Efficacy of Cell Phone-Delivered Smoking Cessation Counseling for Persons Living With HIV/AIDS: 3-Month Outcomes

Abstract

Substantial evidence indicates that cigarette smoking among people living with HIV/AIDS (PLWHA) represents a significant public health concern. However, few efforts to assess smoking cessation interventions targeting this population have been reported. In this brief report, 3-month outcomes from an ongoing treatment trial for PLWHA who smoke are described. Study participants were recruited from a large HIV care center serving a diverse population of PLWHA. A two-group randomized design was used to compare the efficacy of usual-care (UC) smoking cessation treatment versus a cell phone intervention (CPI). Follow-ups were conducted at the HIV clinic 3 months postenrollment. Using an intent-to-treat approach, a series of multiple regression models were used to compare smoking outcomes in the 2 groups. Four hundred and seventy-four participants were enrolled and randomized, UC (n = 238) and CPI (n = 236). Mean age in the sample was 44.8 (SD = 8.1) years, and the majority were male (70.0%), Black (76.6%), and had an education level of high school or less (77.5%). At follow-up, participants in the CPI group were 4.3 (95% CI = 1.9, 9.8) times more likely to be abstinent (7 day) compared with those in the UC group. Similarly, significant point estimates were observed for the other smoking outcomes of interest. Findings from this preliminary report indicate that a smoking cessation intervention for PLWHA consisting of cell phone-delivered proactive counseling results in significantly higher abstinence rates compared with a standard care approach. Evaluation of the long-term (6-month and 12-month) efficacy of the CPI approach is ongoing.