Accepted for/Published in: JMIR Formative Research
Date Submitted: Jun 16, 2020
Date Accepted: Apr 13, 2021
Warning: This is an author submission that is not peer-reviewed or edited. Preprints - unless they show as "accepted" - should not be relied on to guide clinical practice or health-related behavior and should not be reported in news media as established information.
“Tell herself she is not weak, she can do this”: A qualitative study of peer messages written by African American Smokers responding to hypothetical challenges of other African American smokers
ABSTRACT
Background:
Although African Americans have the lowest rates of smoking onset and progression to daily smoking, they are less likely to achieve long-term cessation. Few smoking cessation interventions have targeted them. A peer messaging intervention that reflects shared experiences and allows smokers to easily identify with the message content may be particularly beneficial to African American smokers.
Objective:
We conducted a thematic analysis of health motivational messages written by African American smokers to peers.
Methods:
We recruited African American smokers (n=50) online via ResearchMatch between April 2017 and November 2017. We asked African American smokers to write advice to their peers in response to smoking-related scenarios. We collected data on sociodemographic, smoking behaviors, and barriers to quitting. Thematic analysis was conducted; thus, respondents' own terms and semantics were used to develop theme definitions.
Results:
Most of the African American smokers were thinking about quitting (58%) and 28% had set a quit date. 26% of these smokers had used e-cigarettes some days or every day in the past 30 days (74%), and most of them (59%) used e-cigarettes to quit or cut down on smoking. The most frequent theme reflected in peer-written messages was behavioral strategies, such as use of distraction strategies for quitting (84/318). The second most frequent theme was seeking help, such as seeking help from family and friends or individuals in social network (56/318). Messages also reflected use of mindfulness, religious or spiritual practices, improvements in quality of life, and attitudes and expectations.
Conclusions:
The peer messages written by African American smokers included motivational messages, behavioral strategies to address barriers to quitting, and encouraged seeking help from family and friends, former smokers, and from providers. The messages aligned with evidence-based practices and relevant to smokers at all phases of cessation. Peer-written messages could be a valuable tool in smoking cessation interventions designed to target African American smokers.
Citation
