Department of Prevention and Community Health, George Washington University, Washington, DC, USA.
Department of Population Health, New York University Grossman School of Medicine, New York University Langone Health, New York, NY, USA.
Nicotine Tob Res. 2021 Aug 18;23(9):1597-1601. doi: 10.1093/ntr/ntab036.
Automated text messaging programs have been studied as a treatment tool, but have not been studied as an outreach tool to increase the reach of smoking cessation treatment.
Two distinct text messaging programs were developed. One was aimed at connecting smokers to quitline phone counseling via text message (Text4Coach [T4C]) and the other was aimed at connecting smokers to a smoking cessation text messaging program (Text&Quit [T&Q]). Adult daily smokers with Medicaid insurance (N = 80) were recruited from the Emergency Department at an urban hospital and randomized to T4C or T&Q. The primary outcome was program reach.
Outreach text messages were found to have moderately high uptake, with the majority of participants (63.8%) opting into their assigned tobacco treatment program and younger and female participants more likely to opt in (p < .01). Receipt of the treatment portion of the program differed among the programs with 67.5% of T&Q receiving the treatment program and 27.5% of T4C receiving the program (p < .001). Most participants across both groups replied to at least one message (71.3%) and very few unsubscribed from the service over the 3-week trial. The majority of participants reported overall satisfaction with their program (63.8%), found it helpful for quitting smoking (60.0%) and would recommend the program to a friend (62.5%). Overall, 11 (13.8%) participants reported being abstinent from smoking for the past 7 days at follow-up, with no differences between groups.
Outreach text messages were found to have moderately high reach among Medicaid smokers. Larger trials are needed to evaluate the impact of such programs on helping low-income smokers quit.
Automated text messaging programs have been tested as a treatment tool, but have not been tested as an outreach tool to increase the reach of smoking cessation treatment. This study tests a new way of conducting outreach to smokers in a health system through text messages. It tests the effect of outreach on (1) rates of opting in and (2) successful treatment delivery. Results may inform new models of providing outreach for tobacco treatment in health systems.
自动化文本消息程序已被研究作为一种治疗工具，但尚未被研究作为一种外展工具，以增加戒烟治疗的覆盖面。
开发了两个不同的短信程序。一个旨在通过短信将吸烟者与戒烟热线电话咨询联系起来（Text4Coach [T4C]），另一个旨在将吸烟者与戒烟短信程序联系起来（Text&Quit [T&Q]）。从一家城市医院的急诊室招募了有医疗补助保险的成年每日吸烟者（N = 80），并将他们随机分配到 T4C 或 T&Q。主要结果是计划的覆盖范围。
发现外展短信的参与度较高，大多数参与者（63.8%）选择了他们指定的烟草治疗计划，年轻和女性参与者更有可能选择（p <.01）。不同计划中收到治疗部分的程序不同，T&Q 中有 67.5%收到治疗计划，而 T4C 中有 27.5%收到计划（p <.001）。两个组的大多数参与者都至少回复了一条消息（71.3%），并且在 3 周的试验中很少有取消订阅服务的。大多数参与者报告对他们的计划总体满意（63.8%），认为它有助于戒烟（60.0%），并愿意将该计划推荐给朋友（62.5%）。总体而言，11 名（13.8%）参与者在随访时报告过去 7 天内没有吸烟，两组之间没有差异。
在医疗补助吸烟者中，外展短信的覆盖面较高。需要更大的试验来评估此类计划对帮助低收入吸烟者戒烟的影响。
自动化文本消息程序已被测试作为一种治疗工具，但尚未被测试作为一种外展工具，以增加戒烟治疗的覆盖面。本研究测试了一种通过短信向卫生系统中的吸烟者进行外展的新方法。它测试了外展对（1）选择加入的比率和（2）成功治疗交付的效果。结果可能为在卫生系统中为烟草治疗提供外展提供新的模式。
