Mobile app trial targets smoking cessation for Black adults living with HIV

Lorra Garey, a research associate professor in the Department of Psychology and affiliate of the University of Houston Health Research Institute, has obtained a $4.7 million grant from the National Institute on Minority Health and Health Disparities. This funding is intended to support a randomized control trial of a mobile health app designed to assist users in quitting smoking, managing physiological stress, and improving chronic disease management.

"Our results will fuel the expansion of culturally tailored mobile health interventions, offering innovative, accessible support for those most in need," said Garey.

The app aims to reduce emotional reactivity to stress. Smoking significantly impacts HIV disease management by interfering with treatment effectiveness and worsening health outcomes. People living with HIV are more vulnerable to smoking's negative effects and face greater challenges in quitting compared to the general population.

For Black smokers with HIV, additional challenges include stressors related to racism, HIV stigma, and discrimination. Garey noted that this group often experiences higher levels of general stressors and markedly higher levels of stress due to discrimination related to their race or HIV status.

"The combination of smoking and HIV in the Black community amplifies health risks and makes it harder to manage both conditions, highlighting the urgent need for targeted interventions to address these overlapping health disparities," Garey stated.

Researchers indicate that poor rates of smoking cessation and HIV disease management among Black people with HIV are linked to increased exposure to interoceptive stress symptoms. These physical sensations associated with stress or emotional states can make it difficult for individuals facing significant stressors like discrimination to cope with challenges such as quitting smoking or managing diseases like HIV.

Garey emphasized that "smoking cessation interventions and HIV disease management directed toward Black people with HIV who smoke might benefit from a specific focus on decreasing emotional reactivity to interoceptive stress."

The trial will involve more than 300 Black smokers with HIV. Participants will have access to nicotine replacement therapy options.

"If the efficacy is established, it would serve as a low-burden and highly accessible treatment option for smoking cessation, improved mental health, and improved HIV care adherence/engagement, which all serve to support successful aging and improved well-being," said Garey.

Collaborators from UH include Michael Zvolensky, Hugh Roy and Lillie Cranz Cullen Distinguished University Professor of Psychology; Matthew Gallagher; while external collaborators include Michael Businelle from the University of Oklahoma Health Sciences Center; Thomas Giordano from Baylor College of Medicine; Marshall Cheney from the University of Oklahoma; Bettina Hoeppner from Harvard Medical School; Mary Jo Trepka from Florida International University; Ank Nijhawan from UT Southwestern Medical Center.