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Aversive smoking for smoking cessation
1Department of Human Science and Medical Ethics, St Bartholomew's and the Royal London School of Medicine and Dentistry, Turner Street, London, UK, E1 2AD.
The Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews
|July 22, 2004
Summary
Aversion therapy, including rapid smoking, shows some promise for smoking cessation but lacks sufficient evidence for definitive efficacy. More rigorous studies are needed to confirm its effectiveness and explore dose-response relationships.
Area of Science:
- Behavioral Psychology
- Addiction Medicine
- Clinical Trials
Background:
- Aversion therapy aims to reduce smoking urges by pairing cigarette smoking with unpleasant stimuli.
- This approach seeks to extinguish the desire to smoke through conditioned responses.
Purpose of the Study:
- To evaluate the effectiveness of rapid smoking and other aversion techniques for smoking cessation.
- To investigate a potential dose-response relationship between the intensity of aversive stimulation and smoking cessation rates.
Main Methods:
- A systematic review and meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials evaluating aversive smoking techniques.
- Included trials compared aversion treatments with inactive controls or varying intensities, with at least six months follow-up.
Main Results:
- Rapid smoking showed a potential benefit (OR 1.98), but findings are cautioned by methodological issues and study asymmetry.
- Other aversion methods were not effective (OR 1.15), and a dose-response effect was borderline (OR 1.66).
- One trial with biochemical validation yielded non-significant results, highlighting potential overestimation of efficacy.
Conclusions:
- Current evidence is insufficient to confirm the efficacy of rapid smoking or establish a clear dose-response effect.
- Milder aversion methods appear ineffective; rapid smoking warrants further investigation with rigorous methodology.