Evaluation of a Smoking Cessation Program in Workplaces in Hong Kong: a Pragmatic Randomized Controlled Trial on Mobile Phone-Based Intervention on Smoking Cessation and Reducing Mental Health Symptoms
Trial Snapshot
- Phase
- Not Applicable
- Status
- Active, not recruiting
- Sponsor
- The University of Hong Kong
- Enrollment
- 300
- Locations
- 1
- Primary Endpoint
- Self-reported 7-day point prevalence quit rate
Study Overview
Brief Summary
Smoking causes cardiovascular and respiratory diseases, cancers and diabetes, and it has been a leading risk factor for death globally. Despite the availability of smoking cessation services locally, most smokers do not use such services. Workplace is one of the most convenient platforms to provide smoking cessation services and over 55% of smokers are employed according to the local population-based survey. Moreover, The COVID-19 pandemic and new normal increase in mental health burden to people in the workplace. An online survey during the pandemic found 88% of Hong Kong employees suffered from stress at work during the past 7 days. Mental health can be both precursors and consequences of smoking. However, the effectiveness of a smoking cessation programme conducted in workplace is yet to be examined in Hong Kong, and the mental health support for smoking employees in promoting smoking cessation is not clear. Thus, this study aims to test, by a 2-arm RCT, the effectiveness of an intervention of which includes mobile phone-based intervention on reducing mental health symptoms and smoking cessation in workplaces in Hong Kong; identify facilitators and barriers of successful policy implementation and quitting; examine and evaluate the company environment and their policies in promoting smoking cessation.
Detailed Description
This study will separate into two phases. Phase I is a large scale cross-sectional survey of corporations in Hong Kong to examine the employers' knowledge, attitudes and practices in promoting SC in the workplace. Phase II is a 2-arm randomized controlled trial that will be conducted to examine the effectiveness of mobile phone-based intervention combined with company health talk, brief phone counselling and nicotine replacement therapy sampling, for SC in workplaces.
Data analyses
Phase I:
Descriptive statistics will be used to analyze the (1) profile of the corporations, including the total number of employees and smoking employees; (2) employers/managerial staff's knowledge on smoking; (3) employers/managerial staff's attitudes on smoking cessation; (4) practices of the companies with respect to smoking cessation.
Phase II:
Study Design
- Study Type
- Interventional
- Allocation
- Randomized
- Intervention Model
- Parallel
- Primary Purpose
- Health Services Research
- Masking
- Single (Outcomes Assessor)
Eligibility Criteria
- Ages
- 18 Years to — (Adult, Older Adult)
- Sex
- All
- Accepts Healthy Volunteers
- Yes
Inclusion Criteria
- •Hong Kong residents aged 18 or above
- •Smoke at least 1 cigarette per day or use e-cigarette (EC) or heated tobacco product (HTP) daily
- •PSS-4 score ≥ 6, or GAD-2 score≥ 3, or PHQ-2 score≥ 3
- •Able to communicate in Cantonese/Mandarin and read Chinese
- •Able to use instant messaging tool (e.g. WhatsApp) for communication.
- •Stay in Hong Kong during the intervention and follow-up periods (12 months)
Exclusion Criteria
- •Smokers who are psychologically or physically unable to communicate
- •Currently following other smoking cessation program(s)
- •Smokers who have severe mental illness
Arms & Interventions
Intervention
Personalized chat-based support and nicotine replacement therapy sampling (NRT-S) for continued smokers at 6 months for intervention group
Intervention: General health talk (Behavioral)
Intervention
Personalized chat-based support and nicotine replacement therapy sampling (NRT-S) for continued smokers at 6 months for intervention group
Intervention: Personalized chat-based interactions (Behavioral)
Intervention
Personalized chat-based support and nicotine replacement therapy sampling (NRT-S) for continued smokers at 6 months for intervention group
Intervention: Phone follow-up/counselling service (Behavioral)
Intervention
Personalized chat-based support and nicotine replacement therapy sampling (NRT-S) for continued smokers at 6 months for intervention group
Intervention: Mailed nicotine replacement therapy (NRT) (Drug)
Control
Regular text-based support and nicotine replacement therapy sampling (NRT-S) for continued smokers at 6 months for control group
Intervention: General health talk (Behavioral)
Control
Regular text-based support and nicotine replacement therapy sampling (NRT-S) for continued smokers at 6 months for control group
Intervention: Text message (Behavioral)
Control
Regular text-based support and nicotine replacement therapy sampling (NRT-S) for continued smokers at 6 months for control group
Intervention: Phone follow-up/counselling service (Behavioral)
Control
Regular text-based support and nicotine replacement therapy sampling (NRT-S) for continued smokers at 6 months for control group
Intervention: Mailed nicotine replacement therapy (NRT) (Drug)
Outcomes
Primary Outcomes
Self-reported 7-day point prevalence quit rate
Time Frame: 6-month
Smokers who did not smoke even a puff in the 7 days preceding the follow-up
Secondary Outcomes
- Self-reported anxiety symptoms(6-, 9-, and 12-month)
- Self-reported 7-day point prevalence quit rate(9-,12-month)
- Self-rated health(6-, 9-, and 12-month)
- Self-reported perceived stress(6-, 9-, and 12-month)
- Self-reported depression symptoms(6-, 9-, and 12-month)
- Self-reported reduction cigarette rate(6-, 9-, and 12-month)
- Biochemical validation of smoking status(6-, 9-, and 12-month)
Investigators
Dr. Wang Man-Ping
Associate Professor
The University of Hong Kong