A Randomized Trial of Medi-Cal Beneficiaries Calling the California Smokers' Helpline

Summary

California Smokers' Helpline will conduct a randomized trial to evaluate 3 strategies of services and/or incentives on smoking cessation rates. This project has the following specific aims:

1. To increase tobacco cessation among Medi-Cal beneficiaries who currently smoke, and to improve the management of diabetes and other chronic disease by means of tobacco cessation.
2. Demonstrate that tobacco cessation benefits that are well promoted and barrier free and include modest incentives, are effective in reducing smoking prevalence, lowering Medi-Cal health care costs, and improving health outcomes for diabetes management in particular.

Conditions

• Smoking Cessation

Interventions

BEHAVIORAL

Telephone counseling

Telephone counseling is conducted in the appropriate language (Spanish and English) by counselors at the California Smokers' Helpline. Counselors use a structured protocol and there is a record for each call. Quantitative information that will be available for analysis include: timing, length, and frequency of counseling calls.

DRUG

Nicotine patches

Clients will be screened for contraindications to nicotine patch use, and a doctor's approval will be necessary before patches are sent if a contraindication exists.

BEHAVIORAL

Incentive

They will be given their choice of gift cards from one of 4 major business chains: Wal-Mart, Target, Vons/Safeway, or Ralph's/Kroger card.

Sponsors & Collaborators

• Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services

  collaborator FED

• University of California, San Francisco

  collaborator OTHER

• California Department of Public Health

  collaborator OTHER

• California Department of Health Services

  collaborator OTHER

• University of California, San Diego

  lead OTHER

Principal Investigators

• Shu-Hong Zhu, Ph.D. · University of California, San Diego

Study Design

Allocation

RANDOMIZED

Purpose

TREATMENT

Masking

NONE

Model

PARALLEL

Eligibility

Min Age

18 Years

Sex

ALL

Healthy Volunteers

No

Timeline & Regulatory

Start

2012-06-30

Primary Completion

2014-02-28

Completion

2014-02-28

Countries

• United States

Study Locations