Community-based study highlights the importance of recruiting homeless persons in smoking cessation trials

摘要

The prevalence of smoking remains high among the homeless populations. Approximately 70% of homeless persons are known to smoke, which is three-times the national USA average; however, smoking cessation studies usually exclude the homeless population. Therefore, novel evidence-based interventions are needed for this high-risk subpopulation of smokers.With this in mind, scientists at the University of Minnesota (MN, USA), Albert Einstein College of Medicine (NY, USA), University of Michigan (MI, USA), University of California Los Angeles (CA, USA) and Wilder Foundation (MN, USA) aimed to design the first ever smoking cessation clinical trial in the homeless population. The study, a two-group randomized community-based trial, enrolled 430 participants residing across eight homeless shelters and transitional housing units in Minnesota (MN, USA). The study aimed to test the efficacy of motivational interviewing for enhancing adherence to nicotine replacement therapy (NRT; nicotine patch) and smoking cessation outcomes.