Developing the intervention

At each stage of the intervention, quantitative and qualitative findings from the previous phase as well as continuous feedback and communication with all stakeholders (including members of the CAB, site coordinators who partnered the program with local venues, peer motivators, and participants) led to improvements that were incorporated into subsequent phases. At the end of Phase I, health providers at the community health center were interviewed and focus groups were held for participants to evaluate the intervention. Since cessation rates for those who received individual counseling did not differ from those who participated in group counseling, subsequent phases included only the more cost-effective group counseling approach. Other findings from the Phase I qualitative evaluation suggested making services easier to access, increasing the cultural competency of the intervention, and changing the incentives used.

At the end of Phase II, the intervention was evaluated again by engaging all stakeholders and reviewing the results. Feedback included ways to improve motivation to initiate the quitting process and to stay quit after the intervention. These findings then informed changes to Phase III that included motivational enhancement and relapse prevention modules. Feedback from Phase III has further informed a fourth phase which is currently ongoing. Table 1 shows a summary of differences and similarities for the three phases of this intervention.

Components of the interventions in Phases I, II, and III