07 Jan Combination Services Have Higher Smoking Cessation Rates

MedicalResearch.com Interview with:
Mary Puckett, PhD
CDC
Division of Cancer Prevention and Control.

Medical Research: What is the background for this study? What are the main findings?

Dr. Puckett: Smoking causes 480,000 deaths per year in the United States. Quitline services are offered by all 50 states. In addition to telephone quitlines, 96% of states also offer some form of web-based cessation service. Seven months after enrollment in the study, participants from four state quitlines were asked if they had smoked in the past 30 days as a measure of their smoking cessation success. Participants who used quitlines and web-based services in combination had higher rates of smoking cessation than participants who used only one of these services.

Medical Research: What should clinicians and patients take away from your report?

Dr. Puckett: Providing access to multiple types of cessation services might improve the odds of users in achieving long-term cessation.

Medical Research: What recommendations do you have for future research as a result of this study?

Dr. Puckett: This study only included participants from four states, and this study could possibly be repeated to include additional states. Similarly, web-based cessation services can range from text based to very interactive platforms. Assessing the cessation success of users of different kinds of web-based cessation services could help states tailor the services they offer to meet the needs of their residents.

Citation:

Tobacco Cessation Among Users of Telephone and Web-Based Interventions — Four States, 2011–2012
MMWR Weekly

January 2, 2015 / 63(51);1217-1221

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Last Updated on January 7, 2015 by Marie Benz MD FAAD