Efficacy of smoking cessation intervention delivered through mobile tele-counseling among smokers with tuberculosis in a Revised National Tuberculosis Control Program

Background India has high burden of tuberculosis and smokers. Prevalence of tuberculosis is three times higher in smokers than non-smokers. Active smoking causes severe disease, delay in seeking treatment, lost to treatment follow up, delayed sputum conversion and drug resistance. WHO advocates mobile phone technology to improve health outcomes (mHealth). We used mobile tele-counseling as a smoking cessation intervention in smokers with tuberculosis (TB) receiving treatment under tuberculosis control program. Aim To determine smoking quit rate at six months of TB treatment among smokers receiving mobile tele-counseling versus brief advice and to estimate smoking quit rates and relapse rates during the tele-counseling period. Methods Open label randomized controlled trial. Newly detected pulmonary tuberculosis or pleural effusion patients received brief advice on smoking cessation as per The UNION's guiding framework. Subjects were then randomly allocated to intervention or control group. Intervention group was contacted telephonically at 2,3,4,5 and 6 months to assess smoking quit rates and provide continued smoking cessation advice. Results Intervention group had 80 and 82 in the control group, mean (SD) age was 40.6(12.6), 43.5(12.7) p = 0.53. Quit rate at six months was 54 (67.5%) in intervention group versus 34 (42%) in control group; RR 1.60 (95% CI 1.19, 2.16) p = 0.001. Trend in smoking quit rates in intervention group was 81.3%, 61.3%, 55%, 73.8% at 2,3,4 and 5 months respectively. Smoking relapse rate was 43.1%, 53.1%, 20.5%,15.3% at 3,4,5 and 6 months respectively. 27.5%, 43.8% were abstinent for last three, two months. Conclusions Mobile tele-counseling is an effective strategy for smoking cessation among TB patients.