A Low-Cost, High-Access Intervention to Increase Intention to Change Alcohol/Tobacco Use Among Reticent Veterans who are Non-Responders to Brief Advice at High Risk Due to Chronic Conditions

Background: Chronic diseases are prevalent, costly, and have been linked to increased risk of mortality and morbidity in Veterans. Hazardous alcohol use and cigarette smoking can significantly exacerbate these negative consequences for Veterans. To help mitigate risk, VHA primary care health initiatives have prioritized hazardous alcohol use and cigarette smoking and have mandated that patients be annually screened and receive a brief intervention (primary care intervention delivered by the patient-aligned care team; PACT) if positive. However, many Veterans continue to smoke and/or hazardously drink. Current VHA treatment options do not meet the needs of these reticent Veterans. Motivational Intervention Designed for Self-management and EducaTion (MINDSET) is an evidence-based, remote, low-resource intervention that uses a motivational approach to increase change intentions within the context of their chronic disease. Significance: Most healthcare costs come from Veterans with chronic diseases (e.g., cardiovascular disease; CVD), which are worsened by hazardous alcohol use and smoking. This research addresses multiple VHA priorities through its focus on increasing access to care for a subgroup of reticent Veterans with chronic disease. MINDSET’s integrated focus on smoking and hazardous drinking in the context of chronic disease management aligns with Veteran’s priorities, and diabetes and CVD were a top ranked health concern by Veterans. This work is also very well aligned with several HSR&D Priorities, including Complex Chronic Disease Management, Mental & Behavioral Health, Equity, Women’s Health, Aging, and Access to Care. Innovation & Impact: MINDSET’s design, which recognizes the competing demands within medical settings and the inequities of underrepresented groups (i.e., woman, minorities, older adults), intentionally utilizes universal and accessible dissemination methods (e.g., mail and telephone) to decrease burden while increasing reach and impact. This study uniquely fills a gap in VHA and HSR&D research as there are no evidence-based interventions tailored for this subgroup of reticent Veterans who smoke and/or drink above recommended limits and have co-occurring CVD, cardiac risk factors, and/or diabetes. The impact potential is high, as moving this subgroup of reticent Veterans toward changing smoking/hazardous drinking will dramatically decrease their health risks and healthcare costs. Specific Aims: The proposed work will: 1) evaluate MINDSET+usual care (UC) in comparison to UC alone (brief PACT advice) on precursors to change (i.e., behavioral control, intention to change), and substance consumption, 2) assess longitudinal interrelationships between consumption, precursors, and other distal outcomes and 3) optimize the research activities within the trial to preliminary implementation outcomes . Methodology: We will conduct a type 1 hybrid effectiveness-implementation RCT, where enrolled Veterans will be randomized to either the intervention condition UC (i.e., PACT brief advice) alone or (usual care [UC]+MINDSET). To increase generalizability to the target end users (i.e., Veterans with chronic diseases), we will use a sampling scheme to increase our representative of specific subgroups with noted disparities in these areas of research: minorities, women, and older Veterans. Assessments will occur every 4 weeks, with comprehensive assessments every 3 months for one year. We will utilize a stratified block randomization method based on whether Veterans report only smoking, only hazardously drinking . Our primary outcome will assess participants’ intention to change each behavior separately, and a total summed score across items divided by the number of items endorsed (based on behaviors engaged in) will be utilized to summarize their overall intention to change. Next Steps/Implementation: If MINDSET is effective, additional implementation research/efforts will be proposed. Results will be disseminated on PC Project Number: 1I01HX003901-01A2 | Fiscal Year: 2025 | NIH Institute/Center: Veterans Affairs (VA) | Principal Investigator: Julie Gass (+1 co-PI) | Institution: VA WESTERN NEW YORK HEALTHCARE SYSTEM, BUFFALO, NY | Activity Code: I01 | Study Section: HSR-2 Behavioral, Social, and Cultural Drivers of Health and Care[HSR2] View on NIH RePORTER: https://reporter.nih.gov/project-details/11110912