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A Process Evaluation of E-Mail Counselling for Smoking Cessation in College Students: Feasibility, Acceptability and Cost

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  21 February 2012

Lorien C. Abroms*
Affiliation:
Department of Prevention and Community Health, George Washington University (GWU) School of Public Health and Health Services, United States of America. [email protected]
Jennifer Gill
Affiliation:
Consultant, Germantown, MD, United States of America.
Richard Windsor
Affiliation:
Department of Prevention and Community Health, George Washington University (GWU) School of Public Health and Health Services, United States of America.
Bruce Simons-Morton
Affiliation:
National Institute of Child Health & Human Development (NICHD), National Institutes of Health, United States of America.
*
*Address for correspondence: Lorien C. Abroms, Department of Prevention and Community Health, George Washington University (GWU) School of Public Health and Health Services, 2175 K St, NW, suite 700, Washington D.C., DC 20037.

Abstract

Background: Few smoking cessation interventions have made extensive use of e-mail. Objective: This study set out to document how the e-mail component of an e-mail-based smoking cessation program was received by college smokers. Methods: Participants were randomised after enrolment to receive either a moderately intensive, e-mail-based intervention — the X-Pack Group — or a less intensive program based on a widely available smoking cessation guidebook. Participants were assessed at baseline and 3 months post-enrolment. This analysis is limited to those in the X-Pack Group (n = 48). Results: Twelve e-mails on average were sent out to each participant over the course of 6 months. Ninety-one per cent of participants reported reading all or most of the e-mails and 73% replied to at least one of the e-mails they received. On average, participants were positive about the e-mails received and most reported that they had liked the e-mails because of the social support and encouragement provided. The average time for counsellors to write and send each e-mail from the templates was 12 minutes, with a range from 2 to 60 minutes. Conclusions: These findings offer evidence of feasibility of an e-mail-based smoking cessation intervention in a college population.

Type
Articles
Copyright
Copyright © Cambridge University Press 2009

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