Chicago Community Health Study

The session began with the therapist reviewing the participants' personal feedback sheet within the context of clear messaging that there is no safe level of smoking and of how smoking affects the participant individually and the Black community collectively. The participant was encouraged to quit smoking, else to reduce smoking if abstinence was not desired, and to use NRT within the next week to help foster behavior change and alleviate withdrawal symptoms. This portion of the counseling was presented within a culturally-targeted framework such that myths regarding NRT common among persons with low health literacy were discussed and debunked and historical mistrust of the medical community and concerns about exploitation were also addressed. Each participant in EC was offered a starter kit of NRT with a one week supply of patches or lozenges.

"Participants met with a research assistant for 3-5 minutes and received the National Cancer Institute (NCI) pamphlet Clearing the Air and access to related online resources, which includes brief advice to quit smoking and medication information. They did not receive counseling or specialized care and were advised to refer to the resources should they be interested in quitting smoking."