Text Messaging-Based Smoking Cessation Program for Homeless Youth

Text Messaging-Based Smoking Cessation Program for Homeless Youth

Unaccompanied homeless youth smoke at much higher rates than non-homeless adolescents and young adults. Many homeless youth smokers are motivated to quit; yet, strategies specifically developed for this vulnerable population are lacking. This study will develop and pilot test a text messaging intervention (also known as a TMI) to help homeless youth quit smoking. Text messaging can provide ongoing support for homeless youth during a quit attempt, which is important given that these youth tend to be highly mobile and lack regular access to health services. Participants in this study will be homeless youth who currently smoke and are motivated to quit smoking. All participants will receive a 30-minute group-based smoking cessation counseling session and a nicotine replacement product. Half of these smokers will also receive the TMI, for 6 weeks following the group counseling session, which will provide ongoing support for quitting. The main goal of this study is to investigate whether receiving the TMI results in greater reductions in cigarette smoking over a 3-month period compared to receiving the group counseling session alone.

Inclusion Criteria:

• between ages of 18-25
• seeking services at one of the participating drop-in centers for homeless youth
• smoked at least 5 cigarettes per day on at least 20 days in the past month
• motivated to quit in next 30 days
• has a cell phone to receive text messages and willing to receive text messages

Exclusion Criteria:

• currently pregnant or breastfeeding, or planning to become pregnant or breastfeed in the next 6 months
• has a medical condition (based on self-report) which would prevent using the nicotine replacement product
• used pharmacotherapy to reduce or stop smoking in the past 30 days
• currently receiving other smoking cessation services