Nonsmokers Helping Smokers Quit (Project BEST)

This study examines the potential of enlisting nonsmokers to help smokers quit smoking. Nonsmokers are the majority of the society. If an intervention can be designed to mobilize nonsmokers to help smokers quit, then it has strong implications for increasing smoking cessation at the population level. The conventional approach in smoking cessation is to target smokers directly. This study aims to test whether targeting nonsmokers can be equally effective. The study employs a three arm randomized design, in which a smoker-nonsmoker pair in the same household will be randomized into one of the three groups. One group receives materials targeting the smoker in the household, one group receives materials targeting the nonsmoker, and the third group serve as a control group. The intervention consists of mailed materials which include postcards, informational materials, CDs, DVDs, coupons for cessation-related incentives such as nicotine patches, and links to secured websites. The mail campaign is augmented with brief phone calls to ensure receipt of mailings and to reinforce targeted messages.The mail campaign is augmented with brief phone calls to ensure receipt of mailings and to reinforce targeted messages. At 3 and 7 months post randomization, project staff contact all participants to assess their smoking status.