A Pilot/Feasibility Study of the Buckeye Quit Stick: A Novel Resource for Successful Tobacco Cessation

This clinical trial evaluates the feasibility of a novel tobacco cessation resource called a Buckeye Quit Stick among smokers with a diagnosed or suspected thoracic cancer. Tobacco use is the single most preventable cause of disease, disability, and death in the United States. While the benefits of quitting smoking are numerous, rates of persistent smoking after cancer diagnosis remain high. Research has found that patients who quit smoking but subsequently relapse frequently report the hand/oral habit as a barrier to sustained smoking cessation. The Buckeye Quit Stick is an innovative cessation aid designed to directly address patients' hand/oral habit by substituting the cessation aid for cigarettes without integrating pharmacologic intervention, which is typically managed by their medical provider and may require direct supervision due to the patient's health status. The Buckeye Quit Stick is designed to satisfy the repeated hand/oral pattern or ritual, thereby avoiding the physical loss of holding a cigarette in the hand or mouth and the action of smoking. It may also help occupy fidgeting hands and potentially reduce stress and cravings. This novel cessation resource may address key factors that influence smoking abstinence and improve patients' health outcomes.