Research

Help smokers quit whether they want to or not: Study
Although current tobacco cessation guidelines tell doctors to offer assistance to patients only if they express interest in quitting, new research shows that offering cessation help to all smokers may be more effective at increasing cessation rates. Researchers combined the results of thirteen published smoking cessation studies. They found that, compared to patients who received no intervention, patients of doctors who offered cessation counseling or nicotine replacement therapy had a significantly higher frequency of quit attempts, even if the patient did not ask for help. The authors of the study conclude that doctors should offer cessation advice to all patients who smoke. Click here to read more and here to read the study abstract published in the journal Addiction.

National survey: One in ten smokers reported they have concealed their smoking from healthcare providers and guide for healthcare providers on cessation counseling
According to a national survey conducted by Legacy, one in ten smokers (13%) did not disclose their smoking status to their healthcare providers. Those who were not truthful were more likely to perceive high smoking-related stigma compared to those who did disclose their smoking status. Although the majority of smokers do disclose their smoking status, only a quarter of them sought help for smoking cessation. Legacy has developed a guide to assist healthcare providers in having effective conversations with their patients about smoking and quitting. Click here to read a statement from Legacy and click here to see the guide for healthcare providers.

Nicotine patches, gum won't help smokers quit long-term: Study
New research raises questions about the effectiveness of nicotine replacement therapy (NRT) outside of a clinically controlled setting. Researchers conducted a prospective study of former smokers who had recently quit smoking. In their follow-up, researchers asked participants about their use of NRT, if they had been counseled on cessation by a doctor, or if they had joined a smoking cessation program. Results show that NRT did not have an impact on relapse rates among those who had tried to quit. Critics of the study note that few participants in the study took NRT as recommended, and further studies are needed to confirm these results. Those questioning the study believe that it does not discount the utility of NRT, instead suggesting that the study sheds light on what NRT can and cannot do. Click here to read more, click here to read the study abstract published in Tobacco Control. Click here to read about the study’s limitations. According to the CDC’s Office on Smoking and Health (OSH), FDA-approved tobacco cessation medications and individual, group, and telephone counseling contribute to higher cessation rates. The CDC also calls attention to systematic reviews and meta-analyses of peer-reviewed clinical trials, which have found that cessation medications substantially increase six-month quit rates and that counseling and NRT are more effective when they are combined. Additional evidence on effective cessation treatments can be found in the Guide to Community Preventive Services, CDC’s Best Practices for Comprehensive Tobacco Control Programs—2007, and CDC’s Smoking Cessation Fact Sheet.

New systematic reviews and findings on tobacco cessation added to the Community Guide
The Community Preventive Services Task Force has issued evidence-based findings on Internet-based and mobile phone-based tobacco cessation interventions. The Task Force found insufficient evidence to determine the effectiveness of Internet-based interventions in increasing tobacco cessation, meaning the available studies do not provide sufficient evidence to determine if the intervention is, or is not, effective. Additional research is needed to determine whether internet-based cessation interventions are effective. The Task Force recommends mobile phone-based interventions for tobacco cessation, based on sufficient evidence of effectiveness in increasing tobacco cessation. Click here to read more about the Task Force’s findings on Internet-based tobacco cessation interventions and here for the Task Force’s findings on mobile phone-based interventions.

Online social networks and smoking cessation: A scientific research agenda
According to an article published in the Journal of Medical Internet Research, online social networks may facilitate smoking cessation. Researchers conducted a workshop with leading practitioners to develop a strategic research agenda on how online social networks may be valuable for smoking cessation. A synthesis of the proceedings revealed that practitioners believe questions in four categories are the most important in order to move the field forward: advancing theory, understanding fundamental mechanisms, intervention approaches, and evaluation. Click here to read the full article, which outlines key research questions for further study.

Parental smoking cessation to protect young children: A systematic review and meta-analysis
A new meta-analysis examined studies to determine if interventions that focused on smokers’ children were more successful at achieving higher cessation rates compared to interventions that did not focus on children. The results did show a higher cessation rate among smokers who received interventions with a focus on children, compared to those receiving interventions that did not focus on children. However, regardless of the type of intervention, the majority of parents did not quit smoking in most studies. The authors underscore the fact that because most parents still do not quit smoking, additional strategies are needed to protect children from the harms of secondhand smoke exposure. Read more by clicking here, and read the study abstract published in Pediatrics here.

The relation between media promotions and service volume for a statewide tobacco quitline and a web-based cessation program
According to an article published in BMC Public Health, mass media campaigns can be effective at motivating tobacco users to seek out cessation services. Researchers performed multivariate regression analysis to determine how weekly calls to a tobacco quitline and weekly registration to a web-based cessation program were associated with different levels of media and media types. The results show that broadcast advertising had a greater impact on registrations for the web-based cessation program versus calls to the quitline, and registration for the web program influenced calls to the quitline. Other forms of media, such as print ads, were positively associated with calls to the quitline and registration for the web-based program. The authors believe that varying the types of media used to communicate messages can better motivate tobacco users to seek cessation services. Click here to read the study abstract.

Starting smoking cessation medication earlier may make it easier to quit
Starting smoking cessation drugs a month before quitting may make quit attempts more successful, according to a new study. The researchers randomized sixty participants to receive either varenicline for four weeks before quitting or sugar pills for the first three weeks and varenicline for the last week. After the first three weeks, those who received varenicline reported a 42% reduction in smoking rates, compared to a 24% reduction in smoking among those who received sugar pills for the first three weeks. Greater effects were observed in certain groups. Researchers believe the data suggests that starting cessation drugs early can increase quit rates among smokers, but emphasize that future studies are still needed to confirm the findings. Read more here and click here to see the abstract in Clinical Pharmacology & Therapeutics.

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