Low-Intensity Smoking Cessation Intervention among African-American Women Cigarette Smokers: A Pilot Study

Relatively little research has been done to test quitsmoking interventions in African-American populations? Cigarette smoking is integral to higher rates of cancer and cardiovascular morbidity and mortality for AfricanAmericans compared with their non-African-American counterparts in the United States. 2 African-American women smokers, in particular, may experience increased health risks related to cigarette smoking because they are reported to have higher average levels of cotinine, a nicotine metabolite, than other race or gender groups? Homogeneity in economic, cultural, and social characteristics between client and provider has been identified as important in increasing the likelihood of success in quitsmoking programs. 2 Because of this, efforts to recruit and train facilitators from the African-American community could improve intervention effectiveness? The purpose of this study was to evaluate the feasibility and effect of a behavior-change smoking-cessation intervention mailed in four weekly segments supplemented with weekly telephone support calls from an African-American woman ex-smoker, and to compare the effects to an advice-only intervention.