Smoking Cessation for Hospital Employees With Low Education. (RESPEKT)

The target group of this trial is smokers with low education working in hospitals in the Capital Region of Denmark.

The aim is to develop a new tailored smoking cessation program for and together with smokers with low education. We selected following seven positions/occupations as proxy for low socioeconomic status: cleaner, porter, kitchen staff, social and health care assistant, service assistant, technical staff and medial secretary.

In first step the investigators perform focus group interviews with the target group to identify wishes and barriers. In next step the investigators design the new tailored smoking cessation program together with smokers with low education.

Then the investigators test the effect of the smoking cessation program in a randomised controlled trial. All hospitals in the Capital Region of Denmark except one are included (the last hospital is situated on a remote island). Half of the hospitals are randomised to be intervention group and the other half is control group. Recruitment will be by written invitations, posters and primarily by peer-recruitment (smokers with low education who are ambassadors for the project at the work places). Posters and written invitations show photos of the ambassadors in the target group and their statements; why they have decided to quit smoking.

The group-based smoking cessation intervention is designed with guidance from the anchor persons. There is no moralizing or disease-focusing, few written materials and a lot of drawings and humor. The intervention will be in small groups (4-6 persons), with six sessions (á 1½-2 hours) taking place at the workplace during working time. All counsellors are ex-smokers. Stress-management is included at each session. We offer free nicotine products or varenicline by choice, for up to 12 weeks. Nicotine replacement therapy is always based on the patch and combined with inhaler or mouth spray p.n. Nicotine gum is not offered.

The investigators measure validated abstinence rates at each session and 6 months after last session.

Main end-point is smoking rates after 12 months in intervention hospitals compared with smoking rates in control hospitals.