Empowering Low-income Smokers on the Path to Quitting

Bridge2Quit

Bridge2Quit aims to address health disparities among low-income populations by increasing the uptake of tobacco cessation services through innovative use of patient portals and state-run tobacco Quitlines. Despite the declining smoking rates in the U.S., smoking remains disproportionately high among individuals living in poverty, contributing to significant health inequalities. The project seeks to leverage Federally Qualified Health Centers (FQHCs) as critical access points for smoking cessation interventions, targeting low-income smokers who frequently visit these centers. By integrating patient portals with Quitlines, Bridge2Quit aims to improve the delivery of tobacco cessation treatments, increase patient engagement, and ultimately reduce smoking-related health disparities. The project’s scalable and cost-effective approach could serve as a model for nationwide implementation, with the potential to reach millions of low-income patients and support broader cancer prevention efforts.

Innovation:

The Bridge2Quit project introduces several key innovations:

Targeting Vulnerable Populations: Focuses on Federally Qualified Health Centers (FQHCs) serving vulnerable, low-income populations, addressing significant health disparities.
Sustainable and Cost-Effective Infrastructure: Establishes a tobacco cessation infrastructure in persistent poverty areas, aligning with national priorities to reduce smoking-related burdens.
Multi-level Cessation Strategies: Integrates smoking cessation efforts at the clinical, health system, and population levels, increasing the likelihood of successful quit attempts.
Innovative Use of Patient Portals: Utilizes patient portals to deliver evidence-based, scalable, and efficient smoking cessation interventions.
Bridging the Digital Divide: Employs patient navigators to ensure disadvantaged groups can effectively use patient portals, overcoming barriers to healthcare access.
Comprehensive Evaluation: Uses the RE-AIM framework to assess feasibility, reach, and impact, demonstrating the potential for widespread dissemination of this intervention.

Our Aims:

Compare the effectiveness of campaign type (education + patient navigation vs. education only) on portal enrollment among patients in FQHCs.
Evaluate the reach of the patient portal as an approach to delivering population-level advice to quit and smoking cessation treatment linkage.
Compare the impact of referral type (opt-in referral vs. self-referral) on linkage to the NYSSQL at 6 weeks.
Compare the influence of message type (Arm 1 Choice vs. Arm 2 No-Choice in cessation goals) on rates of linkage to the NYSSQL and receipt of smoking cessation treatment.