Smoking Cessation Trial

Quit Smoking

Smoking cessation study open

Trying to quit smoking cigarettes? There is an exciting new quit-smoking study being conducted by Flinders University! In early May, Flinders University opened participant recruitment to a groundbreaking new quit-smoking study to assist smokers on low incomes to quit. The Resilience Interventions for Smoking Cessation (RISC) study is researching whether mindfulness or goal-setting training combined with peer support can help smokers to build their resilience and help them quit smoking. This randomised controlled trial is open to adults who are regular smokers and are currently planning to quit. To participate you will need your own smartphone, meet an income test, and agree to participate in the online study for 18 months. Participation is completely free and open nationally. The way a randomised controlled trial works is that some participants will get the ‘intervention’ being tested, and some participants will get the ‘control’, which is basic standard of care. In the Flinders study, smokers will be randomised to one of four groups. One of these will be the control group, and the other three groups will test the novel approaches such as mindfulness or setting realistic goals training. In the first six months of this study, these novel approaches will be taught to participants in these three study groups via eight online small group sessions delivered by trained facilitators. In the second six months, these participants will then be connected to a blog community with other study participants which will be led by ex-smoker peer mentors. This peer support will provide an opportunity for important conversations on topics such as the lived experience of managing cravings and adopting a new identity as a non-smoker. Participants can interact with this blog as little or as much as they like. The great news is that participants in all four groups will receive referral to current best-practice services available in Australia to support smokers to quit, such as behavioural counselling through Quitline, nicotine replacement therapy and stop-smoking medications. At the end of the study, all participants will receive free, ongoing access to a mindfulness app for their mobile phone which can be used to support them on their quitting journey. There are other incentives for participants, such as a lottery for supermarket vouchers with a total value of $900! For more information, you can visit facebook.com/ stopcigsnow or email the study team at RISC_study@ flinders.edu.au. But wait, there is even more excitement! This study is also currently recruiting ex-smokers for the peer mentoring phase! These paid roles are for approximately 1 day a week for about 10 months, starting from August 2021. These peer mentors will engage with study participants by posting updates to the blog and responding to questions, suggesting strategies and offering encouragement.

Peer mentors will also work in partnership with the study team in a codesign approach on other aspects of the study. Multiple roles are available so if you are interested to learn more, please email elissa. mortimer@flinders.edu.au. v

Elissa Mortimer