Better Health Through Evidence-Based Smoking Cessation in Indigenous Communities (BREATHE)

The primary objective of the BREATHE project is to increase the number of Indigenous people across Canada who receive evidence-based and culturally sensitive clinical nicotine addiction support from healthcare providers to help them quit or reduce smoking. We hypothesize that implementing a systematic approach to smoking cessation will result in increased reach, treatment, and rates of reduction or cessation within this population.

There are 5 key activities that will enable the successful implementation of our project. All of these activities will be supported by constant and longitudinal stakeholder engagement with patients, providers, community leaders, public health officials, and health administrators. The key activities include the overall management of the program, adaptation and implementation of smoking cessation supports, establishment of nicotine addiction treatment hubs (NTH), incorporating an opt-out approach for referral, and evaluation and knowledge mobilization.

The project will take place over 3 years and program implementation within each healthcare setting will be delivered over 6 months. A 4-week run-in period will be conducted to allow for a pre-and post-implementation analysis at each site. There are no specific exclusion criteria for the OMSC program. Those lost to follow-up will be considered to have returned to smoking. Surveys will be conducted at 1-month and 6-month post-intake to assess patient knowledge, satisfaction, rates of smoking, and smoking reduction/cessation.