Community-engaged clinical trials

Faith Based Pilot Intervention to Reduce Tobacco Use Among Somali Males

1.1 In the last five years, representatives of WellShare International and the University of Minnesota have engaged a large community of Muslims of Somali descent in the Twin Cities of Minnesota in a community-academic research program to understand smoking and cessation behaviors. This followed research by WellShare International which discovered a smoking prevalence among Somali men of 44%, which is nearly three times that of the general population (14.4%) in Minnesota. More recently, pilot data from ecological momentary assessments (EMA) conducted by WellShare International and the University of Minnesota Program in Health Disparities Research before and during Ramadan, showed that the majority of smokers achieved spontaneous significant reductions in cigarettes smoked per day during Ramadan. Guided by the NIH Stage Based Intervention Development Model, this study aims to understand the processes underlying smoking reduction and cessation during Ramadan. The investigators plan to harness this knowledge and develop a culturally-tailored, faith-based smoking cessation intervention (Stage 1). The investigators also plan to assess the feasibility of the new culturally-tailored smoking cessation intervention by conducting a pilot study (Stage 2). The study aims are as follows: Aim 1: To develop a faith-based, community-informed innovative smoking cessation intervention for use with a Somali immigrant population in Minnesota: Aim 2: To assess the feasibility of a faith-based smoking cessation intervention delivered via a mobile phone during the Ramadan period: This pilot study will test a protocol for use of faith based text messages, as informed by the scholarly work of the Imams, Community Advisory Group (CAG) and focus groups conducted in Stage 1.