Combining Text Messaging and Telephone Counseling to Increase Varenicline Adherence and Smoking Abstinence Among Cigarette Smokers Living with HIV: A Randomized Controlled Study

Abstract

Smoking represents an important health risk for people living with HIV (PLHIV). Low adherence to smoking cessation pharmacotherapy may limit treatment effectiveness. In this study, 158 participants recruited from three HIV care centers in New York City were randomized to receive 12-weeks of varenicline (Chantix) either alone as standard care (SC) or in combination with text message (TM) support or TM plus cell phone-delivered adherence-focused motivational and behavioral therapy (ABT). Generalized linear mixed-effect models found a significant decline in varenicline adherence from week 1–12 across treatment groups. At 12-weeks, the probability of smoking abstinence was significantly higher in SC+TM+ABT than in SC. The study demonstrates the feasibility of delivering adherence-focused interventions to PLHIV who smoke. Findings suggest intensive behavioral support is an important component of an effective smoking cessation intervention for this population, and a focus on improving adherence self-efficacy may lead to more consistent adherence and higher smoking abstinence.

Epidemiology of ischemic heart disease in HIV

“…116 In a randomized study of 12 weeks of varenicline alone versus in combination with text messaging and a cell phone-delivered adherence intervention, smoking abstinence was higher in the intervention group. 117 A recent randomized pilot trial showed a multidisciplinary lifestyle intervention in HIV-infected individuals with high CVD risk scores to be effective in increasing smoking cessation at 36 months but not in lipid-lowering or prevention of cIMT progression. 118 …”

Predictors of smoking relapse after percutaneous coronary intervention in Chinese patients

“…The predictors of smoking relapse were examined among the patients diagnosed with acute coronary syndromes in two previous studies (Colivicchi et al., ; Vogiatzis, Tsikrika, Sachpekidis, Pittas, & Kotsani, ), which included advanced age, female, nonparticipation in a cardiac rehabilitation programme, higher nicotine dependence and comorbidities. As the previous studies conducted in the other populations showed, psychological and cognitive factors such as smoking self‐efficacy (Mohammed, Eggers, Alotaiby, de Vries, & de Vries, ; Tseng et al., ), health‐risk perception to smoking (Simmons et al., ) and depression (Tong et al., ; Weinberger et al., ) were significantly associated with smoking cessation. However, the relationship between these factors and smoking relapse has not been detected in patients with CHD.…”

Effect of 0.5 mg versus 1 mg varenicline for smoking cessation: a randomized controlled trial

“…The high rates of cessation achieved with the programme are remarkable. They could be explained because of the special follow‐up by the psychologist , who gave the patients a telephone number in case they had any problems, so they were offered help at any time , and not only at the scheduled appointments. This high‐intensity behavioural therapy is believed to have contributed significantly to the success of the programme in both dose groups.…”