Promoting Tobacco Control and Smoking Cessation in Workplaces [Phase I]

Assessing the Corporate Environment in Promoting Tobacco Control and Evaluation of a Smoking Cessation Programme in Workplaces in Hong Kong

Previous research shows a significant proportion of smokers work in full-time employment. Given that the majority of smokers do not aware of the smoking cessation services available in Hong Kong, implementing smoking cessation policy in the workplaces may assist a considerable number of smokers to stop or reduce smoking.

This study aims to:

1. examine the employers' knowledge, attitudes and practices in promoting smoking cessation in workplace.
2. test the effectiveness of a brief and an intensive smoking cessation interventions to help workers stop smoking

In Phase I of this study, a large scale cross-sectional survey will be conducted to 3000 corporate companies in Hong Kong. The questionnaire will examine the employers' knowledge, attitudes and practices in promoting smoking cessation in the workplaces.

In Phase II, a longitudinal study will be conducted to evaluate the effectiveness of a smoking cessation intervention offered by the Department of Psychology, the University of Hong Kong. Smokers from the participating companies will be interviewed before the intervention at baseline, immediately after the intervention, and at 1-, 4-, 12-, 26- and 52-week post-intervention follow-ups.

The follow-up assessments will consist of a biochemical validation for the self-reported quitters who report quitting in the past 7 days via exhaled carbon monoxide and saliva cotinine concentration tests. Participants' smoking behaviour, knowledge on smoking and satisfaction of the smoking cessation services will also be evaluated.

It is hypothesized that the smoking cessation intervention helps workers stop smoking. Employers' knowledge and attitudes are positively associated with the practices in promoting smoking cessation in workplace.

Process evaluation: Qualitative interviews, including in-depth interviews and/or focus group will be conducted after 6-month follow-up.

Study Overview

• Status: Completed
• Conditions: Smoking
• Intervention / Treatment: Behavioral: Workshop; Behavioral: Face-to-face counseling; Behavioral: Booklet; Behavioral: SMS; Behavioral: Phone counseling; Behavioral: Health talk

• Study Type: Interventional
• Enrollment (Actual): 642
• Phase: Not Applicable

Contacts and Locations

Study Locations

• China
  • Hong Kong, China
    • 2/F, 61 Lung Kong Rd, Kowloon City, Lok Sin Tong Benevolent Society

Participation Criteria

Eligibility Criteria

• Ages Eligible for Study: 18 years and older (Adult, Older Adult)
• Accepts Healthy Volunteers: No
• Genders Eligible for Study: All

Description

Inclusion Criteria:

• Hong Kong residents aged 18 or above
• Cantonese speaker and able to read in Chinese characters
• Smoke at least one cigarette per day
• Stay at Hong Kong during the intervention and follow-up periods (12 months)

Exclusion Criteria:

• Smokers who are psychologically or physically unable to communicate
• Smokers who are currently following other smoking cessation programme(s)
• Smokers with diagnosed psychiatric illnesses

Study Plan

How is the study designed?

Design Details

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

Number of Arms

4

Arms and Interventions

Participant Group / Arm	Intervention / Treatment
Experimental: Health talk + Workshop + Booklet + SMS; Health talk + workshop (Motivational intervention) + booklet + Short Message Service (SMS)	Behavioral: Workshop; Intensive psychological intervention included motivation of quitting enhancement, stress management and smoking triggers, craving and relapse are used to provide smoking cessation intervention
Experimental: Face-to-face counseling + Booklet + SMS; Face to Face counseling (Motivational intervention) + Booklet + SMS	Behavioral: Face-to-face counseling; Use motivational interview strategies through face-to-face counseling to provide smoking cessation intervention; Behavioral: Booklet; A 26-page booklet included information about smoking and diseases, benefits of quitting smoking, methods to quit smoking, how to handle withdrawal symptoms, stress management, declaration of quitting smoking, decisional balance of smoking or quitting.; Behavioral: SMS; Fifteen SMS were sent to subjects included welcome messages, risk of smoking, correction of myths about smoking or quitting, quitting tips, benefits of quitting, encouragement of quitting
Experimental: Phone counseling + Health talk + Booklet + SMS; Phone counseling (Motivational intervention) + Health talk + booklet + SMS	Behavioral: Booklet; A 26-page booklet included information about smoking and diseases, benefits of quitting smoking, methods to quit smoking, how to handle withdrawal symptoms, stress management, declaration of quitting smoking, decisional balance of smoking or quitting.; Behavioral: SMS; Fifteen SMS were sent to subjects included welcome messages, risk of smoking, correction of myths about smoking or quitting, quitting tips, benefits of quitting, encouragement of quitting; Behavioral: Phone counseling; Use motivational interview strategies through phone counseling to provide smoking cessation intervention.; Behavioral: Health talk; Health talk provided information about hazards of tobacco (active smoking, second- and third-hand smoke), benefits of quitting smoking and methods to quit smoking.
Experimental: Phone counseling + Booklet + SMS; Phone counseling (Motivational intervention) + booklet + SMS	Behavioral: Booklet; A 26-page booklet included information about smoking and diseases, benefits of quitting smoking, methods to quit smoking, how to handle withdrawal symptoms, stress management, declaration of quitting smoking, decisional balance of smoking or quitting.; Behavioral: SMS; Fifteen SMS were sent to subjects included welcome messages, risk of smoking, correction of myths about smoking or quitting, quitting tips, benefits of quitting, encouragement of quitting; Behavioral: Phone counseling; Use motivational interview strategies through phone counseling to provide smoking cessation intervention.

What is the study measuring?

Primary Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure	Measure Description	Time Frame
Employers' KAP	A questionnaire aimed to examine the employers'/ managerial staff's knowledge, attitudes and practices in promoting smoking cessation in the workplace. The questionnaires consist of three parts: Employers's knowledge was assessed by measuring the average number of correct answers on questions about smoking and quitting (Scale 1-7).; Employers' attitude was assessed by measuring the average number agreeing items about their willingness to support employees to quit which included implementation of measures to show support for smoking cessation in the workplace or participation in smoking cessation programme (Scale 1-17).; Employers' practice was assessed by the level of smoking ban in the workplace as reported by the employer. (Scale 1-4; 1: not prohibited, 2: prohibited by not strictly, 3: Strictly prohibited and 4: absolutely strictly prohibited).	Before the health talk
Smoking Quit Rate	smoking quit rate was defined as the self-reported 7-day point prevalence abstinence	6 month follow-up and 12 month follow-up

Secondary Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure	Measure Description	Time Frame
Smoking Reduction	Reduced at least 50% of cigarette consumption	6 month follow-up and 12 month follow-up

Collaborators and Investigators

• Sponsor: The University of Hong Kong
• Collaborators: Lok Sin Tong Benevolent Society, Kowloon

Publications and helpful links

General Publications

• Wang MP, Li WHC, Suen YN, Cheung KC, Lau OS, Lam TH, Chan SSC. Association between employer's knowledge and attitude towards smoking cessation and voluntary promotion in workplace: a survey study. Tob Induc Dis. 2017 Nov 14;15:44. doi: 10.1186/s12971-017-0149-4. eCollection 2017.
• Wang MP, Suen YN, Li WHC, Lau OS, Lam TH, Chan SSC. Proactive outreach smoking cessation program for Chinese employees in China. Arch Environ Occup Health. 2018 Mar 4;73(2):67-78. doi: 10.1080/19338244.2017.1308309. Epub 2017 Apr 21.

Study record dates

Study Major Dates

• Study Start: December 1, 2012
• Primary Completion (Actual): July 1, 2015
• Study Completion (Actual): July 1, 2015

Study Registration Dates

• First Submitted: June 27, 2014
• First Submitted That Met QC Criteria: June 27, 2014
• First Posted (Estimate): July 1, 2014

Study Record Updates

• Last Update Posted (Estimate): December 23, 2016
• Last Update Submitted That Met QC Criteria: October 31, 2016
• Last Verified: October 1, 2016

More Information

Terms related to this study

• Keywords: smoking cessation interventions
• Other Study ID Numbers: LSTWPLACE