Article 14 of the WHO 'Framework Convention on Tobacco Control' recommends, that all oral healthcare providers provide support for tobacco cessation, to all patients. Despite evidence on the effectiveness of tobacco cessation interventions in dental settings, implementation remains low in most high-burden countries like Pakistan. A pragmatic pilot trial of a dentist-delivered behavioural support intervention for smokeless tobacco (ST) cessation, was conducted in dental hospitals in Pakistan. This paper presents the findings of the process evaluation of the trial. METHODS: A mixed-method process evaluation of a multi-centre randomised control pilot trial of dentist-delivered behavioural support intervention ST cessation was conducted. The intervention included three sessions namely: pre-quit, quit and post-quit sessions. The process evaluation involved: semi-structured interviews with trial participants (n = 26, of which dental patients were n = 13 and participating dentists were n = 13 conducted from June-August 2022); and fidelity assessment of audio recordings of the intervention sessions (n = 29). The framework approach was used to thematically analyse the interview data. RESULTS: Overall the trial procedures were well accepted, however, young patients expressed uneasiness over revealing their ST use status. The intervention was received positively by dentists and patients. Dentists identified some challenges in delivering behavioural support to their patients. Of these, some were related to the contents of the intervention whereas, others were related to the logistics of delivering the intervention in a clinical setting (such as workload and space). Acceptability of the intervention resources was overall low amongst young patients as they did not take the intervention resources home due to fear of their family members finding out about their ST use. The intervention was successful in achieving the intended impact (in those who engaged with the intervention), i.e., change in the patients' ST use behaviour. Giving up ST with the aid of behavioural support also had an unintended negative effect i.e., the use of harmful substances (cannabis, cigarettes) to give up ST use. Patients' satisfaction with their dental treatment seemed to influence the intervention outcome. CONCLUSION: While there are many variables to consider, but for the participants of this study, behavioural support for abstinence delivered through dentists during routine dental care, appears to be an acceptable and practical approach in helping patients give up ST use, in a country like Pakistan, where negligible support is offered to ST users.

Implementing a tobacco-free workplace program at a substance use treatment center: a case study.

BACKGROUND: People with substance use disorders smoke cigarettes at much higher rates than the general population in the United States and are disproportionately affected by tobacco-related diseases. Many substance use treatment centers do not provide evidence-based tobacco cessation treatment or maintain comprehensive tobacco-free workplace policies. The goal of the current work is to identify barriers and facilitators to a successful and sustainable implementation of a tobacco-free workplace program, which includes a comprehensive tobacco-free policy and evidence-based cessation treatment services, in a substance use treatment center. METHODS: This study is based on an ethnographic approach and uses a qualitative case study design. Data were collected via interviews with staff (n = 6) and clients (n = 16) at the substance use treatment center and site visits (n = 8). Data were analyzed using thematic analysis guided by the extended Normalization Process Theory designed to inform the implementation of innovations in healthcare practice. RESULTS: Staff at the substance use treatment center supported the implementation of the program and shared a good understanding of the purpose of the intervention and its potential benefits. However, the study identified significant challenges faced by the center during implementation, including widespread tobacco use among clients, contributing to attitudes among staff that tobacco cessation was a low-priority problem due to a perceived lack of interest in quitting and inability to quit among their clients. We identified several factors that contributed to changing this attitude, including provision of tobacco training to staff, active leadership support, low number of staff members who smoked, and access to material resources, including nicotine replacement products. The implementation and active enforcement of a comprehensive tobacco-free workplace program contributed to a gradual change in attitudes and improved the provision of evidence-based tobacco cessation care at the substance use treatment center. CONCLUSIONS: Substance use treatment centers can integrate tobacco cessation practices in their daily operations, despite multiple challenges they face due to the complex behavioral health and socioeconomic needs of their clients. With proper support, substance use treatment centers can provide much needed tobacco cessation care to their clients who are disproportionately affected by tobacco-related health conditions and systemic health inequities.

Implementation of an "opt-out" tobacco treatment program in six hospitals in South Carolina.

OBJECTIVE: Describe the screening, referral, and treatment delivery associated with an opt-out tobacco treatment program (TTP) implemented in six hospitals varying in size, rurality and patient populations. METHODS: Between March 6, 2021 and December 17, 2021, adult patients (≥ 18 years) admitted to six hospitals affiliated with the Medical University of South Carolina were screened for smoking status. The hospitals ranged in size from 82 to 715 beds. Those currently smoking were automatically referred to one of two tobacco treatment options: 1) Enhanced care (EC) where patients could receive a bedside consult by a trained tobacco treatment specialist plus an automated post-discharge follow-up call designed to connect those smoking to the South Carolina Quitline (SCQL); or 2) Basic care (BC) consisting of the post-discharge follow-up call only. An attempt was made to survey patients at 6-weeks after hospitalization to assess smoking status. RESULTS: Smoking prevalence ranged from 14 to 49% across the six hospitals; 6,000 patients were referred to the TTP.The delivery of the bedside consult varied across the hospitals with the lowest in the Charleston hospitals which had the highest caseload of referred patients per specialist. Among patients who received a consult visit during their hospitalization, 50% accepted the consult, 8% opted out, 3% claimed not to be current smokers, and 38% were unavailable at the time of the consult visit. Most of those enrolled in the TTP were long-term daily smokers.Forty-three percent of patients eligible for the automated post-discharge follow-up call answered the call, of those, 61% reported smoking in the past seven days, and of those, 34% accepted the referral to theSCQL. Among the 986 of patients surveyed at 6-weeks after hospitalization quit rates ranged from 20%-30% based on duration of reported cessation and were similar between hospitals and for patients assigned to EC versus BC intervention groups. CONCLUSION: Findings demonstrate the broad reach of an opt-out TTP. Elements of treatment delivery can be improved by addressing patient-to-staffing ratios, improving systems to prescribe stop smoking medications for patients at discharge and linking patients to stop smoking services after hospital discharge.

Implementation and Evaluation of a Multi-level, Place-Based Tobacco Prevention and Control Program at a Minority-Serving Institution in Texas.

Multi-level, place-based interventions have proven effective at promoting a range of health behaviors, including tobacco control and discouraging the uptake of tobacco products. This paper describes the implementation and impact of a 3-year, multi-level tobacco prevention and control program at a community-college minority-serving institution (MSI) on the Texas Gulf Coast within the context of a broader multi-sector, cross-functional health coalition. The intervention studied included a tobacco-free policy, a large-scale communication campaign highlighting parts of the intervention and prevention and cessation resources. The intervention was bolstered by the support of a community-led Steering Committee and tobacco control experts. Results from the first 3 years of implementation show that tobacco-free policies were largely supported by community members, awareness of the policy increased over time, and tobacco prevention and cessation resources were successfully embedded into campus norms. This multi-component approach shows how a community college was able to effectively reach students and staff on their campus to increase awareness of both the campus tobacco-free policy and the availability of tobacco prevention and cessation resources. Additionally, it also offers lessons for future tobacco prevention and control work in higher education.

Associations between Health-Related Use of Social Media and Positive Lifestyle Behaviors: Findings from a Representative Sample of US Adult Smokers.

Background: Cigarette smokers have elevated cardiovascular risk factors, which contributes significantly to mortality. Although social media is a potential avenue to deliver smoking interventions, its role in health promotion among smokers remains relatively unexplored.Objective: To examine the uptake and impact of health-related social media use in cigarette smokers.Methods: Using data from the 2017-2020 Health Information National Trends Survey, we evaluated differences in health-related social media use between smokers and nonsmokers. Multivariable logistic regression was performed to examine the association between social media use and positive health behaviors.Results: We included 1863 current smokers and 13,560 nonsmokers; Most participants were women (51.0%), White (64.6%), and 49.2% were aged ≥50 years. Smokers who used ≥1 social media site for health-related purposes in the past year were significantly more likely to meet the guideline recommendations for: (i) weekly physical activity (AOR 2.00, 95% CI 1.23-3.24), (ii) daily vegetable intake (AOR 2.48, 95% CI 1.10-5.59), and (iii) weekly strength training (AOR 1.80, 95% CI 1.10-2.94). However, the odds of reporting intentions to quit smoking (AOR 1.81, 95% CI 0.98-3.34) and attempts at smoking cessation (AOR 1.68, 95% CI 0.90-3.12) did not differ by health-related social media use.Conclusion: Smokers use social media for health-related purposes at comparable rates to nonsmokers. While our findings indicate that these platforms present a novel opportunity for health promotion among smokers, future research exploring the utility of social media in smoking cessation is crucial.

Effectiveness of the Brief Guided Self-Change Therapy Combined with Varenicline under "Real-Life" Conditions and Mediators for Smoking Cessation.

Background: Brief therapies have proven to reduce tobacco cost-effectively, however, unsuccessful quit attempts remain notable in real-life conditions, and the underlying mechanisms of treatment success are still unclear. Objectives: We aimed to analyze the effectiveness of the Guided Self-Change (GSC) therapy combined with varenicline (VAR+T) in public health services against varenicline alone (VAR), and to identify mediators of treatment outcomes. We conducted a two-arm quasi-experimental study with 126 treatment-seeking smokers (age=57.3±9.1 years; 59.5% women). Before treatment, and at weeks 12 and 24, we assessed tobacco use and five potential mediators: withdrawal, craving, motivation to quit, anxiety, and depression. Results: Only 25% of participants adhered to varenicline prescription, and 54% to GSC therapy. VAR+T group showed a greater proportion of abstainers compared to VAR group at week 12 (75% vs 57.4%; φc=0.21) and week 24 (62.9% vs 52.5%; φc=0.10). When controlling for weeks taking varenicline, motivation showed a significant indirect effect over abstinence rates in VAR+T compared with VAR (a1b1=1.34; 95%CI=0.04, 5.03). Conclusions: The GSC effectiveness seems to increase motivation which in turn contributes to reducing tobacco use. The implementation of GSC therapy in public health services could minimize treatment duration and increase smoking abstinence in 'real-life' conditions where varenicline adherence remains low.

Standardizing a transitions of care pharmacist workflow for tobacco cessation efforts.

OBJECTIVE: This project aimed to describe a standardized transitions of care (TOC) pharmacist workflow for tobacco cessation efforts for patients at hospital discharge and to secondarily evaluate patient participation, impact on cessation outcomes, and pharmacist effort necessary to provide the service. PRACTICE DESCRIPTION: TOC pharmacists provide medication optimization and education to patients admitted to and discharged from Norton Healthcare hospitals. Medication optimization for tobacco cessation occurs through a recommendation to a provider or by initiating the dispensing of pharmacotherapy through the Kentucky Board of Pharmacy authorized protocol. PRACTICE INNOVATION: A standardized workflow was created for TOC pharmacists to identify patients who use tobacco, assess patients' current tobacco use and willingness to quit, select appropriate pharmacotherapy, document, and follow-up with these patients post-discharge. EVALUATION METHODS: A retrospective descriptive study was performed for adult patients assessed by TOC pharmacists for tobacco cessation between November 2021 and April 2022, with follow up visits completed through December 2022. RESULTS: During this pilot project, 357 patients were assessed and 252 (70.6%) stated they were interested in tobacco cessation. Of those interested, 117 (46.4%) patients indicated they were interested in participating and receiving follow-up from the TOC pharmacists and refills from a Norton Pharmacy. Of the 117 patients interested in follow-up, 73 (62.4%) patients completed at least one follow-up visit with the TOC pharmacist. At the last completed follow-up visit, 26 (35.6%) patients reported complete tobacco cessation. Of the 47 patients that did not have complete cessation, they reported using 39% less tobacco on average when compared to their initial assessment at hospital discharge. The mean time spent by the TOC pharmacist utilizing this workflow was 13.5 minutes per follow-up visit. CONCLUSIONS: This project formalized a standardized and sustainable TOC pharmacist workflow that demonstrated a positive impact on tobacco cessation efforts for participating patients.

Strategies for tobacco-free survivorship after breast cancer: The possible weaving of preoperative care and public health policies.

Among smoker women with breast cancer quitting smoking has been shown to increase survival and surgical outcomes. Where surgery is indicated, the preoperative seems to be a crucial moment for smoking cessation interventions as it enhances recovery after surgery and motivates prolonged tobacco abstinence. Timing and frequency of preoperative quitting conversations were variables associated with quitting. An early, multidisciplinary, and personalized approach is recommended. A solid integration between primary care services and specialized care is challenging but feasible, implementing prehabilitation pathways that include tobacco treatment routinely as an integral part of breast cancer care. Smoking cessation programs before surgical procedures impact recidivism prevention, survivorship improvement, public health, and cost savings. The contribution of healthcare professionals can make a difference in tobacco control, collaborating with organizations, public health, and nursing research. Integrated solutions in oncological clinical care pathways might help patients build and maintain tobacco abstinence after breast cancer. Future research shall study when patients should abstain from smoking before oncological breast surgery.

Increasing clinician participation in tobacco cessation by an implementation science-based tobacco cessation champion program.

BACKGROUND: We designed a process to increase tobacco cessation in an academic center and its widely distributed network community sites using clinical champions to overcome referral barriers. METHODS: In 2020 a needs assessment was performed across the City of Hope Medical Center and its 32 community treatment sites. We reviewed information science strategies to choose elements for our expanded tobacco control plan, focusing on distributed leadership with tobacco cessation champions. We analyzed smoking patterns in patients with cancer before and following program implementation. We evaluated the champion experience and measured tobacco abstinence after 6 months of follow-up. RESULTS: Cancer center leadership committed to expanding tobacco control. Funding was obtained through a Cancer Center Cessation Initiative (C3I) grant. Multi-disciplinary leaders developed a comprehensive plan. Disease-focused clinics and community sites named cessation champions (a clinician and nurse) supported by certified tobacco treatment specialists. Patient, staff, clinician, and champion training/education were developed. Roles and responsibilities of the champions were defined. Implementation in pilot sites showed increased tobacco assessment from 80.8 to 96.6%, increased tobacco cessation referral by 367%, and moderate smoking abstinence in both academic (27.2%) and community sites (22.5%). 73% of champions had positive attitudes toward the program. CONCLUSION: An efficient process to expand smoking cessation in the City of Hope network was developed using implementation science strategies and cessation champions. This well-detailed implementation process may be helpful to other cancer centers, particularly those with a tertiary care cancer center and community network.

Vaporized nicotine use among patients in HIV care who smoke tobacco: perceived health effects and effectiveness as a smoking cessation tool.

Evidence suggests adverse health effects from vaporized nicotine (VN) use, such as electronic "e" cigarettes, and limited efficacy to aid tobacco cessation. People with HIV (PWH) smoke tobacco at higher rates than the general population, with greater morbidity, highlighting the necessity of effective tobacco cessation tools. PWH may be more vulnerable to adverse effects of VN. Using semi-structured 1:1 interviews, we examined health beliefs regarding VN, patterns of use, and perceived effectiveness for tobacco cessation among PWH in HIV care at three geographically diverse U.S. sites. PWH (n = 24) had limited understanding of VN product content or health effects, presuming VN less harmful than tobacco cigarettes (TC). VN failed to adequately replicate the psychoactive effects or desired ritual of smoking TC. Concurrent TC use, and continuous VN use throughout the day, was common. Satiety using VN was elusive, and consumption quantity was difficult to track. VN had limited desirability and durability as a TC cessation tool among the interviewed PWH.

Discerning conversational context in online health communities for personalized digital behavior change solutions using Pragmatics to Reveal Intent in Social Media (PRISM) framework.

BACKGROUND: Online health communities (OHCs) have emerged as prominent platforms for behavior modification, and the digitization of online peer interactions has afforded researchers with unique opportunities to model multilevel mechanisms that drive behavior change. Existing studies, however, have been limited by a lack of methods that allow the capture of conversational context and socio-behavioral dynamics at scale, as manifested in these digital platforms. OBJECTIVE: We develop, evaluate, and apply a novel methodological framework, Pragmatics to Reveal Intent in Social Media (PRISM), to facilitate granular characterization of peer interactions by combining multidimensional facets of human communication. METHODS: We developed and applied PRISM to analyze peer interactions (N = 2.23 million) in QuitNet, an OHC for tobacco cessation. First, we generated a labeled set of peer interactions (n = 2,005) through manual annotation along three dimensions: communication themes (CTs), behavior change techniques (BCTs), and speech acts (SAs). Second, we used deep learning models to apply our qualitative codes at scale. Third, we applied our validated model to perform a retrospective analysis. Finally, using social network analysis (SNA), we portrayed large-scale patterns and relationships among the aforementioned communication dimensions embedded in peer interactions in QuitNet. RESULTS: Qualitative analysis showed that the themes of social support and behavioral progress were common. The most used BCTs were feedback and monitoring and comparison of behavior, and users most commonly expressed their intentions using SAs-expressive and emotion. With additional in-domain pre-training, bidirectional encoder representations from Transformers (BERT) outperformed other deep learning models on the classification tasks. Content-specific SNA revealed that users' engagement or abstinence status is associated with the prevalence of various categories of BCTs and SAs, which also was evident from the visualization of network structures. CONCLUSIONS: Our study describes the interplay of multilevel characteristics of online communication and their association with individual health behaviors.

Peri-operative tobacco cessation interventions: a systematic review and meta-analysis.

Tobacco smoking is associated with a substantially increased risk of postoperative complications. The peri-operative period offers a unique opportunity to support patients to stop tobacco smoking, avoid complications and improve long-term health. This systematic review provides an up-to-date summary of the evidence for tobacco cessation interventions in surgical patients. We conducted a systematic search of randomised controlled trials of tobacco cessation interventions in the peri-operative period. Quantitative synthesis of the abstinence outcomes data was by random-effects meta-analysis. The primary outcome of the meta-analysis was abstinence at the time of surgery, and the secondary outcome was abstinence at 12 months. Thirty-eight studies are included in the review (7310 randomised participants) and 26 studies are included in the meta-analysis (5969 randomised participants). Studies were pooled for subgroup analysis in two ways: by the timing of intervention delivery within the peri-operative period and by the intensity of the intervention protocol. We judged the quality of evidence as moderate, reflecting the degree of heterogeneity and the high risk of bias. Overall, peri-operative tobacco cessation interventions increased successful abstinence both at the time of surgery, risk ratio (95%CI) 1.48 (1.20-1.83), number needed to treat 7; and 12 months after surgery, risk ratio (95%CI) 1.62 (1.29-2.03), number needed to treat 9. More work is needed to inform the design and optimal delivery of interventions that are acceptable to patients and that can be incorporated into contemporary elective and urgent surgical pathways. Future trials should use standardised outcome measures.

Enhancing long-term smoking abstinence among individuals with a history of cervical intraepithelial neoplasia or cervical cancer (Project ACCESS): protocol for a randomized clinical trial.

BACKGROUND: The prevalence of smoking among cervical cancer survivors is high and evidence-based smoking cessation interventions are critically needed. This paper describes the study design, methods, and data analysis plans for a randomized clinical trial (RCT) designed to evaluate the efficacy of a novel, personally tailored SMS-delivered text-based digital treatment adjuvant designed to enhance the long-term efficacy of a "Motivation And Problem-Solving" (MAPS) approach for smoking cessation among individuals with a history of cervical intraepithelial neoplasia (CIN) or cervical cancer. MAPS is a phone counseling approach designed to facilitate long-term abstinence that comprises 6 counseling calls over 12 months. The current trial is evaluating the efficacy of MAPS+, which comprises all MAPS components plus a 24-month digital treatment adjuvant. This trial represents a logical extension of our previous RCT, which compared the efficacy of MAPS to a quitline control condition and found that MAPS resulted in greater than a 2-fold increase in smoking abstinence at 12 months (i.e., 26.4% vs. 11.9%). This treatment effect was no longer significant at 18 months, suggesting that efficacy dissipated as time from the end of treatment increased. The primary aim of the current trial is to compare the efficacy of MAPS + and ST in facilitating long-term abstinence. METHODS: Individuals who smoke and have a history of cervical cancer or CIN (N = 340) are recruited throughout Florida and randomly assigned to Standard Treatment [ST] or MAPS+. ST participants are electronically connected with the Florida Quitline. MAPS + consists of 6 proactive MAPS-based counseling calls over 12 months plus the novel, personally tailored, text message-based treatment adjuvant delivered over 24 months. All participants receive 12 weeks of combination nicotine replacement therapy (patch and lozenge) and are followed for 24 months. Participant recruitment commenced in December 2022 and is ongoing. DISCUSSION: This study builds on promising results from our recent trial which found that MAPS was associated with substantially higher abstinence from smoking at the end of the 12-month treatment period. Finding that this low-burden, personally tailored digital treatment adjuvant improves the long-term efficacy of MAPS would have important clinical and public health implications. TRIAL REGISTRATION: Clinical Trials Registry NCT05645146; https://clinicaltrials.gov/ct2/show/NCT05645146 ; Registered on December 9, 2022.

Development of a Virtual Human for Supporting Tobacco Cessation During the COVID-19 Pandemic.

People who consume tobacco are at greater risk of developing severe COVID-19. Unfortunately, the COVID-19 pandemic reduced the accessibility of tobacco cessation services as a result of necessary social restrictions. Innovations were urgently needed to support tobacco cessation during the pandemic. Virtual humans are artificially intelligent computer agents with a realistic, humanlike appearance. Virtual humans could be a scalable and engaging way to deliver tobacco cessation information and support. Florence, a virtual human health worker, was developed in collaboration with the World Health Organization to remotely support people toward tobacco cessation during the COVID-19 pandemic. Florence delivers evidence-based information, assists with making quit plans, and directs people to World Health Organization-recommended cessation services in their country. In this viewpoint, we describe the process of developing Florence. The development was influenced by a formative evaluation of data from 115 early users of Florence from 49 countries. In general, Florence was positively perceived; however, changes were requested to aspects of her design and content. In addition, areas for new content were identified (eg, for nonsmoker support persons). Virtual health workers could expand the reach of evidence-based tobacco cessation information and personalized support. However, as they are a new innovation in tobacco cessation, their efficacy, feasibility, and acceptability in this application needs to be evaluated, including in diverse populations.