Treating Chinese Smokers With Interactive Expert System

The research study examines the feasibility, implementation, and efficacy of the interactive
expert system intervention for smoking cessation in the Chinese American population. The
primary specific aim of the proposed research is to test the following hypotheses: 1)
Proactive recruitment approach will be more effective in recruiting smokers who are in
precontemplation (no intent to quit smoking in the next 6 months) than a reactive approach.
2) Participants in the experimental condition receiving the interactive stage-matched expert
system intervention plus a manual will be more likely to be abstinent at 12 and 18 than those
in the control condition receiving a non-interactive standard manual. 3) Participants
receiving the interactive expert system intervention will be more likely to report at least
one quit attempt than those in the control condition at months 6, 12, and 18. 4) Participants
receiving the interactive expert system intervention will be more likely to have a
significant decrease in number of cigarettes smoked than those in the control condition at
months 3, 6, 12, and 18. After the intervention adaptation and the pilot testing phase of
study procedures, the study will achieve the above aims using a randomized trial targeting
400 Chinese American Smokers with follow-up assessments at 3, 6, 12, and 18 months after
baseline.

Inclusion Criteria:

- residents of the San Francisco Bay Area

- age 18 or older

- self-identified as Chinese in ethnicity

- able to read English or Chinese

- have smoked at least 100 cigarettes in their lifetime

- currently smoke at least 5 cigarettes in the past 7 days

Exclusion Criteria:

- currently engaging in other smoking cessation efforts.