Abstract
Introduction
Mobile health interventions are a promising mode to address tobacco-related disparities among Latinos, the largest minority group and the highest users of text messaging technology. The purpose of this pilot study was to assess engagement in a smoking cessation intervention delivered via text message (Kick Buts) among Latino smokers.
Methods
We relied on a community-based recruitment strategy to enroll 20 Latino smokers in Kick Buts. Outcome measures included biochemically verified abstinence at 12 weeks, participant text messaging interactivity with the program, and satisfaction.
Results
Participants’ mean age was 40.7 years old (SD=14.6). Most of the participants were male (70%), did not have health insurance (75%), and reported low nicotine-dependence (60%). The majority of participants (75%) sent at least one text message to the program. On average, participants who interacted with the program sent 31.8 (SD=39.7) text messages. Eight themes were identified in participants’ messages (eg, well-being, self-efficacy, strategies to quit, extra-treatment social support, etc). At 12 weeks, 30% of the participants were biochemically verified as abstinent.
Conclusion
A smoking cessation text message intervention generated high engagement among Latinos and resulted in noteworthy cessation rates. Future studies should assess the relationship of text messaging interactions with psychological effects (eg, intra-treatment social support, therapeutic alliance, and perceived autonomy support).
Acknowledgments
This work was supported by a Clinical and Translational Science Award (CTSA) grant from the National Center for Advancing Translational Sciences (NCATS) awarded to the University of Kansas Medical Center for Frontiers: The Heartland Institute for Clinical and Translational Research (#UL1TR000001). The contents are solely the responsibility of the authors and do not necessarily represent the official views of the US National Institutes of Health (NIH) or NCATS.
This study would not have been possible without the help from our research team (Kendra Cruz, MPH; Mitzi Ramirez, BS; and Drew Cox, BS), our community health workers (Catalina Reyes, Lucia Martinez, and Norma Molina), and Agile Health Inc., the text messaging company (Gary Slagle, Scott Werntz, Vova Kagan, and Julieta Rodriguez).
An abstract of this paper was presented at the 22nd Annual Meeting of the Society for Research on Nicotine and Tobacco as a poster presentation with interim findings. The poster’s abstract was published in the Society for Research on Nicotine and Tobacco 2016 Rapid Response Abstracts, and is available at: https://cdn.ymaws.com/www.srnt.org/resource/resmgr/Conferences/2016_Annual_Meeting/Program/SRNT_2016_Rapids_WEB2.pdf.
Disclosure
The authors report no conflicts of interest in this work.