Empowering LGBTQ+ Tobacco Cessation Pilot

Sexual and/or gender minority (SGM) people have disproportionately high rates of tobacco use - the number one cause of preventable death. Reasons for this include using tobacco to cope with social minority stressors, pro-tobacco use norms in SGM social spaces and networks, and targeted tobacco industry marketing. Empowerment Theory explains how positive behavior change, like quitting smoking, can be promoted through skills development with greater participation in the public affairs of one's community. An empowerment approach may enhance tobacco cessation treatment for SGM people and other stigmatized groups because it links individual well-being with the larger social and political context. This pilot study will assess the acceptability, feasibility, and preliminary impact of empowerment-enhanced tobacco smoking cessation assistance for SGM adults. We will enroll N=20 SGM adults in Oklahoma who smoke and are willing to quit. Participants will receive standard tobacco cessation assistance through the Stephenson Cancer Center Tobacco Treatment Research Program (TTRP). Concurrently, they will also engage in 'empowerment activities', meaning SGM organizing and community-building activities, like conducting follow-up phone calls to name change clinic participants. This will be guided by an Oklahoman SGM-serving community partner. Participants will complete 8 surveys during the intervention period and 12 weeks post-quit-date, a 60-minute, in-depth exit interview, and biochemically-verified smoking status before the intervention and 12 weeks post-quit-date. This pilot study will establish collaborative relationships between the PI's team and local SGM-serving organizations, and will produce preliminary findings to support future R01-level funding to conduct a fully-powered randomized control trial of a multi-level empowerment-enhanced SGM tobacco cessation intervention.