The investigators are asking professional firefighters across North Carolina to take part in focus groups to discuss the specific needs of firefighters in smokeless tobacco cessation. About 40 firefighters will take part in the focus groups. The purpose of the focus groups is to learn how firefighting and shift work impact smokeless tobacco use and risk perceptions related to chew or dip. Using their feedback, the study team will then develop a cessation program specifically geared towards firefighters and first responders. The cessation program will be a mobile text / chat intervention specifically tailored to needs of firefighters and first responders who wish to stop using smokeless tobacco. About 50 firefighters and first responders will take part in this program, while being randomized into either the intervention group or the control group.
Study Type
INTERVENTIONAL
Allocation
RANDOMIZED
Purpose
TREATMENT
Masking
NONE
Enrollment
60
Participants in this intervention will be given the choice of following the Gradual Reduction to Quit program or to choose their own quit date within 2-4 weeks. The Gradual Reduction to Quit program will reduce smokeless tobacco use via text message support and weekly prompts guiding the participants to gradually decrease their use of smokeless tobacco until they are down to zero. A four week Nicotine Replacement Therapy (NRT) sample in the form of lozenges will also be provided to all participants. The intent of this program is to reduce the number of times participants use smokeless tobacco.
Participants will be sent the Enuf Snuff cessation manual, support text messages, as well as a four week Nicotine Replacement Therapy (NRT) sample in the form of lozenges.
Duke University
Durham, North Carolina, United States
Number of First Responders Recruited Who Completed a Screening Assessment
Time frame: Within 3 months of the initiation of study recruitment
First Responders Who Met the Study Eligibility Criteria, Were Enrolled, and Randomized to a Treatment Arm
Time frame: Within 3 months of the initiation of study recruitment
Percent of Participants Engaged With the Program as Measured by Completion of the End of Program Questionnaire
Study engagement defined as completing the End of Intervention Program assessment.
Time frame: 30 days following the end of the 10-week intervention
Number of Participants Who Stated Intervention Was Useful as Measured by Questionnaire
Usefulness was measured on a scale of 1-5, where 1=Not at all useful, 2=Somewhat useful, 3=Undecided, 4=Very useful, 5=Extremely useful. Ratings were dichotomized for the analysis as 0=no (not at all, somewhat, undecided) or 1=yes (very, extremely useful).
Time frame: 30 days following the end of the 10-week intervention
Number of Participants Who Stated That #EnufSnuff.TXT Intervention Was Helpful as Measured by Questionnaire
Helpfulness was measured on a scale of 1-5 where 1=not at all, 2=somewhat, 3=Undecided, 4=very, 5=extremely. Ratings were dichotomized for the analysis as 0=no (not at all, somewhat, undecided) and 1=yes (very, extremely).
Time frame: 30 days following the end of the 10-week intervention
Number of Participants Who Stated Intervention Made Them Consider Quitting as Measured by Questionnaire
Considered quitting was measured on a scale of 1-5, where 1=Not at all useful, 2=Somewhat useful, 3=Undecided, 4=Very useful, 5=Extremely useful. Ratings were dichotomized for the analysis as 0=no (not at all, somewhat, undecided) or 1=yes (very, extremely useful).
Time frame: 30 days following the end of the 10-week intervention
Number of Participants Who Stated They Would Recommend Program to a Friend as Measured by Questionnaire
Recommend to friend was measured on a scale of 1-5, where 1=Not at all useful, 2=Somewhat useful, 3=Undecided, 4=Very useful, 5=Extremely useful. Ratings were then dichotomized for the analysis as 0=no (not at all, somewhat, undecided) or 1=yes (very, extremely useful).
Time frame: 30 days following the end of the 10-week intervention
Number of Participants Who Quit Smokeless Tobacco Measured by Self Report
Quit was determined by the self-report response (yes or no) to the question, "In the past 7 days, have you used any dip?"
Time frame: 30 days following the end of the 10-week intervention
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