It’s not just about recruitment: An exploratory look at tobacco education sessions to increase participation into smoking cessation programs among American Indians

American Indians (AI) have the highest smoking rates and lowest quit rates of any racial/ethnic group in the U.S. Researchers and community members from the American Indian Health Research and Education Alliance (AIHREA) created and evaluated a culturally-tailored smoking cessation program, All Nations Breath of Life (ANBL) as a recruitment tool for smoking cessation programs among AI. To increase enrollment in ANBL, AI smokers were approached at cultural events and asked to attend a 30-minute educational session (in-person, n= 179; tele-video, n=97). Tele-video (30%) and in-person (9%) session participants were recruited into ANBL. Pre- and post-tests showed participants in both sessions demonstrated increased motivation and confidence to quit smoking but significant differences were present in both sessions (p < 0.0001). Results indicate that theoretically guided and culturally tailored education sessions are viable approaches to educate and recruit underserved populations into programs that promote smoking cessation.