DEVELOPMENT, IMPLEMENTAION, AND EVALUATION OF A PEER-LED SMOKING CESSATION SUPPORT GROUP

Smoking is the leading preventable cause of death in the United States. Lynwood, California, where this QI project is conducted, is a high-risk, medically underserved community. Smoking is prevalent within Lynwood and residents are disproportionally affected by tobacco-related diseases such as lung cancer, COPD, and coronary artery disease. This community did not have a smoking cessation program. The aim of this QI project was to develop, implement, and evaluate the effectiveness of a peer-led smoking cessation support group (SCSG) within the high-risk community of Lynwood. The PRECEDE-PROCEED model, a community-oriented framework, was used to structure and guide the project. The project was implemented in four phases; recruitment of PCs, training of PCs, recruitment of participants, and finally conducting the peer-led SCSG. Six PCs were recruited from a local faith-based organization and attended eight training sessions conducted by a tobacco treatment specialist. Smoking related topics were incorporated into classroom education including reflections, Motivational Interviewing and role play exercises. Peer coaches’ leadership skills were evaluated with a competency checklist and their reflections on the entire experience were explored during telephone interviews. The PCs were able to successfully facilitate the SCSG. Four reflection themes were discovered including identification and reflections on their own addictions(s), feeling empowered with knowledge and skills to help their community, a iv need for more time to build trust with participants, and describing their participation in this project as positive. Five participants were recruited from the local community and participated in the peer-led SCSG for four weeks. Participants’ readiness for change was measured with the readiness ruler, cigarette usage was self-reported with a two-item questionnaire, and perceived social support was measured with the Multidisciplinary Scale of Perceived Social Support. Four participants indicated a readiness to change and perceived increased social support at the end of the SCSG. They were also able to reduce the number of cigarettes smoked every week by 30 cigarettes at the end of the SCSG. This project emphasized the importance of employing peer coaches to lead smoking cessation services in high-risk communities. Considering future opportunities for non-licensed providers to provide preventative health education services and incorporating PCs into smoking cessation programs is especially feasible in high-risk areas where resources are limited