title: Online tobacco websites and online communities-who uses them and do users quit smoking? The quit-primo and national dental practice-based research network Hi-Quit studies.
abstract: Online tobacco cessation communities are beneficial but underused. Our study examined whether, among smokers participating in a web-assisted tobacco intervention (Decide2quit.org), specific characteristics were associated with navigating to BecomeAnEx.org, an online cessation community, and with subsequent quit rates. Among smokers (N = 759) registered with Decide2quit.org, we identified visitors to BecomeAnEx.org, examining associations between smoker characteristics and likelihood of visiting. We then tested for associations between visits and 6-month cessation (point prevalence). We also tested for an interaction between use of other online support-seeking (Decide2quit.org tobacco cessation coaches), visiting, and 6-month cessation. One quarter (26.0 %; n = 197) of the smokers visited BecomeAnEx.org; less than one tenth (7.5 %; n = 57) registered to participate in the online forum. Visitors were more likely to be female (73.0 vs. 62.6 % of non-visitors, P < 0.01) to have visited a cessation website before (33.0 vs. 17.4 %, P < 0.01) and to report quit attempts in the previous year (62.0 vs. 53.0 %, P = 0.03). In analyses of all participants, BecomeAnEx.org visiting was not associated with 6-month quit completion. Among participants who communicated with a coach, BecomeAnEx.org visiting also lacked a significant association with 6 month quit completion, although a non-significant trend toward quit completion in visitors was noted (OR 2.21, 95 % CI 0.81-3.1). Online cessation communities attract smokers with previous cessation website experience and recent quit attempts. Community visiting was not associated with quit rates in our study, but low use may have limited our power to detect differences. Further research should explore whether an additive effect can be achieved by offering community visitors support via online coaches.
authors.affiliation: UMass Medical School, 365 Plantation St, Biotech 1, Suite 100, Worcester, MA, 01605, USA. Sarah.Cutrona@umassmemorial.org.
authors.forename: Sarah L
authors.initials: SL
authors.lastname: Cutrona
authors.affiliation: UMass Medical School, 365 Plantation St, Biotech 1, Suite 100, Worcester, MA, 01605, USA.
authors.forename: Rajani S
authors.initials: RS
authors.lastname: Sadasivam
authors.affiliation: UMass Medical School, 365 Plantation St, Biotech 1, Suite 100, Worcester, MA, 01605, USA.
authors.forename: Kathryn
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: DeLaughter
authors.affiliation: UMass Medical School, 365 Plantation St, Biotech 1, Suite 100, Worcester, MA, 01605, USA.
authors.forename: Ariana
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Kamberi
authors.affiliation: UMass Medical School, 365 Plantation St, Biotech 1, Suite 100, Worcester, MA, 01605, USA.|VA eHealth QUERI and CHOIR, Bedford, MA, USA.
authors.forename: Julie E
authors.initials: JE
authors.lastname: Volkman
authors.affiliation: Division of Pulmonary and Critical Care, Georgetown University Medical Center, Washington, DC, USA.|MeYou Health, Boston, MA, USA.
authors.forename: Nathan
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Cobb
authors.affiliation: Department of Clinical & Community Sciences, School of Dentistry, University of Alabama at Birmingham, Birmingham, AL, USA.
authors.forename: Gregg H
authors.initials: GH
authors.lastname: Gilbert
authors.affiliation: Department of Health Services Administration, School of Health Professions, University of Alabama at Birmingham, Birmingham, AL, USA.
authors.forename: Midge N
authors.initials: MN
authors.lastname: Ray
authors.affiliation: UMass Medical School, 365 Plantation St, Biotech 1, Suite 100, Worcester, MA, 01605, USA.|VA eHealth QUERI and CHOIR, Bedford, MA, USA.
authors.forename: Thomas K
authors.initials: TK
authors.lastname: Houston
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D015331:Cohort Studies; D018865:Dental Research / Q000379:methods*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D020407:Internet; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D011446:Prospective Studies; D012907:Smoking; D016540:Smoking Cessation / Q000379:methods* / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D012944:Social Support; D020340:Tobacco Use Cessation; D014029:Tobacco Use Disorder; D055815:Young Adult; D014026:Nicotiana
keywords: Health services research; Internet; Online behavior change systems; Smoking cessation; Social network; Social support