Grant Number:	1R03CA303915-01A1 Interpret this number
Primary Investigator:	Hernandez-Torres, Ruthmarie
Organization:	Sloan-Kettering Inst Can Research
Project Title:	QUITTRACK: Adaptation and Evaluation of a Community Navigator-Led Tobacco Cessation Intervention for Cancer Patients Experiencing Food Insecurity
Fiscal Year:	2026

Project Summary Despite the significant health benefits of quitting smoking, many cancer patients, particularly those affected by adverse social drivers of health (SDOH) such as food insecurity, struggle with tobacco dependence. Among cancer patients, 44% of those who smoke experience food insecurity, a rate double that those who do not smoke, underscoring the urgent need for targeted interventions to support tobacco cessation. Engaging cancer patients with food insecurity and tobacco dependence in tobacco treatment programs remains challenging due to barriers such as competing priorities, cultural beliefs, and limited social support. The Memorial Sloan Kettering’s (MSK’s) FOOD program operates food pantries in cancer clinics in New York City (NYC) to address food insecurity. Tobacco treatment services have not been widely promoted through food pantries to date. In preliminary work with hospital-based food pantries serving cancer patients, we found initial feasibility and acceptability of tobacco use screening. However, it remains unclear how willing and able food-insecure patients attending these pantries are to engage in cessation support services provided by Community Navigators (CNs). The overall objective of this R03 proposal is to identify the appropriate modifications (e.g., content and delivery format), acceptability, appropriateness, feasibility, and reach for adapting the current CN care delivery model at MSK hospital-based food pantries to include an intervention to support access and engagement in tobacco treatment. We propose two specific aims: 1) To adapt the CN delivery model at food pantries by identifying the preferences of cancer patients who smoke and CNs on the content and delivery of tobacco treatment support services, and 2) To determine the acceptability, appropriateness, feasibility, and preliminary effectiveness of the adapted CN delivery model and the potential influence of contextual factors on implementation. Using the Ecological Validity Model (EVM) and PRISM frameworks, this study will gather insights through semi-structured interviews and feasibility assessments at four hospital-based food pantries in NYC. Our intended contribution is demonstrating the feasibility and acceptability of delivering tobacco treatment support services in a community-based setting that addresses multiple SDOH. This contribution is significant because it will introduce new models and shifts in how tobacco treatment interventions are conceptualized and implemented, ensuring rigor for future studies evaluating the intervention’s impact on tobacco cessation rates. The study is innovative in its use of the EVM framework to systematically adapt the CN intervention for tobacco treatment support at hospital-based food pantries. It also incorporates the PRISM framework to evaluate and enhance the sustainability of these interventions in real world settings. We expect the findings to improve engagement in tobacco treatment programs and reduce differential health outcomes among cancer patients facing food insecurity.





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