A Pragmatic Trial of Chronic Disease Approaches to Ameliorate Tobacco Related Cardiovascular Disease Health Disparities

This project will evaluate a proactive outreach intervention for tobacco cessation among primary care BIPOC populations who smoke in two health systems across the region. Compared with Whites, BIPOC populations in the US experience disproportionate health consequences from commercial cigarette use. Few evidence-based cessation treatments (EBCTs) have been specifically developed, evaluated, or implemented for BIPOC populations. Moreover, uptake of EBCT (e.g. medication, counseling) is lower among BIPOC populations. Reasons for the failure to engage BIPOC patients in EBCTs are complex and multi-level (e.g., patient, provider, healthcare system). To address these gaps, the investigators will assess the added effectiveness of an approach to augment the standard of care with longitudinal proactive outreach to connect BIPOC adults with EBCT. The proposed multi-level intervention leverages the electronic health record to identify patients who smoke, who can then be proactively engaged via culturally tailored outreach to connect them to EBCT. The proactive approach may circumvent experiences of bias within the healthcare system and thus enhance engagement.