Text Messaging-Based Smoking Cessation Program for Homeless Youth

Unaccompanied homeless youth smoke at much higher rates than non-homeless adolescents and young adults. Many homeless youth smokers are motivated to quit; yet, strategies specifically developed for this vulnerable population are lacking. This study will develop and pilot test a text messaging intervention (also known as a TMI) to help homeless youth quit smoking. Text messaging can provide ongoing support for homeless youth during a quit attempt, which is important given that these youth tend to be highly mobile and lack regular access to health services. Participants in this study will be homeless youth who currently smoke and are motivated to quit smoking. All participants will receive a 30-minute group-based smoking cessation counseling session and a nicotine replacement product. Half of these smokers will also receive the TMI, for 6 weeks following the group counseling session, which will provide ongoing support for quitting. The main goal of this study is to investigate whether receiving the TMI results in greater reductions in cigarette smoking over a 3-month period compared to receiving the group counseling session alone.