Helpers Program

Abstract

Background Quitlines and worksite-sponsored cessation programs are effective and highly accessible, but limited by low utilization. Efforts to encourage use of cessation aids have focused almost exclusively on the smoker, overlooking the potential for friends, family, coworkers and others in a tobacco user’s social network to influence quitting and use of effective treatment. Methods Longitudinal, observational pilot feasibility study with six-week follow-up survey. Setting/Participants Employees of three national corporations, with a combined target audience of 102,100 employees. Intervention The Helpers Program offers Web-based brief intervention (BI) training to activate social networks of tobacco users to encourage quitting and use of effective treatment. Helpers was offered from 1/10/08 to 3/31/08, as a treatment engagement strategy, together with Free and Clear’s (F&C) telephone/Web-based cessation services. Main outcome measures web-site utilization, training completion, post-training changes in knowledge and self-efficacy with delivery of BIs, referrals to F&C, and use of BI training. Results There were 19,109 unique visitors to the Helpers Web-site. Of these, 4727 created user accounts; 1427 registered for Helpers Training; 766 completed training. There were 445 visits to the referral page and 201 e-mail or letter referrals generated. There were 67 requests for technical support. Of follow-up survey respondents (n=289), 78.9% reported offering a BI. Conclusions Offering the Helpers Program Web-site to a large, diverse audience as part of an employer-sponsored worksite health promotion program is both feasible and well accepted by employees. Website users will participate in training, encourage quitting, and refer smokers to quitline services.

Relationship of autonomy social support to quitting motivation in diverse smokers

“…Approaches in which family members or friends (i.e., support persons) are involved in cessation treatment programs with smokers (Park, Tudiver, & Campbell, 2012; Westmaas et al, 2010) or support people are trained as lay cessation counselors (Patten et al, 2004; Patten et al, 2009) have not been uniformly effective. However, recent work suggests that social network members can influence smokers to utilize evidence-based treatments such as quitlines (Muramoto, Wassum, Connolly, Matthews, & Floden, 2010; McAfee, Davis, Alexander, Pechacek, & Bunnell, 2013; Patten et al, 2011). …”

Lay Health Influencers

“…The recommendations were consistent with those supporting regular meetings and frequent interactions among lay health advisors (Altpeter, Earp, Bishop, & Eng, 1999, Castañeda et al, 2010, Thomas, Eng, Clark, Robinson, & Blumenthal, 1998). A more cost-effective strategy may include the development of virtual communities of cessation practice (CoP; Muramoto, Wassum, Connolly, Matthews, & Ford, 2010; Yuan et al, 2010). Using advanced Web-based technology, virtual CoP groups may have 24-hour access to interactive components (i.e., instant messaging, chat rooms, and blogs), social networking, and virtual resource centers consisting of the latest research on tobacco use and treatments (Muramoto et al, 2010; Yuan et al, 2010).…”

“…A more cost-effective strategy may include the development of virtual communities of cessation practice (CoP; Muramoto, Wassum, Connolly, Matthews, & Ford, 2010; Yuan et al, 2010). Using advanced Web-based technology, virtual CoP groups may have 24-hour access to interactive components (i.e., instant messaging, chat rooms, and blogs), social networking, and virtual resource centers consisting of the latest research on tobacco use and treatments (Muramoto et al, 2010; Yuan et al, 2010). Interactive components may be particularly useful for role modeling, obtaining social support, and exchanging tailoring strategies among groups of interveners.…”

Intervention development for integration of conventional tobacco cessation interventions into routine CAM practice

“…To ensure that the CAMR intervention had context validity for the three CAM disciplines engaged in this study, we used an iterative and community based participatory research (CBPR) approach to develop an intervention protocol integrating conventional tobacco cessation interventions recommended by the PHS Guideline into real world CAM practice. The CAMR intervention builds on an existing program of research [ 25 , 50 - 53 ] that developed the Helpers Program (“Helpers”), the foundational curriculum for the CAMR intervention. Helpers is a community-based brief intervention (BI) training program that teaches lay community members how to offer a structured, four-step “helping conversation” to tobacco users.…”

“…The helping conversation uses active listening skills and motivational communication strategies to encourage quitting tobacco (i.e. permanently stopping/giving up tobacco) without confrontation, or “nagging” [ 53 ]. One of the inspirations for CAMR came from local CAM practitioners (chiropractor, acupuncturist, and massage therapist) who had participated in a prior NCI-sponsored study of community-based tobacco cessation BI training for the lay public (Project Reach) [ 25 ].…”