Adapting and Evaluating a Tobacco Use Cessation Program for People Living With HIV in Uganda and Zambia

This proposal tests the efficacy of a phone-based tobacco cessation intervention for people living with HIV (PLWH) in comparison to the standard of care (brief advice to quit) and nicotine replacement therapy (nicotine patches) in Uganda and Zambia. This study will provide insight into the efficacy, feasibility, applicability, and affordability of delivering tobacco cessation interventions through health care professionals at HIV treatment centers in two countries with different tobacco use patterns, policy environments, and health care resources. The previously tested SMS-platform to be used in this study is uniquely positioned to be scaled in low- and middle-income countries worldwide, in which case rigorous research showing even modest success in reducing the prevalence of tobacco consumption among PLWH could confer substantial health and economic benefits.