07 Nov Trained Volunteers Can Deliver Effective Brief Smoking Cessation Advice

Posted at 01:51h in Author Interviews, JAMA, Smoking, Tobacco Research by

MedicalResearch.com Interview with:
“Stop smoking!” by Emil_95 is licensed under CC BY 2.0Dr. Man Ping Wang, PhD
School of Nursing
University of Hong Kong
Hong Kong

MedicalResearch.com: What is the background for this study? What are the main findings?

Response: Smoking cessation (SC) services can effectively increase the chance of abstinence, but few smokers proactively seek help from these services worldwide. Smoking cessation guidelines recommend referring smokers to SC services, but such referrals were usually conducted in a passive way (e.g. providing contacts of these services and asking smokers to use them). Actively referring smokers may increase use of smoking cessation services and abstinence rates.

Previous studies were mostly conducted in clinical settings. We investigated the efficacy of using trained volunteers to actively refer smokers recruited in the community to smoking cessation services in this cluster randomized control trial. We found that smokers who received a brief cessation advice and active referral had significantly higher abstinence rate and smoking cessation service use rate at 6-month follow-up, compared with smokers who received a minimal advice and a self-help booklet.

MedicalResearch.com: What should readers take away from your report?

Response: Trained volunteers can reach a large number of smokers and deliver brief intervention (including active referral) in the community at low cost. This kind of brief intervention may also be useful in other settings.

MedicalResearch.com: What recommendations do you have for future research as a result of this study?

Response: It will be meaningful for future research to investigate how to further increase use of smoking cessation services by improving contacts between smokers and service providers.

MedicalResearch.com: Thank you for your contribution to the MedicalResearch.com community.

Citation:

Wang MP, Suen YN, Li WH, Lam CO, Wu SY, Kwong AC, Lai VW, Chan SS, Lam TH. Intervention With Brief Cessation Advice Plus Active Referral for Proactively Recruited Community Smokers A Pragmatic Cluster Randomized Clinical Trial. JAMA Intern Med. Published online October 23, 2017. doi:10.1001/jamainternmed.2017.5793

 

https://jamanetwork.com/journals/jamainternalmedicine/article-abstract/2659325?resultClick=1

 

Note: Content is Not intended as medical advice. Please consult your health care provider regarding your specific medical condition and questions.

 

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Last Updated on November 7, 2017 by Marie Benz MD FAAD

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