Methods of smoking cessation - finally, some answers

Article Abstract:

An article in the May 23/30, 1990 issue of the Journal of the American Medical Association provides some new insights into how Americans have quit smoking. Although it is known that 40 million people have quit, little documentation has been available on how they stopped. Several important findings are contained in this article, including the fact that over 90 percent of those who successfully quit did so on their own, without the help of a program. Those who stopped smoking on their own remained abstinent from tobacco longer than individuals who followed a smoking cessation program. Advice to stop smoking from a physician is influential in motivating smokers to try to quit. Complete cessation seems to be more effective than gradual reduction of cigarette smoking in achieving abstinence. The conclusions of this study provide a great deal of information to health professionals in their efforts to reduce the prevalence of smoking. The importance of physician advice in urging patients to stop smoking is underscored. Those who work in public health areas should place more emphasis on motivating smokers to want to quit, rather than on the development of new smoking cessation programs. However, special attention to the heavy and seriously addicted smoker is still needed, and these individuals may benefit from cessation programs. Efforts should be directed at smokers with an emphasis on the idea that they can quit on their own, and should continue to try to stop, even if they are initially unsuccessful. It is estimated that there will be over two million deaths this year world-wide that are tobacco-related. With this in mind, efforts to encourage and help assist smokers to quit should be increased. (Consumer Summary produced by Reliance Medical Information, Inc.)

Psychological aspects, Care and treatment, Smokers, Smoking, Tobacco habit, editorial

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Cost-effectiveness of the clinical practice recommendations in the AHCPR guideline for smoking cessation

Article Abstract:

Efforts to stop smoking may be extremely cost-effective ways to improve public health. Researchers evaluated 15 smoking cessation interventions that included different levels of counseling with and without the use of nicotine replacement. They applied a complex model to estimate the cost of intervention, patient interest in participating, rates of success, and the years of life saved. Programs cost $1,108-4,542 per year of life saved. Intensive counseling interventions are the more cost-effective, and nicotine gum and patches can increase the success of stop-smoking efforts.

Economic aspects, Practice guidelines (Medicine)

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