Exploring the uptake and use of electronic cigarettes provided to smokers accessing homeless centres: a four-centre cluster feasibility trial

This NIHR funded cluster feasibility trial aimed to assess participation and retention of smokers accessing homeless services in the UK. It also explored preliminary effectiveness of an intervention providing free e-cigarette (EC) starter kits (intervention) versus local provision of usual care (UC) with Stop Smoking Services. Other objectives were to explore the feasibility of collecting data with this population on contacts made with health care services as an input to an economic evaluation in a full RCT. Reporting included an estimation of the cost of providing the e-cigarette intervention and usual care. Four homeless centres were assigned to either the EC (N=2) or UC (N=2) arm. Participants (n=80; 52 males; N=48 in the EC arm and 32 in the UC arm) responded to Case Report Form (CRF) questions and provided a carbon monoxide (CO) sample at baseline and follow-up sessions at 4, 12, and 24 weeks. The data include: participants’ demographic including information about recent accommodation; smoking behaviours and quit attempts including Fagerström Test of Cigarette Dependence (FTCD) and Motivation to Stop Smoking (MTSS); alcohol (AUDIT); and other substance use (SDS); use of intervention-supplied e-cigarette or nicotine replacement therapy (NRT) products, including details of stopped use where relevant; use of e-cigarette or NRT products otherwise obtained; scored responses of health and motivation questionnaires (GAD7, PHQ9, and EQ-5D-3L); and details of recent contact with smoking cessation services