Do indigenous helpers foster smoking cessation in adult smokers?

An intervention based on the Transtheoretical Model of behavior change (TTM) used an indigenous helper (a helping relationship) to promote smoking cessation. The research examined whether there was a difference in post-intervention smoking behavior between smokers who had an indigenous helper compared with those who did not among adult FreshStart participants. Smoking behavior was measured in two ways: forward movement along the TTM stages of change, and point prevalence. A two-group, two-time, five-week multi-site experimental design was used. Participants (N=111) completed instruments at baseline and four weeks. The findings did not support use of the TTM construct helping relationships for smoking cessation. The use of a helping relationship did not predict smoking cessation. Nicotine replacement therapy and/or bupropion predicted smoking behavior in all analyses.