A Novel Recruitment Message to Increase Enrollment Into a Smoking Cessation Treatment Program: Preliminary Results From a Randomized Trial

Abstract

Most smokers do not utilize approved interventions for nicotine dependence, reducing the probability of cessation. Smoking cessation programs typically use recruitment messages emphasizing the health threats of smoking. Augmenting this threat message by describing the genetic aspects of nicotine addiction may enhance enrollment into a cessation program. During telephone recruitment, 125 treatment-seeking smokers were randomized to receive by phone either a standard threat message or a threat plus genetic prime message and were offered open-label varenicline and counseling. There was a greater rate of enrollment into the cessation program for the threat plus genetic prime participants (51.7%) versus the threat-only participants (37.7%; p = .03). Smokers who self-identified from racial/ethnic minority groups were less likely to enroll in the cessation program (p = .01) versus smokers who self-identified as Caucasian. These preliminary data suggest that a simple, affordable, and transportable communication approach enhances enrollment of smokers into a smoking cessation program. A larger clinical trial to evaluate a genetic prime message for improving recruitment into smoking cessation programs is warranted.

ACKNOWLEDGMENTS

This research was supported by a Commonwealth of Pennsylvania Department of Health grant (SAP 4100027297), by a National Cancer Institute Center of Excellence in Cancer Communication Research grant (P20 CA95856-07), and by National Cancer Institute and National Institute on Drug Abuse grants (P50 CA/DA84718 and P50 CA143187). Pfizer provided the study medication free of charge.