Culturally relevant acceptance-based telehealth wellness program for Latine adults who smoke and experience psychological distress: Findings from a feasibility study

Latine adults who smoke have a low probability of receiving evidence-based smoking cessation interventions. Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT) has shown to be efficacious for treating tobacco dependence, but its usefulness for Latine populations is just emerging and has not been studied in the context of a culturally tailored treatment. This single-arm study evaluated the feasibility of recruitment and retention, and treatment acceptability of the PRESENT Wellness Program: a culturally relevant ACT-based smoking cessation treatment for Latine adults who also experience psychological distress. Secondary objectives were the examination of smoking rates and levels of depression, anxiety, and psychological inflexibility (ACT core target) among Latine adults. Taking place during the COVID-19 pandemic, the treatment entailed 8 sessions delivered via telehealth (1 in-person/video and 7 by phone), and nicotine patches. Participants (N = 23) completed baseline assessments and follow-ups 1-week post-end of treatment (EOT) and 2-months post EOT. Most participants were women (70%), ranging from young adult to middle-aged, born in the US (57%), working full time (52.2%), and reporting financial strain (70%). Average number of sessions completed was 5.5. Follow-up rates were 61% at both follow-ups. The program was acceptable as indicated by quantitative and qualitative measures. Point-prevalence smoking abstinence was 35% at both follow-ups. Participants reported an average decline across time [% or M(SD)] in all secondary measures, as follows: everyday smoking [Baseline = 87%; 1-wk post EOT = 13%; 2 mo post EOT = 8.7%]; depression [Baseline = 13.7(6.3); 1-wk post EOT = 9.9 (6.6); 2 mo post EOT = 7.4 (5.8)]; anxiety [Baseline = 12.7 (5.4); 1-wk post EOT = 9.7 (6.4); 2 mo post EOT = 8.1 (5.2)]; and psychological inflexibility [Baseline = 50.6 (7.2); 1-wk post EOT = 33.0 (10.7); 2 mo post EOT = 32.6 (12.4)].

Conclusion

The current study observed that implementation of an acceptance-based smoking cessation treatment delivered in a hybrid mode is feasible and acceptable for English-speaking Latine persons. The PRESENT Wellness Program shows promise to address smoking and behavioral health challenges in the Latine community. Replication and expansion of the study is warranted, including the linguistic adaptation and evaluation of the program among Spanish-preferring Latine persons who smoke.