A brief smoking cessation intervention for women in low-income planned parenthood clinics

Objectives. The purpose of this study was to evaluate a brief smoking cessation intervention for women 15 to 35 veers of age attending Planned Parenthood clinics. Methods. Female smokers (n = 1154) were randomly assigned either to advice only or to a brief intervention that involved a 9-minute video. 12 to 15 minutes of behavioral counseling, clinician advice to quit, and follow-up telephone calls. Results. Seventy-six percent of those eligible participated. Results revealed a clear, short-term intervention effect at the 6-week follow-up (7-day self-reported abstinence: 10.2% vs 6.9% for advice only, P < .05) and a more ambiguous effect at 6 months (30-day biochemically validated abstinence: 6.4% vs 3.8%. NS). Conclusions. This brief, clinic-based intervention appears to be effective in reaching and enhancing cessation among female smokers, a traditionally underserved population.