A pilot study of a smoking cessation intervention for women living with HIV: study protocol

Sun S Kim, Sabreen Darwish, Sang A Lee, Rosanna F DeMarco Department of Nursing, College of Nursing and Health Sciences, University of Massachusetts Boston, Boston, MA, USA Background: Prevalence of cigarette smoking is substantially higher among people living with human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) than the general population in the USA. Women living with HIV (WLHIV) who smoke are at higher risk of developing acquired immunodeficiency syndrome and have a higher mortality rate than nonsmoking WLHIV. Compared to men, women generally require more intensive counseling for smoking cessation. The primary aim of this study is to examine the acceptability and feasibility of a videoconferencing smoking cessation intervention that is tailored to the specific needs of WLHIV. Methods: A total of 50 WLHIV will be randomized at a ratio of 1:1 to either a videoconferencing or a telephone counseling arm. Both arms have the same cessation intervention, that is, eight weekly individualized counseling sessions of 30-minute cognitive behavioral therapy plus active nicotine patches for 8 weeks. The only difference between the two arms is the delivery mode of the counseling, that is, telephone video call vs. telephone voice call. Data collection is scheduled at baseline and three follow-up points: 1, 3, and 6 months from the target quit day. Data will be analyzed using STATA 14. The primary outcome is a 6-month prolonged abstinence. Home-based salivary cotinine test will be conducted to verify self-reported smoking abstinence using a NicAlert® test strip, while a research coordinator monitors the whole process by a telephone video call. Conclusion: The study is a two-arm parallel-group pilot clinical trial of a smoking cessation intervention. It attempts to examine whether videoconferencing smoking cessation intervention will be acceptable and feasible for WLHIV and will yield a better cessation outcome than telephone counseling intervention. Findings may have the potential to identify effective intervention strategies that will reduce and eliminate health disparities in tobacco control among WLHIV. Keywords: HIV, women, smoking cessation, videoconferencing, biochemical validation