Examining The Practicality Of Smartphone-Based Cigarette Smoking Monitoring In People With Intellectual And Developmental Disabilities

Abstract People living with Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities (IDDs) are exceptionally vulnerable to dangers of cigarette smoking. While there are many smoking cessation treatments available to the general population, there is a serious lack of evidence-based treatments available to people with IDDs. One category of interventions that may be especially effective in IDD populations are telehealth interventions, which offer several advantages to traditional styles of implementation including reducing transportation needs, provider burden, and cost. The goal of this project is to evaluate the initial practicality of smartphone-based cigarette smoking monitoring in people who smoke cigarettes and have IDDs. This is a pivotal step towards addressing the gap in treatment-focused research between the general population and those with IDDs, a vulnerable group that has been largely ignored by the field. Through this project we will determine the adaptations required to implement this technology successfully in people with IDDs who smoke cigarettes. This will be achieved through 20 semi-structed interviews with 15 people with IDDs who smoke cigarettes and five support staff. Participants will be recruited in collaboration with the Human Development Institute, and the Department of Developmental and Intellectual Disabilities at the University of Kentucky. Through this aim, we will draft an initial treatment manual, which will be reviewed by a group of experts. This manual will be used in a future project evaluating the feasibility and acceptability of smartphone-compatible, breath carbon monoxide (CO) monitoring in people with IDDs who smoke cigarettes. The proposed project addresses a currently unmet need in a population that has received little attention in the substance use treatment field. Research on smoking cessation interventions in individuals with disabilities is profoundly lacking; and although tailored interventions exist, they have not been assessed for efficacy. The proposed project will fill this tremendous research gap by introducing technological substance use innovations to IDD populations.