Smoking Cessation Among Underserved Patients Referred for Lung Cancer Screening: A Randomized Clinical Trial.

Financial incentives significantly increase 6-month smoking cessation rates among underserved lung cancer screening patients, reaching 8.8%, compared to 4.3% with usual care.

• Why it matters: Addressing smoking cessation in underserved populations is crucial because these groups face higher smoking-related health disparities and limited access to effective interventions, yet optimal strategies remain unclear.
• What they did: A randomized clinical trial involving 3,220 smokers from diverse underserved backgrounds tested four strategies, including usual care, pharmacotherapy, financial incentives, and a mobile health tool, measuring biochemically confirmed abstinence at 6 months.
• The result: Adding financial incentives notably improved sustained abstinence rates, enabling targeted approaches to reduce smoking-related disparities and inform policy for effective cessation programs in vulnerable populations.