Feasibility of a Spanish/English computerized decision aid to facilitate smoking cessation efforts in underserved communities.

INTRODUCTION

People with poor access to medical care are more likely to smoke but are less likely to receive nicotine dependence treatment.

OBJECTIVE

To assess preliminary outcomes of a computer-based, bilingual smoking cessation decision-aid to facilitate utilization of resources.

METHODS

A computer kiosk with a smoking cessation decision-aid was integrated at three safety-net clinics and two health fairs. The kiosk queries participants about smoking behaviors, guides them to set a quit date and select treatment, provides printed materials, and prompts fax-referral to quitline.

RESULTS

Among the 163 smokers referred to the kiosk, 78.5% participated in the study and 30% completed the kiosk in Spanish. Few had previously used cessation resources. During completion of the decision-aid, 95.3% requested pharmacotherapy, and 70.3% opted for counseling. Among those reached for two-month follow-up (69.5%), 20.2% reported they had quit smoking.

CONCLUSION

Spanish/English computerized decision aids are feasible and can facilitate the use of effective treatments for smoking cessation among underserved smokers.