Financial incentives for smoking abstinence in homeless smokers: A pilot randomized controlled trial

Friday, June 23, 2017: 3:00 PM
McPherson Square (Grand Hyatt Washington)
Awesta Yaqubi, BA (Clinical Research Coordinator, Tobacco Research and Treatment Center, Division of General Internal Medicine, Massachusetts General Hospital)
Claire McGlave, BA (Clinical Research Coordinator, Tobacco Research and Treatment Center, Division of General Internal Medicine, Massachusetts General Hospital)
Nancy A. Rigotti, MD (Professor of Medicine, Tobacco Research and Treatment Center, Division of General Internal Medicine, Massachusetts General Hospital and Department of Medicine, Harvard Medical School)
Yuchiao Chang, PhD (Assistant Professor of Medicine, Tobacco Research and Treatment Center, Division of General Internal Medicine, Massachusetts General Hospital and Department of Medicine, Harvard Medical School)
Stephen T. Higgins, PhD (Professor of Psychiatry and Psychology, Vermont Center on Behavior and Health, University of Vermont)
Travis P. Baggett, MD, MPH (Assistant Professor of Medicine, Division of General Internal Medicine, Massachusetts General Hospital; Department of Medicine, Harvard Medical School; and Institute for Research, Quality, and Policy in Homeless Health Care, Boston Health Care for the Homeless Program)
This presentation will describe the design and results of a pilot randomized controlled trial examining the impact of financial incentives on smoking abstinence in homeless cigarette smokers. Participants assigned to the financial incentives arm received escalating monetary rewards for exhaled carbon monoxide-verified smoking abstinence. Compared to the control group, financial incentives arm participants had 7-fold higher odds of smoking abstinence over 8 weeks of follow-up, with no increase in drug or alcohol use. We conclude by considering the opportunities and challenges related to scaling up this promising approach to smoking cessation in a homeless health care setting.