PMCAN for Smokers at Smoking Hotspots

The University of Hong Kong (HKU)

Status

Completed

Conditions

Smoking Cessation

Treatments

Drug: Nicotine Replacement Therapy (NRT)

Other: Health warning leaflet

Behavioral: Minimal Cessation Advice (MCA)

Study type

Interventional

Funder types

Other

Identifiers

NCT02935231

PMCANp_2016

Details and patient eligibility

About

Background: Many smokers cannot quit due to nicotine withdrawal symptoms, which peak at the first week of abstinence. Proactive recruitment of smokers is needed as most smokers do not seek smoking cessation (SC) services. A smoking hotspot (SH) is defined as a public outdoor place where smokers stop/linger and smoke. We aim to include a reasonably "representative" or unbiased sample of SH at different locations from all 3 regions of Hong Kong. We will randomly select 6 eligible SH (2 in each regions) from the 15 hotspots in our previous community trial.

Methods: Two trained SC ambassadors (student helpers) and one supervisor (experienced research assistant) will be deployed for each session of intervention at a SH. Potential subjects will be approached using the "a-foot-into-the-door" method in which SC ambassador will ask if smoker would like to reduce/quit smoking and receive SC intervention or advices. Smokers will be assessed for eligibility and informed written consent will be sought. Subjects will complete a brief self-administered questionnaire (baseline) using tablet. To reduce later hang-ups of telephone interventions or surveys, SC ambassador will save contact number of the trial into subjects' mobile phones.

Discussion: The findings will provide much needed and original evidence to support a main RCT on these new, proactive, simple and low-cost interventions for improving current SC services and policy for smokers who do not actively seek help from SC services in Hong Kong and elsewhere.

Enrollment

32 patients

Sex

All

Ages

18+ years old

Volunteers

Accepts Healthy Volunteers

Inclusion criteria

Adult smokers aged 18+ who smoke cigarettes daily.
Exhaled carbon monoxide (CO) level of 4ppm or above.
Hong Kong residents able to read and communicate in Chinese (Cantonese or Putonghua)

Exclusion criteria

Smokers who have contraindication for NRT use: severe angina, arrhythmia, myocardia infraction, pregnancy (or intended to become pregnant <6 months) or breastfeeding.
Smokers who have psychiatric/psychological diseases or regular psychotropic medications
Smokers who are using SC medication, NRT, other SC services or projects.

Trial design

Primary purpose

Treatment

Allocation

Randomized

Interventional model

Parallel Assignment

Masking

Single Blind

32 participants in 4 patient groups

Nicotine Replacement Therapy

Experimental group

Description:

This experimental group receives health warning leaflet, 1-week free nicotine replacement therapy (gum/patch), a card containing instruction and potential side effects and follow-up intervention if they have the above side effects at 3-, 7- and 10-days.

Treatment:

Other: Health warning leaflet

Drug: Nicotine Replacement Therapy (NRT)

Minimal Cessation Advice & Nicotine Replacement Therapy

Experimental group

Description:

This experimental group receives brief smoking cessation advice using AWARD model with a health warning leaflet, 1-week free nicotine replacement therapy (gum/patch), a card containing instruction and potential side effects and follow-up intervention if they have the above side effects at 3-, 7- and 10-days.

Treatment:

Behavioral: Minimal Cessation Advice (MCA)

Other: Health warning leaflet

Drug: Nicotine Replacement Therapy (NRT)

Minimal Cessation Advice

Experimental group

Description:

This experimental group receives brief smoking cessation advice using AWARD model with a health warning leaflet.

Treatment:

Behavioral: Minimal Cessation Advice (MCA)

Other: Health warning leaflet

Control