Two teenage girls are standing outdoors and lighting cigarettes. Teenagers smoking.

The core research project aims to partner with LGBTQIA+ Young Adults, state and community partners to identify effective implementation strategies for increasing the use of the Tobacco Quitline, an evidence-based intervention for tobacco cessation.

Team members:

Project dates: 2024-Present

Funding sources: UI PRC-RH

Project tags: LGBTQIA+ Health, Tobacco & Tobacco Product Cessation, Young Adult Health, Community Engagement, Rural Micropolitan Health

Details

 


Description

Lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, intersex, asexual/agender, and other young adults (YA) whose sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, or reproductive development is characterized by non-heterosexual, non-cisgender, or non-binary constructs of sexual orientation, gender, and/or sex (LGBTQIA+) are disproportionately burdened by tobacco use and tobacco-related diseases, as are YA residing in rural communities. For LGBTQIA+ individuals, disparate outcomes include cancers, cardiovascular health, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, and asthma. Residents of rural communities experience greater morbidity and premature mortality from all five leading causes of death, a disparity referred to as the “rural mortality penalty.” Of particular concern, rural-urban differences in tobacco-related causes of mortality such as cancer, coronary heart disease, and respiratory disease have been increasing. 

Although evidence-based cessation strategies, such as Tobacco Quitlines (QL) are available, they are significantly underutilized among YA. Our objective for this Core Research Project is to increase uptake of statewide QL services among LGBTQIA+ YA living in Iowa’s micropolitan (mid-sized rural) communities by enhancing QL outreach. The project will be designed, implemented, and evaluated in shared leadership with an Advisory Board comprised of LGBTQIA+ YA, and in partnership with Iowa Health and Human Services (IA HHS), One Iowa (a statewide advocacy organization), and community organizations. 

We will address three specific aims:

Aim 1: Develop and pilot test an Implementation Playbook to increase uptake of Quitline Iowa by micropolitan LGBTQIA+ YA.

Aim 2: Implement and evaluate the LGBTQIA+ YA-oriented Implementation Playbook to increase uptake of Quitline Iowa in micropolitan communities statewide.

Aim 3: Disseminate research findings and the Implementation Playbook for translation across Region G (Iowa, Nebraska, Missouri, Kansas) and nationally.

 

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