STORIES-Stories to Communicate Risk About Tobacco

• Smoking cessation [ Time Frame: Measured at 6 months ] [ Designated as safety issue: No ]
  

PROJECT STORIES:

STORIES is one of two intervention trials conducted as part of the "Deep South Partnership for the Prevention of CVD Disparities" under the NHLBI Partnership Programs to Reduce Cardiovascular Disparities. STORIES is an innovative approach to smoking cessation programs provided in medical facilities for patients seeking assistance with quitting smoking. Our approach is to provide the patient with counseling prior to being discharged from the hospital in an effort to assist them with quitting smoking. The DVD will include current and previous smokers telling their stories regarding their tobacco use. We feel having the patient see other people similar to them express their views, struggles and successes with quitting smoking will motivate them to quit smoking. The patient will also receive 3 follow up telephone calls to check on their progress. Our hypothesis is that patients exposed to the interactive DVD will be more likely to quit, compared with those not exposed. The specific aims for this health communication project are: (1) to develop a series of interactive, testimonial-base stage of change-matched Health Communication DVD video interventions targeted at low-income, low-literacy African Americans in the Deep South and a health information interactive DVD for the patients selected in the randomized control group; (2) to train a peer health counselor/research assistant to counsel inpatient smokers to quit and assist the community members with learning to use the DVDs and then to follow-up by telephone at two weeks, three months and six months after discharge following enrollment in the project; and (3) to evaluate the impact of the intervention on processes of change and six month cessation rates among smokers using a group-randomized controlled trial.