Feasibility, acceptability and impact of a telephone support service initiated in primary medical care to help Arabic smokers quit
Seham Girgis A D H , Armita Adily A E , Maria-Jose Velasco A , Nicholas A. Zwar B , Bin B. Jalaludin A B and Jeanette E. Ward C F G
+ Author Affiliations
- Author Affiliations
A Centre for Research, Evidence Management and Surveillance, SSWAHS, Locked Bag 7008, Liverpool, NSW 1871, Australia.
B School of Public Health and Community Medicine, University of New South Wales, Sydney, NSW 2052, Australia.
C Division of Population Health, SSWAHS, Locked Bag 7008, Liverpool, NSW 1871, Australia.
D Present address: Health and Sustainability Unit, Menzies Centre for Health Policy, The University of Sydney, NSW 2006, Australia.
E Present address: Prince of Wales Clinical School, Lowy Cancer Research Centre, Faculty of Medicine, University of New South Wales, Sydney, NSW 2052, Australia.
F Present address: Health Perspectives, Sydney, PO Box Q1773, NSW 1230, Australia.
G Present address: University of Ottawa, Room 3105, 451 Smyth Road, Ottawa, Ontario K1H 8M5, Canada.
H Corresponding author. Email: girgis1@optushome.com.au
Australian Journal of Primary Health 17(3) 274-281 https://doi.org/10.1071/PY10066
Submitted: 10 September 2010 Accepted: 22 March 2011 Published: 5 September 2011
Abstract
Evidence-based tobacco control in ethnic minorities is compromised by the near absence of rigorous testing of interventions in either prevention or cessation. This randomised controlled trial was designed to evaluate the feasibility, acceptability and impact of a culturally specific cessation intervention delivered in the context of primary medical care in the most culturally diverse region of New South Wales. Adult Arabic smokers were recruited from practices of 29 general practitioners (GPs) in south-west Sydney and randomly allocated to usual care (n = 194) or referred to six sessions of smoking cessation telephone support delivered by bilingual psychologists (n = 213). Although 62.2% of participants indicated that telephone support would benefit Arabic smokers, there were no significant differences at 6 or 12 months between intervention and control groups in point prevalence abstinence rates (11.7% vs 12.9%, P = 0.83; 8.4% vs 11.3%, P = 0.68, respectively) or the mean shift in stage-of-change towards intention to quit. As participants and GPs found telephone support acceptable, we also discuss redesign and the unfulfilled obligation to expand the evidence base in tobacco control from which the ethnic majority already benefits.
Additional keywords: smoking cessation, Arabic speakers, general practice, telephone counselling, randomised trial.
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