Tobacco Dependence Treatment Education for Dental Students

Tobacco Dependence Treatment Education for Dental Students Using Standardized Patients

This study determines if there is a difference in dental students' attitudes, perceived barriers, subjective norms, perceived skills, self-efficacy, intentions to provide cessation treatment, and cessation knowledge in those students receiving a tobacco cessation lecture along with practice sessions using standardized patients and those students receiving only a tobacco cessation lecture. The study determines if dental students' use of tobacco affects their intent to provide cessation treatment to patients, and if the time between receiving the lecture and participating in the practice sessions using standardized patients makes a difference in dental students' attitudes, perceived barriers, subjective norms. perceived skills, self-efficacy, intentions to provide cessation treatment, and cessation knowledge.

Study Overview

• Status: Completed
• Conditions: Smoking
• Intervention / Treatment: Other: Counseling practice sessions

Detailed Description

The experimental study has a pretest-posttest design. It evaluates the changes to dental students' attitudes, perceived barriers, subjective norms, perceived skills, self-efficacy, intentions to provide cessation treatment, and tobacco cessation knowledge between those students receiving a lecture along with practice sessions using standardized patients and those students receiving only a lecture. Dental students will be invited to complete two questionnaires. The control group of dental students will complete the first questionnaire before the lecture and the second questionnaire after the lecture. The experimental group of dental students will complete the first questionnaire before the lecture and the second questionnaire after the lecture and the practice and debriefing sessions. Subjects will include 120 first year dental students in an introductory course to clinical dentistry. The cessation training is a required activity in the course. Students are divided into small groups according to their bench or lab numbers. These numbers are assigned to the student based on the alphabetical order of their name. The eligibility criteria is: 1) Must be a first year dental student in Introduction to Clinical Dentistry 1 at the University of Louisville, and 2) Must be willing to volunteer to complete pre- and post-questionnaires about the cessation treatment educational program. The exclusion criteria is: Subject is not willing to give consent to complete the pre- and post- questionnaire.

• Study Type: Interventional
• Enrollment (Actual): 94
• Phase: Not Applicable

Contacts and Locations

Study Locations

• United States
  • Kentucky
    • Louisville, Kentucky, United States, 40292
      • University of Louisville School of Dentistry

Participation Criteria

Eligibility Criteria

• Ages Eligible for Study: 18 years to 65 years (Adult, Older Adult)
• Accepts Healthy Volunteers: Yes
• Genders Eligible for Study: All

Description

Inclusion Criteria:

• must be a first year dental student in Introduction to Clinical Dentistry I at the study institution
• volunteer to complete pre- and post-questionnaires concerning tobacco cessation treatment educational training.

Exclusion Criteria:

• subject does not complete pre- and post- questionnaires.

Study Plan

How is the study designed?

Design Details

• Primary Purpose: Prevention
• Allocation: Non-Randomized
• Interventional Model: Parallel Assignment
• Masking: None (Open Label)

Number of Arms

2

Arms and Interventions

Participant Group / Arm	Intervention / Treatment
Experimental: Counseling practice sessions; Dental students will be administered the first questionnaire before receiving a tobacco cessation lecture and the second questionnaire after the lecture, counseling practice sessions using standardized patients, and debriefing session.	Other: Counseling practice sessions; Dental students will complete the first questionnaire before a tobacco cessation lecture and the second questionnaire after the lecture, counseling practice sessions using standardized patients and a debriefing session.; Other Names: Smoking cessation counseling; Tobacco cessation treatment education; Tobacco cessation counseling; Tobacco dependence treatment; Standardized patients
No Intervention: Lecture only; Students will receive the first questionnaire before the lecture and the second questionnaire after the lecture

What is the study measuring?

Primary Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure	Measure Description	Time Frame
Change From Baseline in Attitude Score	The attitude variable was computed by adding the values from two questionnaire items to assess the level agreement with statements: 1.) "It is important for members of the profession to discuss tobacco use with patients" and 2.) "A brief intervention (3 minutes) for tobacco cessation with my patients would be effective." The rating scale was: 0 = strongly disagree, 1 = moderately disagree, 2 = somewhat disagree, 3 = neither disagree or agree, 4 = somewhat agree, 5 = moderately agree, and 6 = strongly agree. A higher value represents participants' more positive attitude toward providing tobacco cessation treatment (Range:0-8). The difference in the attitude from Questionnaire 1 to Questionnaire 2 was computed by subtracting the total value of the variable at Questionnaire 1 from the total value at Questionnaire 2.	Questionnaire 1 (baseline/pre-lecture) to Questionnaire 2 (post-lecture or post-lecture and counseling/debriefing sessions)
Change From Baseline in Perceived Barriers Score	The perceived barriers variable was computed by adding the total number of barriers reported by participants. Participants were asked to select all factors that may limit their ability to counsel tobacco users during every visit. The rating scale for reporting barriers was: 0 = no and 1 = yes. A higher value represents a higher number of barriers to providing tobacco cessation treatment reported by participants(Range: 0-11). The difference in perceived barriers from Questionnaire 1 to Questionnaire 2 was computed by subtracting the total number of perceived barriers at Questionnaire 1 from the total number of perceived barriers at Questionnaire 2.	Questionnaire 1(baseline/pre-lecture) to Questionnaire 2(post-lecture or post-lecture and counseling /debriefing sessions)
Change From Baseline in Subjective Norms Score	Subjective norms are beliefs that people who influence your actions approve or disapprove of the behavior. The subjective norms variable was computed by adding the values of six questions to assess the participants' level of perceived social pressures to counsel patients in quitting tobacco use. Questions wer rated on a seven-point Likert scale; higher point values indicate a perceived social norm more supportive of counseling patients in quitting tobacco use(Range: 0-36). The difference in the subjective norms score from Questionnaire 1 to Questionnaire 2 was computed by subtracting the total number of participants' subjective norms at Questionnaire 1 from the total number of participants' subjective norms at Questionnaire 2.	Questionnaire 1 ( baseline/pre-lecture) to Questionnaire 2 (post-lecture or post-lecture and counseling/debriefing sessions)
Change From Baseline in Perceived Skills Score	The perceived skills variable was computed by adding the values of seven questions that assessed the participants' perceived level of tobacco cessation treatment skills from poor to excellent. The rating scale was: 0 = poor, 1 = fair, 2 = good, 3 = very good, and 4 = excellent. A higher value represents a higher level of tobacco cessation treatment skills perceived by participants (Range: 0-28). The difference in the participants' perceived skills from Questionnaire 1 to Questionnaire 2 was computed by subtracting the total value of perceived skills at Questionnaire 1 from the total value of perceived skills at Questionnaire 2.	Questionnaire 1(baseline/pre-lecture) to Questionnaire 2 (post-lecture or post-lecture and counseling/debriefing sessions)
Change From Baseline in Self-efficacy Score	Self-efficacy represents an individual's confidence in his/her ability to perform a behavior. The self-efficacy variable was computed by adding the values of ten questions to assess the participants' self-efficacy to counsel patients to quit tobacco use. The rating scale was: 0 = not at all confident, 1 = not very confident, 2 = moderately confident, 3 = very confident, and 4 = extremely confident. A higher value represents participants' higher level of confidence in providing tobacco cessation treatment (Range: 0-40). The difference in participants' self-efficacy from Questionnaire 1 to Questionnaire 2 was computed by subtracting the total value of self-efficacy at Questionnaire 1 from the total value at Questionnaire 2.	Questionaire 1 (baseline/pre-lecture) to Questionnaire 2 (post-lecture or post-lecture and counseling/debriefing sessions)
Change From Baseline in Intentions Score	Participants' intentions to provide tobacco cessation treatment were computed by adding values from thirteen questions to assess dental students' intent to counsel patients to quit tobacco use. The rating scale was: 0 = never, 1 = rarely, 2 = sometimes, 3 = almost always, 4 = always (every visit). A higher value represents participants' stronger intentions to provide tobacco cessation treatment (Range: 0-52). The difference in participants' intentions to provide tobacco cessation treatment from Questionnaire 1 to Questionnaire 2 was computed by subtracting the total value of participants' intentions at Questionnaire 1 from the total value of participants' intentions at Questionnaire 2.	Questionnaire 1 (baseline/pre-lecture) to Questionnaire 2 (post-lecture or post-lecture and counseling/debriefing sessions)
Change From Baseline in Tobacco Cessation Knowledge Score	The tobacco cessation knowledge variable was computed by adding the participants' total number of correct answers of the ten knowledge questions. The rating scale was: 0 = incorrect and 1 = correct. A higher value represents participants' higher level of tobacco cessation treatment knowledge (Range: 0-10). The difference in the tobacco cessation knowledge from Questionnaire 1 to Questionnaire 2 was computed by subtracting the total number of participants' correct answers at Questionnaire 1 from the total number of participants' correct answers at Questionnaire 2.	Questionnaire 1 (pre-lecture) to Questionnaire 2 (post-lecture or post-lecture and counseling/debriefing sessions)

Collaborators and Investigators

• Sponsor: University of Louisville
• Investigators: Principal Investigator: Jacqueline A Singleton, MEd, University of Louisville

Publications and helpful links

General Publications

• Walsh SE, Singleton JA, Worth CT, Krugler J, Moore R, Wesley GC, Mitchell CK. Tobacco cessation counseling training with standardized patients. J Dent Educ. 2007 Sep;71(9):1171-8.

Helpful Links

• American Cancer Society
• Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
• American Dental Association
• American Dental Hygienists' Association

Study record dates

Study Major Dates

• Study Start: February 1, 2012
• Primary Completion (Actual): April 1, 2012
• Study Completion (Actual): April 1, 2012

Study Registration Dates

• First Submitted: January 24, 2012
• First Submitted That Met QC Criteria: January 27, 2012
• First Posted (Estimate): February 1, 2012

Study Record Updates

• Last Update Posted (Actual): May 23, 2017
• Last Update Submitted That Met QC Criteria: April 12, 2017
• Last Verified: April 1, 2017

More Information

Terms related to this study

• Keywords: standardized patients; dental students; tobacco cessation treatment; tobacco cessation treatment education
• Additional Relevant MeSH Terms: Mental Disorders; Chemically-Induced Disorders; Substance-Related Disorders; Tobacco Use Disorder
• Other Study ID Numbers: 12.0026

Plan for Individual participant data (IPD)

• Plan to Share Individual Participant Data (IPD)?: NO