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Accepted for/Published in: JMIR Formative Research

Date Submitted: Dec 8, 2017
Open Peer Review Period: Dec 9, 2017 - Apr 17, 2018
Date Accepted: Apr 17, 2018
(closed for review but you can still tweet)

The final, peer-reviewed published version of this preprint can be found here:

Feasibility of a Proactive Text Messaging Intervention for Smokers in Community Health Centers: Pilot Study

Kruse G, Kelley JH, Chase K, Rigotti NA

Feasibility of a Proactive Text Messaging Intervention for Smokers in Community Health Centers: Pilot Study

JMIR Form Res 2018;2(1):e11

DOI: 10.2196/formative.9608

PMID: 30506038

PMCID: 6261471

Feasibility of a Proactive Text Messaging Intervention for Smokers in Community Health Centers: Pilot Study

  • Gina Kruse; 
  • Jennifer HK Kelley; 
  • Karen Chase; 
  • Nancy A Rigotti

ABSTRACT

Background:

Few smokers receive evidence-based cessation services during primary care visits.

Objective:

We aimed to assess the feasibility of a proactive text messaging program for primary care patients who smoke.

Methods:

We used electronic health records to identify smokers who had a mobile phone number listed from two community health centers in Massachusetts. Between March 2014 and June 2015, patients were screened by their primary care physician and then sent a proactive text message inviting them to enroll by texting back. Patients who opted in were asked about their readiness to quit. The text message program included messages from the QuitNowTXT library and novel content for smokers who were not ready to quit.

Results:

Among 949 eligible smokers, 88 (9.3%) enrolled after receiving a single proactive text message. Compared with those who did not enroll, enrollees were more often female (54/88, 61% vs 413/861, 48.0%, P=.02), but otherwise did not differ in age, race, insurance status, or comorbidities. In all, 28% (19/67) of enrollees reported they were not ready to quit in the next 30 days, 61% (41/67) were ready to quit, and 11% (7/67) already quit. The median time in the program was 9 days (interquartile range 2-32 days). Of current smokers, 25% (15/60) sent one or more keyword requests to the server. These did not differ by readiness to quit.

Conclusions:

A proactively delivered text messaging program targeting primary care patients who smoke was feasible and engaged both smokers ready to quit and those not ready to quit. This method shows promise as part of a population health model for addressing tobacco use outside of the primary care office.


 Citation

Please cite as:

Kruse G, Kelley JH, Chase K, Rigotti NA

Feasibility of a Proactive Text Messaging Intervention for Smokers in Community Health Centers: Pilot Study

JMIR Form Res 2018;2(1):e11

DOI: 10.2196/formative.9608

PMID: 30506038

PMCID: 6261471

Per the author's request the PDF is not available.

© The authors. All rights reserved. This is a privileged document currently under peer-review/community review (or an accepted/rejected manuscript). Authors have provided JMIR Publications with an exclusive license to publish this preprint on it's website for review and ahead-of-print citation purposes only. While the final peer-reviewed paper may be licensed under a cc-by license on publication, at this stage authors and publisher expressively prohibit redistribution of this draft paper other than for review purposes.