Characteristics of callers accessing the tobacco cessation quitline in mainland China

Usage, acceptability, and preliminary effectiveness of an mHealth-based integrated modality for smoking cessation interventions in Western China

INTRODUCTION

Many smokers have not accessed professional smoking cessation assistance due to limited smoking cessation services. We developed a novel mHealth-based integrated modality for smoking cessation (WeChat + Quitline modality, WQ modality) and applied it to a large public welfare project (China Western-QUIT Program) in western China. This study evaluated the usage, acceptability, and preliminary effectiveness of the WQ modality in the population of western China.

METHODS

A prospective cohort study was conducted between April and August 2021. Smokers or their relatives were recruited through online advertisements and medical staff referrals. After using the services of the WQ modality for one month, the self-reported awareness, use, and satisfaction with each service among the participants were collected by a telephone interview. We also evaluated the self-reported 7-day point prevalence of abstinence (PPA) and quit attempt rate among baseline current smokers. The usage data of each service were downloaded from quitline and WeChat platforms.

RESULTS

Of the 17326 people from western China using the WQ modality, the largest number of users was WeChat official account (11173), followed by WeChat mini program (3734), WeChat group (669), and quitline (541 inbound calls, 605 outbound calls). At one month follow-up, over 70% of participants who completed the baseline survey (n=2221) were aware of WeChat-based services, and over 50% used them. However, the awareness rate (11.1%) and utilization rate (0.5%) of quitline were relatively low. The median satisfaction scores across all services were 9 out of 10 points (IQR: 8-9). Among the baseline current smokers (n=1257), self-reported 7-day PPA was 41.8% (526/1257), and another 225 smokers (17.9%) reported making a quit attempt.

CONCLUSIONS

The WQ modality could be well used and accepted, and it has great potential to motivate and aid short-term smoking cessation in smokers from western China.

Patients' self-reported receipt of brief smoking cessation interventions based on a decision support tool embedded in the healthcare information system of a large general hospital in China

INTRODUCTION

Healthcare information systems (HIS) are used to aid healthcare providers delivering brief smoking cessation interventions. However, evidence regarding the effectiveness of intervention models in developing countries remains limited. A smoking cessation intervention model based on a decision support tool embedded in HIS (an ‘e-information model’, including Ask, Advise, Assess, Inform, Refer and Print components) was applied in a large urban general hospital in Beijing, China. The current study was a preliminary evaluation of the implementation and effectiveness of this model.

METHODS

We conducted a retrospective investigation in the outpatient department of the hospital in the period June–July 2017. Using a paper questionnaire, patients’ self-reported receipt of the e-information model in the past 2 months and their plans to quit within 1 month were collected. Multivariate logistic regression analysis was used to examine the association between receiving the e-information model and patients’ plans to quit.

RESULTS

Among 656 currently smoking patients, the proportion of patients receiving the Ask, Advise, Assess, Refer and Print components were 73.2%, 65.4%, 49.8%, 16.0% and 10.4%, respectively. The results revealed a dose-response relationship between the number of components received and the proportion of patients planning to quit (p-trend=0.006). The likelihood of patients planning to quit within 1 month was highest among those receiving all five components (OR=2.79, 95% CI: 1.31–5.94). Moreover, a simplified model composed of two or three components also revealed a potential effect on increasing the proportion of patients planning to quit.

CONCLUSIONS

The e-information model was applied effectively in the study hospital and appeared to encourage patients to plan to quit smoking. This model could be generalized to other hospitals in China and other developing countries. However, many components of this model were less utilized, and comprehensive measures will be required to improve its application in the future.

Are Chinese pediatricians missing the opportunity to help parents quit smoking?

Background

Secondhand smoke (SHS) exposure of children due to parental tobacco use is a particularly prevalent health issue and is associated with adverse health outcomes. Following the US Clinical Practice guidelines, pediatricians in the United States deliver 5A’s (ask, advise, assess, assist, and arrange) counseling to smoking parents which has proven to be effective. We examined Chinese pediatricians’ adherence to the clinical practice guidelines for smoking cessation (i.e. 5A’s counseling practices) with smoking parents, and identified factors associated with these practices.

Methods

A cross-sectional paper-and-pencil survey of pediatricians was conducted in twelve conveniently selected southern Chinese hospitals. Factors associated with any of the 5A’s smoking cessation counseling practices were identified by logistic regression.

Results

Of respondents (504/550), only 26 % routinely provided 5A’s smoking cessation counseling to smoking parents. More than 80 % of pediatricians didn’t receive formal training in smoking cessation and had not read China smoking cessation guidelines; 24 % reported being “very confident” in discussing smoking or SHS reduction with parents. Pediatricians who had never smoked (OR: 2.29, CI:1.02-5.12), received training in smoking cessation (OR: 2.50, CI:1.40-4.48), had read China smoking cessation guidelines (OR: 2.17, CI:1.10-4.26), and felt very (OR: 7.12, CI:2.45-20.70) or somewhat (OR: 3.05, CI:1.11-8.37) confident in delivering cessation counseling were more likely to practice 5A’s. Pediatricians who reported “it is hard to find a time to talk with parents” (OR: 0.32, CI: 0.11-0.92) or “lack of a standard of care requiring pediatricians to provide smoking cessation or SHS exposure reduction intervention” (OR: 0.45, CI: 0.21-0.98) as a barrier were less likely to follow the 5A’s guidelines.

Conclusions

Smoking cessation counseling to address parental smoking is infrequent among Chinese pediatricians. There is a need to develop and test intervention strategies to improve the delivery of 5A’s smoking cessation counseling to parental smokers.

Factors influencing tobacco use treatment patterns among Vietnamese health care providers working in community health centers

Background

Almost half of adult men in Viet Nam are current smokers, a smoking prevalence that is the second highest among South East Asian countries (SEAC). Although Viet Nam has a strong public health delivery system, according to the 2010 Global Adult Tobacco Survey, services to treat tobacco dependence are not readily available to smokers. The purpose of this study was to characterize current tobacco use treatment patterns among Vietnamese health care providers and factors influencing adherence to guideline recommended tobacco use screening and cessation interventions.

Methods

A cross sectional survey of 134 health care providers including physicians, nurses, midwives, physician assistants and pharmacists working in 23 community health centers in Viet Nam.

Results

23% of providers reported screening patients for tobacco use, 33% offered advice to quit and less than 10% offered assistance to half or more of their patients in the past three months. Older age, attitudes, self-efficacy and normative beliefs were associated with screening for tobacco use. Normative beliefs were associated with offering advice to quit. However in the logistic regression analysis only normative beliefs remained significant for both screening and offering advice to quit. Over 90% of providers reported having never received training related to tobacco use treatment. Major barriers to treating tobacco use included lack of training, lack of referral resources and staff to support counseling, and lack of patient interest.

Conclusions

Despite ratifying the FCTC, Viet Nam has not made progress in implementing policies and systems to ensure that smokers are receiving evidence-based treatment. This study suggests a need to change organizational norms through changes in national policies, training and local system-level changes that facilitate treatment.