The 13th World Conference on Tobacco OR Health

Objective: The principal aim of the study is to determine if the intervention is effective: does the intervention increase the intention to stop smoking of smokers from lower socio-economic groups who have no intention to stop within 6 months? In the Netherlands a relatively small amount of smokers from lower socio-economic groups has an intention to stop smoking within 6 months (13%). Whereas the amount of smokers in this group is relatively big (34%). Regarding our regular budget we must continue organizing smoking cessation campaigns targeted at smokers with an intention to stop. Because our budget is not enough to target at smokers without an intention to stop. But, in that case we won't reach enough smokers from lower socio-economic groups and will increase socio-economic inequalities. This is an undesired situation.

Methods: Of the intervention: the core of the intervention is to call up smokers from lower socio-economic groups to join the action and register themselves, not to smoke for 24 hours and to tell their experiences. After receiving these data via internet, we immediately give them back tailored advise on these experiences. Of the study: we organized a randomized control trial via internet among the target group. The study group exist of two experimental groups (one group who gets the new intervention (n=300) and the other group who gets an ‘old' intervention (n=300) and one control group (without an intervention (n=300)). At random, smokers are placed in one of these groups.

Results: March 2006 the results will be available.