Behavioral and Enhanced Perinatal Intervention for Cessation (B-EPIC): Reducing Tobacco Use Among Opioid Addicted Women (B-EPIC)

This study tests an intervention for tobacco cessation (named B-EPIC) in an established community medication assisted treatment (MAT) clinic for pregnant and postpartum women with opioid dependence. Half of the participants will receive the intervention for tobacco cessation, which is standard cessation counseling from the provider plus additional cessation support from a Certified Tobacco Treatment Specialist (CTTS). The other half of participants will receive standard tobacco cessation from their provider. The project will also determine the economic impact of the B-EPIC intervention on healthcare expenditures.

Study Overview

• Status: Completed
• Conditions: Smoking Cessation
• Intervention / Treatment: Behavioral: Behavioral and Enhanced Perinatal Intervention for Cessation (B-EPIC); Behavioral: Treatment As Usual

Detailed Description

The study will use a prospective, 2-group, randomized, comparative effectiveness design to determine if the B-EPIC tobacco intervention is superior to tobacco 'treatment as usual (TAU)' for opioid dependent pregnant women maintained on buprenorphine; the outcomes for the first aim will be quitting smoking and/or reducing cigarette consumption during pregnancy. The project design also will determine the economic impact the B-EPIC intervention (10-months) has on healthcare expenditures.

After informed consent, eligible participants will be randomized (1:1) to the B-EPIC group (tobacco intervention) or TAU tobacco treatment (control group). All will continue to receive opioid dependence treatment with buprenorphine, regardless of treatment assignment.

Women enrolled in the control group are informed of the risks of tobacco use and benefits of quitting using the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists (ACOG) 5'A's approach by their healthcare provider. This standard tobacco cessation counseling takes approximately 5-15 minutes, and is offered at each prenatal and postpartum appointment.

Women enrolled in the intervention group will receive TAU plus B-EPIC, which includes four core components: 1) Individualized tobacco treatment plus supplemental counseling, 2) Biomarker validation and feedback, 3) Change in maternal thought process and adoption of healthy behavior (e.g. exercise, based on PI framework), and 4) Pharmacotherapy as needed. The initial assessment for this intervention takes 60 minutes, with follow-up sessions typically lasting 15-20 minutes. The intervention will be led by a certified tobacco treatment specialist (CTTS).

• Study Type: Interventional
• Enrollment (Actual): 78
• Phase: Not Applicable

Contacts and Locations

Study Locations

• United States
  • Kentucky
    • Lexington, Kentucky, United States, 40503
      • Baptist Health Lexington
    • Lexington, Kentucky, United States, 40536
      • University of Kentucky Polk Dalton Clinic

Participation Criteria

Eligibility Criteria

• Ages Eligible for Study: 18 years to 49 years (Adult)
• Accepts Healthy Volunteers: No
• Genders Eligible for Study: Female

Description

Inclusion Criteria:

• Current diagnosis of opioid dependence with participation in the University of Kentucky Healthcare and Baptist Health Lexington buprenorphine treatment program
• Less than 24 weeks gestation
• Age 18-49 years old
• Diagnosis of current tobacco use disorder
• Read or write in English

Exclusion Criteria:

• Current prisoner status
• Current severe mental illness (e.g., bipolar disorder with current mania, current suicidal ideation)
• Alcohol or sedative/hypnotic dependence that requires medical intervention

Study Plan

How is the study designed?

Design Details

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

Number of Arms

2

Arms and Interventions

Participant Group / Arm	Intervention / Treatment
Experimental: Tobacco Intervention; Participants in this group will be randomized to the Behavioral and Enhanced Perinatal Intervention for Cessation (B-EPIC) intervention.	Behavioral: Behavioral and Enhanced Perinatal Intervention for Cessation (B-EPIC); Women enrolled in the intervention group will receive TAU plus B-EPIC, which includes four core components: 1) Individualized tobacco treatment plus supplemental counseling, 2) Biomarker validation and feedback, 3) Change in maternal thought process and adoption of healthy behavior (e.g. exercise, based on PI framework), and 4) Pharmacotherapy as needed (see Table 3 for a summary of the study design). The initial assessment for this intervention takes 60 minutes, with follow-up sessions typically lasting 15-20 minutes. All sessions occur prior to or after pre-scheduled perinatal appointments. The intervention will be led by a certified tobacco treatment specialist (CTTS).
Active Comparator: Treatment As Usual; Participants in this group will be randomized to tobacco treatment as usual.	Behavioral: Treatment As Usual; Women enrolled in the control group are informed of the risks of tobacco use and benefits of quitting using the ACOG 5'A's approach by their healthcare provider. This standard takes approximately 5-15 minutes, and is offered at each prenatal and postpartum appointment. The five steps of the ACOG recommendation are: 1.) Ask about tobacco use, 2.) Advise to quit, 3.) Assess willingness to make a quit attempt, 4.) Assist in quit attempt, and 5.) Arrange follow-up. The provider may also talk to the participant about nicotine replacement therapy.

What is the study measuring?

Primary Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure	Measure Description	Time Frame
Change in the Number of Cigarettes Smoked Per Day	Participants will be asked during the second trimester, third trimester, two months postpartum and six months postpartum (up to 50 weeks) to self-report the number of cigarettes smoked per day. Data will be presented as the change in the number of cigarettes smoked per day compared between groups.	up to 50 weeks (third trimester (28-36.6 weeks gestation) minus first postpartum visit (2-8.6 weeks after delivery))
Change in Urine Cotinine Concentration Level	Participants will provide a urine sample to be measured by litmus analysis during the second trimester, third trimester, two months postpartum and six months postpartum (up to 50 weeks). The litmus levels range from 0 (minimum) to 6 (maximum). Data will be presented as the change in cotinine levels by the litmus measure over the course of the study compared between groups.	up to 50 weeks (enrollment (up to 31.6 weeks gestation) minus first postpartum visit (2-8.6 weeks after delivery))
Change in Electronic Cigarette Usage Per Day	Participants will be asked during the second trimester, third trimester, two months postpartum and six months postpartum (up to 50 weeks) to self-report electronic cigarette (e-cig) usage per day. Data will be presented as the change in e-cig usage per day compared between groups.	up to 50 weeks (enrollment (up to 31.6 weeks gestation) minus first postpartum visit (2-8.6 weeks after delivery))
Change in Cigarette Dependence	Participants will complete the Fagerstrom Test for Cigarette Dependence during the second trimester, third trimester, two months postpartum and six months postpartum (up to 50 weeks). The survey instrument asks seven questions related to cigarette dependency. For scoring, yes/no questions are scored from 0 to 1, and multiple choice questions from 0 to 3. Items are then summed to yield a total score of 0-10. The higher the total score, the more intense the patient's nicotine dependence. Any score greater than 8 is considered high dependency, a score of 5-7 is considered moderately dependent, 3-4 is low to moderate dependence and 1-2 is low dependence. Data will be presented as the change in cigarette dependency over time compared between groups.	up to 50 weeks (enrollment (up to 31.6 weeks gestation) minus postpartum visit (2-8.6 weeks after delivery))
Change in Electronic Cigarette Dependence	Participants will complete the Penn State Electronic Cigarette Dependence Index (PSECDI) during the second trimester, third trimester, two months postpartum and six months postpartum (up to 50 weeks). The survey instrument asks ten questions and responses are scored on a scale from zero to 20. Summed scores correlate to a dependence category; 0-3 is not dependent, 4-8 is low dependence, 9-12 is medium dependence, and above 12 is high dependence. Data will be presented as the change in electronic cigarette dependency over time compared between groups.	up to 50 weeks (enrollment (up to 31.6 weeks gestation) minus first postpartum visit (2-8.6 weeks after delivery))

Secondary Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure	Measure Description	Time Frame
Change in Maternal Depression Over Time	Participants will complete the Edinburgh Postnatal Depression Scale (EPDS) during the second trimester, third trimester, two months postpartum and six months postpartum (up to 50 weeks). The survey consisted of 10 multiple choice questions with scores for each question ranging from 0-3. Scores are then summed for a total score, ranging from 0-30. Questions 1, 2 & 4 are scored 0-3 with the first answer to each question scored as 0 and the fourth answer scored as 3. Questions 3 & 5-10 are reverse scored, with the first answer to each question scored as 3 and the fourth answer scored as 0. A score of 10 or greater is interpreted as "possible depression". A score of greater than 0 on item 10 indicates "suicidal thoughts". Data will be presented as the change in depression over time compared between groups.	Up to 50 weeks (enrollment (up to 31.6 weeks gestation) minus first postpartum visit (2-8.6 weeks after delivery))
Change in Maternal Anxiety Over Time	Participants will complete the Generalized Anxiety Disorder 7-item (GAD-7) scale during the second trimester, third trimester, two months postpartum and six months postpartum (up to 50 weeks). The survey consisted of 7 questions scored between zero and 21. A score of 5-9 indicates mild severity, 10-14 is moderate, and 15 and greater is considered severe. Data will be presented as the change in anxiety over time compared between groups.	Up to 50 weeks (enrollment (up to 31.6 weeks gestation) minus first postpartum visit (2-8.6 weeks after delivery))
Change in Maternal Perceived Stress Over Time	Participants will complete the Perceived Stress Scale 4-item (PSS4) during the second trimester, third trimester, two months postpartum and six months postpartum (up to 50 weeks). The survey consisted of 4 questions scored between zero and 16. Higher scores are correlated with more stress. Data will be presented as the change in stress over time compared between groups.	Up to 50 weeks (enrollment (up to 31.6 weeks gestation) minus first postpartum visit (2-8.6 weeks after delivery))

Collaborators and Investigators

• Sponsor: Kristin Ashford
• Collaborators: National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA)
• Investigators: Principal Investigator: Kristin Ashford, University Of Kentucky; Principal Investigator: Amanda Fallin-Bennett, University Of Kentucky

Study record dates

Study Major Dates

• Study Start (Actual): December 12, 2018
• Primary Completion (Actual): May 24, 2021
• Study Completion (Actual): May 24, 2021

Study Registration Dates

• First Submitted: January 4, 2019
• First Submitted That Met QC Criteria: January 4, 2019
• First Posted (Actual): January 8, 2019

Study Record Updates

• Last Update Posted (Actual): July 15, 2022
• Last Update Submitted That Met QC Criteria: June 21, 2022
• Last Verified: December 1, 2021

More Information

Terms related to this study

• Keywords: Pregnancy; tobacco; Opioid Use Disorder
• Other Study ID Numbers: 45062; 1R34DA046005-01 (U.S. NIH Grant/Contract)

Plan for Individual participant data (IPD)

• Plan to Share Individual Participant Data (IPD)?: No
• IPD Plan Description: There is no plan to share data.

Drug and device information, study documents

• Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated drug product: No
• Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated device product: No