Accepted for/Published in: JMIR Formative Research
Date Submitted: Feb 18, 2021
Date Accepted: Jan 29, 2022
Direct Outreach in Bars and Clubs to Enroll Cigarette Smokers in Mobile Cessation Services
ABSTRACT
Background:
Quitxt is a mobile smoking cessation service delivered through text messaging (SMS) and Facebook Messenger chat. Cigarette smoking and alcohol use are well known to be concomitant behaviors, however there is a lack of studies related to recruitment of smokers for mobile cessation services at places where alcohol is consumed, such as bars and clubs. Adapting recruitment strategies to expand the program reach where tobacco users are may help decrease the gap in health equity among minorities.
Objective:
The purpose of this exploratory study was to assess the feasibility of direct outreach at bars, clubs and restaurants to as a strategy to recruit smokers to our mobile Quitxt program.
Methods:
We collaborated with an advertising agency to recruit young adult smokers aged 18-29, focusing on urban & rural Spanish speaking Latinos, as well as English speaking rural Caucasians and African Americans. Street team members were recruited and trained in a four-hour session including a brief introduction to the public health importance of cigarette smoking and the aims of the project. The street team made face to face contact with smokers in and near smoking areas in 25 bars, clubs, and other venues frequented by young smokers in urban San Antonio and nearby rural areas.
Results:
The 3,923 interactions by street teams produced 317 program enrollments (8%). Most participants were English speakers with a mean age of 29 years, 63% were women, about 57% were Hispanic/Latino, with a mean of 8 cigarettes smoked per day. Among users ready to make a quit attempt, 26% reported one tobacco free day and 15% reported maintaining cessation to achieve one week without smoking. Response rate to later follow-up questions were low.
Conclusions:
Direct outreach in bars and clubs is a useful method for connecting young adult cigarette smokers with mobile cessation services. However, to learn more about how mobile services can influence long term smoking cessation, incentives are evidently required to obtain useful response rates. Clinical Trial: N/A
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