Abstract
Background: The Teachable Moment Heuristic (TMH) posits that change in its three components (ie, affective response, risk perception, and social role/self-concept) could increase motivation and confidence for health promotion, such as smoking cessation. For patients with cancer, smoking cessation can extend survival, while persistent smoking causes numerous problems (eg, cancer recurrence).
Purpose: This intensive longitudinal study with cancer patients aimed to evaluate the link between TMH constructs and smoking outcomes.
Methods: Participants included 42 newly diagnosed head/neck cancer patients who reported smoking in the past month. Participants completed a baseline questionnaire before a 30-day daily assessment. Single-item measures were used for all constructs.
Results: Participants who perceived more benefits of quitting smoking smoked fewer cigarettes, P < .05. Also, participants who reported less cancer worry smoked fewer cigarettes, P = .03. Within-persons, less cancer worry than one’s personal average predicted decreases in cigarettes the next day, P = .01. Perceiving greater benefits of quitting, and social support than one’s average predicted lower motivation but higher confidence to quit the same day, Ps < .05. Greater cancer worry than one’s average predicted day-to-day increases in cigarettes smoked, P < .01. Perceiving greater benefits of quitting and greater social support than one’s average predicted smoking fewer cigarettes that day, Ps < .05.
Conclusions: Components of the TMH are associated with favorable smoking cessation outcomes after a cancer diagnosis. Interventions to aid cancer patients with smoking cessation should focus on the benefits of quitting, bolster social support, and reduce cancer-related worry.
Document Type
Article
Publication Date
2025
Digital Object Identifier (DOI)
https://doi.org/10.1093/abm/kaaf059
Funding Information
Research reported in this publication was supported by the National Cancer Institute of the National Institutes of Health under award number K07 CA181351, the Patient Oriented and Population Sciences Shared Resource Facility and Biostatistics and Bioinformatics Shared Resource Facility of Markey Cancer Center under award number P30 CA177558, and the National Center for Advancing Translational Sciences of the National Institutes of Health under award number UL1 TR001998. M.W.S.’s efforts on this project were partially supported by the National Institute of Mental Health under award number K23 MH126211. The content of this publication is solely the responsibility of the authors and does not necessarily represent the official views of the National Institutes of Health.
Repository Citation
Borger, Tia; Southward, Matthew W.; Maras, Jessica; Feather, Abigayle; and Burris, Jessica L., "A longitudinal study of the association between the teachable moment heuristic and smoking of head and neck cancer patients" (2025). Psychiatry Faculty Publications. 58.
https://uknowledge.uky.edu/psychiatry_facpub/58
Notes/Citation Information
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