Developing and Implementing Online Psychological Support Programme for Tobacco Users

Project no. 28432 · Status: Kapanmış (Yayın bekleniyor) · 2023

Summary

Introduction: Tobacco use is the most prevalent and preventable public health problem in the world, responsible for 8 million deaths worldwide annually. Objective: The aim of this study was to develop and implement a remote, asynchronous, eight-module psychoeducation programme (Tobacco Addiction Support System (TÜBSİS) = Tobacco Addiction Psychological Support Programme) based on mindfulness psychological intervention with a web-based, online platform-supported application for male and female individuals over the age of 18 with tobacco use. The TÜBSİS Programme, which is an individual intervention, was applied to male and female tobacco users at a university via a web platform. Method: In this randomised controlled study, data collection from the participants in the intervention group was carried out through the web-based platform of the TÜBSİS Programme. Data collection from the participants in the control group was carried out via Google Forms and Google E-mail (Gmail). The participants were asked questions including the intervention variables three times in total, at the beginning, after two weeks and after four weeks. The participants in the intervention and control groups were asked about sociodemographic characteristics and tobacco use characteristics at baseline. Health Action Process Approach (HAPA) Model Change Question Form, Warwick Edinburgh Mental Well-Being Scale, Fagerström Nicotine Dependence Test and Informed Consent Form were applied to both groups at the beginning, in the middle and at the end of the intervention study. Intervention Variable ‘4-week TÜBSİS Tobacco Addiction Psychoeducation Programme’ and ‘Control Variables’ Sociodemographic Characteristics (Age, Gender, Education level, Student status (being a student or not and level of education), Regular employment status (present/absent), Marital status, Having children, Perceived monthly income level, Father's education level, Living environment), Tobacco Use Characteristics (Age at the time of first smoking attempt, Past (pre-survey) smoking cessation attempt and number of attempts). The primary outcomes evaluated in minimum 4 modules and maximum 8 modules of follow-up during the TÜBSİS Programme are as follows: ‘Stage of change according to the HAPA Model (pre-intender stage, intender stage, actor stage)’, “7-day point prevalence smoking cessation attempt (i.e. not having smoked a puff of cigarette in the last 7 days)”, “Daily cigarette consumption amount (number of cigarettes smoked in a typical day for daily smokers, number of days smoked in a month and number of cigarettes smoked in a typical smoking day for occasional smokers)”. Secondary outcomes were ‘Increase in Warwick Edinburgh Mental Well-being Scale score’ and ‘Increase in Fagerström Nicotine Dependence Test score’. All statistical analyses were performed using SPSS version 25 software. Results: As a result of the intervention, significant differences were obtained in terms of primary and secondary outcomes in the intervention group compared to the control group. It was found that the participants in the intervention group showed more progress in the HAPA change stage, made more attempts to quit smoking, increased their mental well-being more, and decreased their smoking addiction levels more compared to the control group. However, the intervention developed in this thesis was less effective in reducing the amount of smoking compared to other variables (p<.05). Conclusion: The TÜBSİS Program developed in this study was found to be effective in increasing participants' readiness to reduce tobacco consumption and supporting their intrinsic motivation for healthy life behaviors. Targeting young adults with low readiness to quit smoking, this program was structured based on the change stages of the HAPA model and supported with innovative technological components (web-based software). In this respect, the study makes a unique contribution to the literature by demonstrating the potential of digital interventions to promote behavior change compared to traditional approaches. In the intervention study, mindfulness-based psychological exercises were included and participants were supported to reevaluate their awareness, insight and existing behavior patterns. In order to reduce the level of tobacco addiction, there is a need to focus primarily on the quality of individuals' attempts to quit smoking and to diversify and strengthen digital-based psychoeducation interventions. In this framework, it is thought that the results obtained from the TÜBSİS Program will shed light on future studies to be developed for adult tobacco users. In addition, in the light of the data to be obtained with larger sample groups, software and intervention contents adapted to the change group can be developed by making comparisons between the subgroups of change stages. Keywords: tobacco use, mindfulness, web-based psychoeducation, Health Action Process Approach

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