Olena Tigova, a predoctoral researcher from the UCT, recently presented updates on the adapted Smoke-Free Homes project in Catalonia to the original project team at Emory University. The Emory Prevention Research Center (EPRC), part of the Rollins School of Public Health at Emory University (Atlanta, US), originally developed and tested this evidence-based intervention in various settings to promote smoke-free homes among families. In 2022, the intervention was adapted for the Catalan context, and since 2023, UCT researchers have been leading a study to evaluate its effectiveness in Catalonia.
As the local coordinator of the Smoke-Free Homes project, Olena Tigova is currently conducting a research stay at the EPRC under the supervision of Professor Michelle Kegler. This collaboration provides an opportunity to exchange experiences in implementing and evaluating the intervention across different contexts, explore potential future collaborations, and work on several manuscripts. These manuscripts will detail the protocol of the Catalan study, the adaptation process, and the pilot study results.