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Telephone counselling for smoking cessation
L F Stead1, T Lancaster, R Perera
1Department of Primary Health Care, Institute of Health Sciences, Old Road, Headington, Oxford, UK, OX3 7LF. lindsay.stead@dphpc.ox.ac.uk
The Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews
|January 22, 2003
Summary
Proactive telephone counseling significantly increases smoking cessation rates compared to less intensive interventions. This method, especially with multiple contacts around a quit attempt, offers a valuable tool for smoking cessation services.
Area of Science:
- Public Health
- Behavioral Science
- Health Services Research
Background:
- Telephone services offer vital information and support for individuals attempting to quit smoking.
- Counselling interventions can be delivered proactively or reactively through smoking cessation helplines.
Purpose of the Study:
- To systematically evaluate the effectiveness of proactive and reactive telephone support in aiding smokers to quit.
- To synthesize evidence from randomized controlled trials on telephone-based smoking cessation interventions.
Main Methods:
- Conducted a comprehensive search of the Cochrane Tobacco Addiction Group trials register up to September 2002.
- Included randomized or quasi-randomized controlled trials of proactive or reactive telephone counseling for smoking cessation.
- Utilized meta-analysis with a fixed effects model (Peto method) to determine the overall odds ratio for smoking cessation.
Main Results:
- Twenty-seven trials met the inclusion criteria, with meta-analysis indicating telephone counseling increases quit rates (OR 1.56, 1.38 - 1.77) compared to less intensive interventions.
- Proactive telephone counseling showed a significant benefit over minimal intervention controls, particularly when tailored self-help materials were not provided to the control group.
- No significant additional effects were found when telephone support was added to face-to-face counseling or used with nicotine replacement therapy.
Conclusions:
- Proactive telephone counseling is effective when contrasted with interventions lacking personal contact.
- Successful smoking cessation interventions via telephone typically involve multiple, strategically timed contacts around a quit attempt.
- While evidence is inconclusive for adjunct use with face-to-face counseling or pharmacotherapy, helplines appear beneficial within comprehensive cessation services.