Trial of Smoking Cessation Programs in Black Churches

To provide a comprehensive description of smoking beliefs and behavior among rural Blacks, and to test the effectiveness of smoking cessation strategies delivered through Black churches.

Study Overview

Detailed Description

DESIGN NARRATIVE:

Two demographically similar rural counties in central Virginia were compared, one intervention and one control site. In each country, two cohorts were assembled, a random sample of all Black smokers (the community cohort), and all members of randomly sampled Black churches (the church cohort). The descriptive component of the study elicited the knowledge, beliefs, attitudes, and behavior concerning smoking from these cohorts. Cardiovascular risk factors, including blood pressure and cholesterol levels, were also determined in the community cohort. For the experimental component, a variety of interventions which have proven to be efficacious in other settings were implemented through Black churches. These included fostering a supportive environment, distributing self-help materials, and providing individual support and counselling through the use of peer facilitators. The results of the baseline psychosocial survey were used to modify these methods for local use. They were then implemented in a culturally appropriate fashion at the intervention sites. Baseline smoking rates were determined using the initial surveys in both counties. Smokers were surveyed again at the end of the interventions and one year later to establish one-year abstinence rates. These were used as the primary outcome variables for the analysis of effect. The principal effect of the interventions were measured by comparing smoking abstinence rates between the church cohorts in the intervention and control counties. Due to the extended nature of the social networks associated with the churches, the interventions may also have had an effect on individuals not directly exposed, and this was determined by comparing the outcomes in the community cohorts. Finally, the associations between the baseline psychosocial and physiologic variables, exposure to the interventions, and smoking cessation behavior were also analyzed, to characterize on a population basis those who were and were not influenced by these church-based programs.

Study Type

Observational

Participation Criteria

Researchers look for people who fit a certain description, called eligibility criteria. Some examples of these criteria are a person's general health condition or prior treatments.

Eligibility Criteria

Ages Eligible for Study

  • Child
  • Adult
  • Older Adult

Accepts Healthy Volunteers

No

Genders Eligible for Study

Male

Description

No eligibility criteria

Study Plan

This section provides details of the study plan, including how the study is designed and what the study is measuring.

How is the study designed?

Design Details

Collaborators and Investigators

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Publications and helpful links

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Study record dates

These dates track the progress of study record and summary results submissions to ClinicalTrials.gov. Study records and reported results are reviewed by the National Library of Medicine (NLM) to make sure they meet specific quality control standards before being posted on the public website.

Study Major Dates

Study Start

July 1, 1991

Study Completion

June 1, 1995

Study Registration Dates

First Submitted

May 25, 2000

First Submitted That Met QC Criteria

May 25, 2000

First Posted (Estimate)

May 26, 2000

Study Record Updates

Last Update Posted (Estimate)

June 24, 2005

Last Update Submitted That Met QC Criteria

June 23, 2005

Last Verified

March 1, 2001

More Information

This information was retrieved directly from the website clinicaltrials.gov without any changes. If you have any requests to change, remove or update your study details, please contact register@clinicaltrials.gov. As soon as a change is implemented on clinicaltrials.gov, this will be updated automatically on our website as well.

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