Effective Smoking Cessation Interventions Research Articles

Effectiveness of Short Message Service Text-Based Smoking Cessation Intervention Among University Students: A Randomized Clinical Trial.

Smoking is globally the most important preventable cause of ill health and death. Mobile telephone interventions and, in particular, short message service (SMS) text messaging, have the potential to overcome access barriers to traditional health services, not least among young people. To determine the effectiveness of a text-based smoking cessation intervention among young people. A single-blind, 2-arm, randomized clinical trial (Nicotine Exit [NEXit]) was conducted from October 23, 2014, to April 17, 2015; data analysis was performed from April 23, 2014, to May 22, 2015. Participants included daily or weekly smokers willing to set a quit date within 1 month of enrollment. The study used email to invite all college and university students throughout Sweden to participate. The NEXit core program is initiated with a 1- to 4-week motivational phase during which participants can choose to set a stop date. The intervention group then received 157 text messages based on components of effective smoking cessation interventions for 12 weeks. The control group received 1 text every 2 weeks thanking them for participating in the study, with delayed access to the intervention. The primary outcomes were self-reported prolonged abstinence (not having smoked >5 cigarettes over the past 8 weeks) and 4-week point prevalence of complete smoking cessation shortly after the completion of the intervention (approximately 4 months after the quit date). A total of 1590 participants, mainly between 21 and 30 years of age, were randomized into the study; 827 (573 [69.3%] women) were allocated to the intervention group and 763 (522 [68.4%] women) were included in the control group. Primary outcome data were available for 783 (94.7%) of the intervention group and 719 (94.2%) of the control group. At baseline, participants were smoking a median (range) of 63 (1-238) and 70 (2-280) cigarettes per week, respectively. Eight-week prolonged abstinence was reported by 203 participants (25.9%) in the intervention group and 105 (14.6%) in the control group; 4-week point prevalence of complete cessation was reported by 161 (20.6%) and 102 (14.2%) participants, respectively, a mean (SD) of 3.9 (0.37) months after the quit date. The adjusted odds ratios (95% CIs) for these findings were 2.05 (1.57-2.67) and 1.56 (1.19-2.05), respectively. With the limitation of assessing only the short-term effect of the intervention, the effects observed in this trial are comparable with those for traditional smoking cessation interventions. The simple NEXit intervention has the potential to improve the uptake of effective smoking cessation interventions. isrctn.org Identifier: ISRCTN75766527.

How can we Improve on Modeling Nicotine Addiction to Develop Better Smoking Cessation Treatments?

Clinically effective smoking cessation treatments are few in number, mainly varenicline, bupropion, and nicotine replacement therapy being prescribed by health organizations. Of the many compounds tested for smoking cessation, a good proportion fail in human trials despite positive findings in rodents. This chapter aims to cover the uses and some pit falls of current methodologies employed to discover clinical treatments in the laboratory. Complicating factors include the complex nature of genetics in tobacco smoking and the comorbidity associated with other psychiatric disorders, which has not been addressed fully in the rodent laboratory. This chapter reviews the evidence from intravenous nicotine self-administration studies and proposes modifications on how we can improve the validity of the animal models by incorporating clinically relevant factors considered to be critical in tobacco smoking. For example, choice procedures that incorporate alternative reinforcers, use of reinstatement models, and second-order schedules of reinforcement are proposed to have better scientific validity that may lead to better clinical outcomes. Furthermore, improved experimental methods will also improve our chances of discovering effective treatments that ultimately may mitigate the effects of tobacco smoking with regard to health worldwide.

Dextromethorphan interactions with histaminergic and serotonergic treatments to reduce nicotine self-administration in rats

Combining effective treatments with diverse mechanisms of action for smoking cessation may provide better therapy by targeting multiple points of control in the neural circuits underlying addiction. Previous research in a rat model has shown that dextromethorphan, which has α3β4 nicotinic and NMDA glutamatergic antagonist actions, significantly decreases nicotine self-administration. We have found in the rat model that the H1 histamine antagonist pyrilamine and the serotonin 5HT2C agonist lorcaserin also significantly reduce nicotine self-administration. The current studies were conducted to determine the interactive effects of dextromethorphan with pyrilamine and lorcaserin on nicotine self-administration in rats. Young adult female rats were fitted with jugular IV catheters and trained to self-administer a nicotine infusion dose of 0.03-mg/kg/infusion. In an initial dose–effect function study of dextromethorphan, we found a monotonic decrease in nicotine self-administration over a dose range of 1 to 30-mg/kg with the lowest effective dose of 3-mg/kg. Then, with two separate cohorts of rats, dextromethorphan (0, 3.3, and 10-mg/kg) interactions with pyrilamine (0, 4.43, and 13.3-mg/kg) were investigated as well as interactions with lorcaserin (0, 0.3125 and 0.625-mg/kg). In the pyrilamine–dextromethorphan interaction study, an acute dose of pyrilamine (13.3-mg/kg) as well as an acute dose of dextromethorphan caused a significant decrease in nicotine self-administration. There were mutually augmenting effects of these two drugs. The combination of dextromethorphan (10-mg/kg) and pyrilamine (13.3-mg/kg) significantly lowered nicotine self-administration relative to either 10-mg/kg of dextromethorphan alone (p<0.05) or 13.3-mg/kg of pyrilamine alone (p<0.0005). In the lorcaserin–dextromethorphan study, an acute dose of lorcaserin (0.312-mg/kg) as well as an acute dose of dextromethorphan (10-mg/kg) caused a significant decrease in nicotine self-administration replicating previous findings. Augmenting interactions were observed with dextromethorphan and pyrilamine as well as lorcaserin. These findings suggest that combination therapy may be more effective smoking cessation treatments than monotherapy.

Smoking cessation with counselling and Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM): A randomized controlled trial

IntroductionNon pharmacologic interventions like counselling and Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM), have been shown to be effective for smoking cessation. In the present study we wanted to evaluate the effectiveness of counselling in smoking cessation combined with true or sham TCM. Methods477 smokers (172 men and 305 women) were randomized into 3 groups: group A (sham TCM and counselling), group B (true TCM and counselling) and group C (true TCM). TCM intervention included pharmacopuncture, plum-blossom needling and auriculotherapy. The main outcome measures were the percentage of non-smokers and the Fagerstrom nicotine addiction score in those still smoking at the end of treatment, and after 6 months and 1year. ResultsAt the end of treatment, the percentage of non-smokers was: 57.1% in Group A, 59.1% in Group B, and 49.4% in Group C. After 1year, the percentage of non-smokers was significantly lower in group C (19.1%) than in groups A (30.1%) and B (32.7%) (p=0.015). The Fagerstrom test in the subjects still smoking was not significantly different in the 3 groups at the end of treatment and after 1year. ConclusionsTCM could be an effective treatment for smoking cessation when used as a single technique and especially combined with counselling. Further studies are needed to determine its efficacy.

Suicidality prospectively predicts greater urges to smoke following a cessation attempt: Mediation through perceived barriers to cessation

Growing interest in developing more effective smoking cessation treatments has facilitated the need to further investigate cognitive–affective factors that inhibit successful smoking cessation, such as urges to smoke. Research has strongly supported an association between suicidality and smoking, yet no work has investigated whether suicidality may increase urges to smoke. The current study sought to evaluate the impact of suicidality on smoking-related cognitive–affective factors predictive of smoking relapse among a community sample of 209 daily smokers engaged in a smoking cessation program. Structural equation modeling (SEM) was used to test the effects of self-reported pre-cessation suicidality on urges to smoke 1 month post-cessation as well as whether this effect was mediated by greater barriers to cessation. Results indicated that internal barriers to cessation significantly mediated the effect of pre-cessation suicidality on greater urges to smoke 1 month following smoking cessation attempt. These findings suggest that elevated suicidality may affect perceived internal barriers to cessation and subsequently urges to smoke 1 month following a quit attempt.

Validity of subjective smoking status in orthopedic patients.

PurposeIn this level 1 diagnostic study, we analyzed the validity of subjective smoking status and, as secondary research question, the smoking cessation adherence in orthopedic patients during a routine hospital stay of nonunion patients by measuring serum cotinine.MethodsWe included patients undergoing revision surgery due to nonunion of long bones. Patients were interviewed about their smoking status. Blood samples were taken from all the patients prior to surgery and for an additional 6 weeks following surgery. Serum levels of cotinine were measured, and coherence between subjective smoking status and objective cotinine analysis was evaluated.ResultsBetween March 2012 and August 2014, we enrolled 136 patients. Six of the 26 “previous smokers” (23%) and four of the 65 “nonsmokers” (6%) had serum cotinine above cutoff levels. In self-labeled smokers, serum cotinine levels averaged at 2,367.4±14,885.9 ng/mL (with a median of 100 ng/mL), whereas in previous smokers the levels averaged at 4,270±19,619.4 ng/mL (with a median of 0 ng/mL) and in the nonsmokers group the levels averaged at 12±53.9 ng/mL (with a median of 0.03 ng/mL). Overall, the subjective smoking status matched serum cotinine testing in 88% of the cases. Sensitivity was 79.6% and specificity was 93.1%. Ninety-one percent of the patients with preoperative positive serum values were still positive at follow-up.ConclusionIn this study, we could show that subjective smoking status in orthopedic patients is predominantly reliable as validated by objective cotinine measurements; however, patients who declare themselves as “previous smokers” are at elevated risk for underreporting continued smoking and patients who smoked preoperatively are at high risk for continuing their habit. In the future, caregivers should consider introducing effective treatments for smoking cessation to smokers and furthermore offer effective treatments to maintain smoking cessation in previous smokers during their routine consultation prior to orthopedic and trauma surgery.

Eficacia y seguridad del uso de medicamentos para la cesación de la adicción al tabaco: revisión de guías de práctica clínica

To review the efficacy and safety of pharmacotherapy for smoking cessation in the context of clinical practice guidelines (CPG). A systematic review of CPGs was conducted, aimed at adapting recommendations for Colombia following the ADAPTE methodology. Outcomes comprised 6-months or higher smoking cessation rates and intervention safety. CPGs were peer-assessed based on DELBI. Results from aggregative studies included in selected CPGs were obtained. Pharmacotherapy doubles smoking cessation rates as compared with placebos (rates @25% and up to 27 % when combined with counseling). The highest efficacy was observed for ansyolitic and antidepressive drugs (8.7 % to 19.4 %), and the lowest for nicotine replacement therapy -NRT- (5.2 % to 12.9 %). Nortriptiline shows an efficacy similar to that of bupropion (@10%). With limited exceptions, combined pharmacotherapy for smoking cessation has shown no significant increase in cessation rates. NRT, varenicline, bupropion and nortriptiline are effective treatments for smoking cessation. Combination of drugs deserves further clinical evidence and should be restricted to highly dependent smokers or initial therapeutic failure. Cost-effectiveness analyses might help to introduce smoking cessation programs in low and middle income countries.

Psychosocial interventions for smoking cessation in patients with coronary heart disease.

This is an update of a Cochrane review previously published in 2008. Smoking increases the risk of developing atherosclerosis but also acute thrombotic events. Quitting smoking is potentially the most effective secondary prevention measure and improves prognosis after a cardiac event, but more than half of the patients continue to smoke, and improved cessation aids are urgently required. This review aimed to examine the efficacy of psychosocial interventions for smoking cessation in patients with coronary heart disease in short-term (6 to 12 month follow-up) and long-term (more than 12 months). Moderators of treatment effects (i.e. intervention types, treatment dose, methodological criteria) were used for stratification. The Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials (Issue 12, 2012), MEDLINE, EMBASE, PsycINFO and PSYNDEX were searched from the start of the database to January 2013. This is an update of the initial search in 2003. Results were supplemented by cross-checking references, and handsearches in selected journals and systematic reviews. No language restrictions were applied. Randomised controlled trials (RCTs) in patients with CHD with a minimum follow-up of 6 months. Two authors independently assessed trial eligibility and risk of bias. Abstinence rates were computed according to an intention to treat analysis if possible, or if not according to completer analysis results only. Subgroups of specific intervention strategies were analysed separately. The impact of study quality on efficacy was studied in a moderator analysis. Risk ratios (RR) were pooled using the Mantel-Haenszel and random-effects model with 95% confidence intervals (CI). We found 40 RCTs meeting inclusion criteria in total (21 trials were new in this update, 5 new trials contributed to long-term results (more than 12 months)). Interventions consist of behavioural therapeutic approaches, telephone support and self-help material and were either focused on smoking cessation alone or addressed several risk factors (eg. obesity, inactivity and smoking). The trials mostly included older male patients with CHD, predominantly myocardial infarction (MI). After an initial selection of studies three trials with implausible large effects of RR > 5 which contributed to substantial heterogeneity were excluded. Overall there was a positive effect of interventions on abstinence after 6 to 12 months (risk ratio (RR) 1.22, 95% confidence interval (CI) 1.13 to 1.32, I² 54%; abstinence rate treatment group = 46%, abstinence rate control group 37.4%), but heterogeneity between trials was substantial. Studies with validated assessment of smoking status at follow-up had similar efficacy (RR 1.22, 95% CI 1.07 to 1.39) to non-validated trials (RR 1.23, 95% CI 1.12 to 1.35). Studies were stratified by intervention strategy and intensity of the intervention. Clustering reduced heterogeneity, although many trials used more than one type of intervention. The RRs for different strategies were similar (behavioural therapies RR 1.23, 95% CI 1.12 to 1.34, I² 40%; telephone support RR 1.21, 95% CI 1.12 to 1.30, I² 44%; self-help RR 1.22, 95% CI 1.12 to 1.33, I² 40%). More intense interventions (any initial contact plus follow-up over one month) showed increased quit rates (RR 1.28, 95% CI 1.17 to 1.40, I² 58%) whereas brief interventions (either one single initial contact lasting less than an hour with no follow-up, one or more contacts in total over an hour with no follow-up or any initial contact plus follow-up of less than one months) did not appear effective (RR 1.01, 95% CI 0.91 to 1.12, I² 0%). Seven trials had long-term follow-up (over 12 months), and did not show any benefits. Adverse side effects were not reported in any trial. These findings are based on studies with rather low risk of selection bias but high risk of detection bias (namely unblinded or non validated assessment of smoking status). Psychosocial smoking cessation interventions are effective in promoting abstinence up to 1 year, provided they are of sufficient duration. After one year, the studies showed favourable effects of smoking cessation intervention, but more studies including cost-effectiveness analyses are needed. Further studies should also analyse the additional benefit of a psychosocial intervention strategy to pharmacological therapy (e.g. nicotine replacement therapy) compared with pharmacological treatment alone and investigate economic outcomes.

Amitifadine, a triple monoamine re-uptake inhibitor, reduces nicotine self-administration in female rats

A wider diversity of drug treatments to aid smoking cessation is needed to help tailor the most efficacious treatment for different types of smokers. This study was conducted to determine whether amitifadine, which inhibits re-uptake of dopamine, norepinephrine and serotonin, would decrease nicotine self-administration at doses that do not cause adverse side effects. Adult female Sprague–Dawley rats were trained to self-administer nicotine intravenous (IV) and were given acute doses of amitifadine in a repeated measures counterbalanced design. Effects of amitifadine on locomotor activity and food motivated responding were also evaluated. Chronic amitifadine effects were also examined. The 30mg/kg amitifadine dose significantly reduced nicotine self-administration. The 5 and 10mg/kg doses reduced nicotine self-administration during the first 15min of the session when the greatest amount of nicotine was self-administered. The 30mg/kg amitifadine dose, but not the lower doses caused a significant reduction in locomotor activity averaged over the one-hour session and reduced food motivated responding. The 10mg/kg dose caused hypoactivity at the beginning of the session, but 5mg/kg did not cause any hypoactivity. The effects of chronic amitifadine treatment (10mg/kg) over the course of 15 sessions was also determined. Amitifadine caused a significant reduction in nicotine self-administration, which was not seen to diminish over two consecutive weeks of treatment and a week after enforced abstinence. Amitifadine significantly reduced nicotine self-administration. This prompts further research to determine if amitifadine might be an effective treatment for smoking cessation.

A Systematic Review of Smoking Cessation Interventions for Adults in Substance Abuse Treatment or Recovery.

Introduction:The aim was to evaluate the effectiveness of smoking cessation interventions for patients with substance use disorders. The secondary aim was to evaluate impact on substance use treatment outcomes.Methods:Randomized controlled trials involving adult smokers, recently or currently receiving inpatient or outpatient treatment for substance use disorders were reviewed. Databases, grey literature, reference lists, and journals were searched for relevant studies between 1990 and August 2014. Two authors extracted data and assessed quality. The primary outcome was biochemically verified continuous abstinence from smoking at 6 or 12 months, secondary outcomes were biochemically verified 7-day point prevalence smoking abstinence (PPA) at 6 or 12 months and substance use outcomes. Heterogeneity between studies precluded pooled analyses of the data.Results:Seventeen of 847 publications were included. Five studies reported significant effects on smoking cessation: (1) nicotine patches improved continuous abstinence at 6 months; (2) nicotine gum improved continuous abstinence at 12 months; (3) counseling, contingency management and relapse prevention improved continuous abstinence at 6 and 12 months; (4) cognitive behavioral therapy, plus nicotine replacement therapy (NRT), improved PPA at 6 months; and (5) a combination of bupropion, NRT, counseling and contingency management improved PPA at 6 months. Two studies showed some evidence of improved substance use outcomes with the remaining eight studies measuring substance use outcomes showing no difference.Conclusions:NRT, behavioral support, and combination approaches appear to increase smoking abstinence in those treated for substance use disorders. Higher quality studies are required to strengthen the evidence base.

Suicide Prevention Referrals in a Mobile Health Smoking Cessation Intervention.

Automated mobile health (mHealth) programs deliver effective smoking cessation interventions through text message platforms. Smoking is an independent risk factor for suicide, so the Department of Veterans Affairs incorporated information about the Veterans Crisis Line into its SmokefreeVET smoking cessation text messaging program. Almost 7% of all SmokefreeVET enrollees have accessed this information. Because of the reach and automated nature of this and similar programs, we recommend including a referral to a suicide prevention hotline for all smoking cessation mHealth interventions.

An Analysis of Variables Discriminating Between Quitter and Non-quitter Groups among Thai Alcohol-dependent Smokers

The purpose of this study was to identify such variables. This study used a cross-sectional research design involving 375 alcohol-dependent smokers who had received smoking cessation intervention from health care providers. The participants were selected using the convenience sampling technique, and a multistage random sampling was used to select two hospitals, and the Thailand National Quit-line for involvement in this study. All participants completed five questionnaires: 1) the Processes of Change Questionnaire (PCQ), 2) the Self-efficacy Questionnaire (SEQ), 3) the Decisional Balance Questionnaire (DBQ), 4) the Severity of Alcohol Dependence Questionnaire (SADQ), and 5) the Fragestrom Test for Nicotine Dependence (FTND). The acquired data was analyzed using percentages, means, standard deviations, and discriminant analysis. The major findings of the study were as follows: the variables that could discriminate between the „quitter‟ and “non-quitter”groups among Thai alcohol-dependent smokers, at the 0.05 significance level were process of behavior change, nicotine dependency, self efficacy and decisional balance. Furthermore, alcohol-dependent smokers in the “quitter” group were found to possess lower levels of nicotine dependence, higher score of process of behavior change, higher levels of self efficacy and higher decision-making abilities than those in the non-quitter group. The findings suggested that smoking cessation intervention strategies for Thai alcohol-dependent smokers should target the process of behavior change, nicotine dependence, self efficacy and decisional balance. However, level of alcohol dependence among alcohol dependent smokers was not significantly able to discriminate between quitter and non-quitter groups. Future studies should consider for develop the effective smoking cessation intervention for this population.

Cost-Effectiveness of Pharmacological Smoking Cessation Therapies - A Systematic Literature Review

Aim of the Study: Through the promotion of smoking cessation premature mortality can be prevented. Therefore it is necessary to provide effective and cost-effective smoking cessation interventions. In Germany the cost of pharmacological smoking cessation measures are not yet reimbursed by the statutory health insurance. The aim of this study is to present the evidence on the cost-effectiveness of already approved pharmacological smoking cessation therapies and to evaluate their quality. Method: A systematic literature research was conducted in the databases by DIMDI (Medline, Embase, etc.) in April 2013 (update April 2014). The study research was focused on studies for cost effectiveness of nicotine replacement therapy (NRT), varenicline and bupropion. The assessment of study quality was performed using the "Quality of Health Economic Studies" (QHES) instrument. Results: 33 Of the original 10 340 identified studies were finally included. The majority of the studies show that an additional prescription of NRT or bupropion to a medical consultation is a cost-effective strategy. In addition, in most studies varenicline is a dominant strategy compared to bupropion. Overall, the study quality was found to be very heterogeneous between 45 and 80 points (Ø 63.7 points). Conclusion: The studies show that treatment with varenicline is the most cost effective strategy followed by bupropion and the NRT. However, the studies can only be compared inadequately due to different levels of age and country-specific intervention costs.

Pregnant smokers: Room for improvement

Contact: Hanne Tonnesen Hanne.Tonnesen@regionh.dk Overall, the effect of smoking cessation intervention for pregnant women is as low as 6% (5). The more effective programmes include incitements (5) and intensive interventions over 6 weeks (6). The 6 weeks Gold Standard Programme is implemented as the standard intervention in Denmark and has recently showed similar high abstinence rates in pregnant compared to non-pregnant women. Overall, about 32% of the women had succeeded in not smoking from end of the programme to the 6 months follow-up.

The association of rs1051730 genotype on adherence to and consumption of prescribed nicotine replacement therapy dose during a smoking cessation attempt

IntroductionWhile nicotine replacement therapy (NRT) is an effective pharmacological smoking cessation treatment, its efficacy is influenced by adherence to and consumption of the prescribed dose. The genetic variant rs1051730 in the nicotinic receptor gene cluster CHRNA5-A3-B4 influences smoking quantity. The aim of this study was to explore the impact of rs1051730 genotype on adherence to and consumption of NRT prescription following a smoking cessation attempt. MethodsSecondary analysis of data from a pharmacogenetic smoking cessation trial. Participants (n=448) were prescribed a daily dose of NRT for four weeks post quit attempt, and monitored during weekly clinic visits. Outcome measures were NRT prescription adherence rate (%) and average daily NRT consumption (mg) at 7- and 28-days after the quit attempt. ResultsAn association between rs1051730 genotype and both outcome measures was observed at 7-days after the quit date. Each copy of the minor allele corresponded to a 2.9% decrease in adherence to prescribed NRT dose (P=0.044), and a 1.0mg decrease in daily NRT consumption (P=0.026). Adjusting for number of cigarettes smoked during this period only slightly attenuated these associations. There was no clear statistical evidence of an association between genotype and adherence or consumption at 28-days. ConclusionsThis is the first study to evaluate the impact of rs1051730 genotype on consumption of and adherence to NRT prescription during a smoking cessation attempt. We observed an association between this variant and both outcome measures at 7-days; however, this was only moderate. These findings require replication in an independent sample.

SMS-based smoking cessation intervention among university students: study protocol for a randomised controlled trial (NEXit trial).

BackgroundMost smoking efforts targeting young people have so far been focused on prevention of initiation, whereas smoking cessation interventions have largely been targeted towards adult populations. Thus, there is limited evidence for effective smoking cessation interventions in young people, even though many young people want to quit smoking. Mobile communication technology has the potential to reach large numbers of young people and recent text-based smoking cessation interventions using phones have shown promising results.Methods/designThe study aims to evaluate a newly developed text-based smoking cessation intervention for students in colleges and universities in Sweden. The design is a randomised controlled trial (RCT) with a delayed/waiting list intervention control condition. The trial will be performed simultaneously in all colleges and universities served by 25 student health care centres in Sweden. Outcomes will be evaluated after 4 months, with 2 cessation primary outcomes and 4 secondary outcomes. After outcome evaluation the control group will be given access to the intervention.DiscussionThe study will examine the effectiveness of a stand-alone SMS text-based intervention. The intervention starts with a motivational phase in which the participants are given an opportunity to set a quit date within 4 weeks of randomisation. This first phase and the subsequent core intervention phase of 12 weeks are totally automated in order to easily integrate the intervention into the daily routines of student and other health care settings.As well as providing data for the effectiveness of the intervention, the study will also provide data for methodological analyses addressing a number issues commonly challenging in Internet-based RCTs. For example, an extensive follow-up strategy will be used in order to evaluate the use of repeated attempts in the analysis, and in particular to explore the validity of a possible missing not at random assumption that the odds ratio between the primary outcome and response is the same at every attempt.Trial registrationISRCTN: ISRCTN75766527, dated assigned 4 November 2014. Protocol version: Version 1, and date 7 November 2014.Electronic supplementary materialThe online version of this article (doi:10.1186/s13063-015-0640-2) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.

Financial incentives for smoking cessation in pregnancy: a single-arm intervention study assessing cessation and gaming.

AimsFinancial incentives were the single most effective intervention for smoking cessation in pregnancy in a recent Cochrane Review, but based on a few small trials in the United States using only 7-day point prevalence measures of cessation. This study estimates (a) prolonged cessation in an unselected population of English pregnant smokers who are offered financial incentives for quitting and (b) ‘gaming’, i.e. false reporting of smoking status to enter the scheme or gain an incentive.DesignSingle-arm intervention studySettingAntenatal clinic and communityParticipantsA total of 239 pregnant smokers enrolled into the financial incentive scheme, attending for maternity care at one hospital in an area of high deprivation in England over a 42-week period.MeasurementsSmoking cessation at delivery and 6 months postpartum, assessed using salivary cotinine; gaming assessed using urinary and salivary cotinine at enrolment, 28 and 36 weeks gestation, and 2 days and 6 months postpartum.FindingsThirty-nine per cent (239 of 615) of smokers were enrolled into the scheme, 60% (143 of 239) of whom made a quit attempt. Of those enrolled, 20% [48 of 239; 95% confidence interval (CI) = 14.9%, 25.1%] were quit at delivery and 10% (25 of 239; 95% CI = 6.2%, 13.8%) at 6 months postpartum. There was no evidence that women gamed to enter the scheme, but evidence that 4% (10 of 239) of those enrolled gamed on one or more occasions to gain vouchers.ConclusionsEnrolment on an incentive scheme in an unselected English cohort of pregnant smokers was associated with prolonged cessation rates comparable to those reported in US trials. Rates of gaming were arguably insufficiently high to invalidate the use of such schemes.

Interventions to increase adherence to medications for tobacco dependence.

Interventions to increase adherence to medications for tobacco dependence.

An Observational Study of Social and Emotional Support in Smoking Cessation Twitter Accounts: Content Analysis of Tweets

BackgroundSmoking continues to be the number one preventable cause of premature death in the United States. While evidence for the effectiveness of smoking cessation interventions has increased rapidly, questions remain on how to effectively disseminate these findings. Twitter, the second largest online social network, provides a natural way of disseminating information. Health communicators can use Twitter to inform smokers, provide social support, and attract them to other interventions. A key challenge for health researchers is how to frame their communications to maximize the engagement of smokers.ObjectiveOur aim was to examine current Twitter activity for smoking cessation.MethodsActive smoking cessation related Twitter accounts (N=18) were identified. Their 50 most recent tweets were content coded using a schema adapted from the Roter Interaction Analysis System (RIAS), a theory-based, validated coding method. Using negative binomial regression, the association of number of followers and frequency of individual tweet content at baseline was assessed. The difference in followership at 6 months (compared to baseline) to the frequency of tweet content was compared using linear regression. Both analyses were adjusted by account type (organizational or not organizational).ResultsThe 18 accounts had 60,609 followers at baseline and 68,167 at 6 months. A total of 24% of tweets were socioemotional support (mean 11.8, SD 9.8), 14% (mean 7, SD 8.4) were encouraging/engagement, and 62% (mean 31.2, SD 15.2) were informational. At baseline, higher frequency of socioemotional support and encouraging/engaging tweets was significantly associated with higher number of followers (socioemotional: incident rate ratio [IRR] 1.09, 95% CI 1.02-1.20; encouraging/engaging: IRR 1.06, 95% CI 1.00-1.12). Conversely, higher frequency of informational tweets was significantly associated with lower number of followers (IRR 0.95, 95% CI 0.92-0.98). At 6 months, for every increase by 1 in socioemotional tweets, the change in followership significantly increased by 43.94 (P=.027); the association was slightly attenuated after adjusting by account type and was not significant (P=.064).ConclusionsSmoking cessation activity does exist on Twitter. Preliminary findings suggest that certain content strategies can be used to encourage followership, and this needs to be further investigated.

Abstract 14945: Electronic Cigarettes Are Effective for Smoking Cessation: Evidence From a Systematic Review and Meta-analysis

Introduction: Smoking is the leading cause of preventable death worldwide. Finding effective interventions for smoking cessation has proven difficult and existing interventions have limited consumer appeal. Electronic cigarettes (e-cigarettes) are becoming increasingly popular and a possible role for them in smoking cessation is being debated. Our objective was therefore to analyse existing research to investigate whether use of e-cigarettes is an effective smoking cessation method. Hypothesis: We assessed the hypothesis that use of e-cigarettes is an effective smoking cessation method. Methods: A systematic review of articles in English of any publication date was conducted by searching PubMed, Web of Knowledge and Scopus databases. Published studies investigating the effectiveness of e-cigarettes for smoking cessation among current smokers were included. Studies were systematically reviewed, and meta-analyses were conducted using the Mantel-Haenszel fixed-effect and random-effects models. Heterogeneity and quality of the selected studies were also evaluated. Results: Six studies were selected, including two randomised controlled trials, two cohort studies and two cross-sectional studies, and included 7,551 participants. Meta-analyses included 1,242 participants on whom complete smoking cessation data was available. Of these, 224 (18%) reported smoking cessation after using nicotine-enriched e-cigarettes for a minimum period of six months. Use of such e-cigarettes was positively associated with smoking cessation with a pooled Effect Size of 0.20 (95%CI 0.11-0.28). Nicotine filled e-cigarettes were more effective in achieving cessation compared to those without nicotine (pooled Risk Ratio 2.29, 95%CI 1.05-4.97). Use of e-cigarettes was also effective in reducing smokers’ daily cigarette consumption. The studies included were heterogeneous, (I 2 =93%, p&lt;0.001). A meta-regression model showed that 98% of this heterogeneity was caused by study design and gender variation. Conclusions: In conclusion, available literature suggests that the use of e-cigarettes may be an effective alternate smoking cessation method. Further research is required to investigate this among both genders.