Nationwide Smoking Cessation Treatment Support Program--Turkey project.

Area of Science:

• Public Health
• Smoking Cessation Interventions
• Pharmacotherapy for Nicotine Dependence

Background:

• The Turkish Ministry of Health launched a nationwide Smoking Cessation Treatment Support Program (SCTSP) in 2011.
• This program provided smoking cessation medications free of charge across all 81 cities in Turkey.

Purpose of the Study:

• To evaluate the effectiveness of a nationwide, community-based smoking cessation program.
• To assess real-world quit rates and factors associated with smoking cessation success.

Main Methods:

• The Smoking Cessation Treatment Support Program (SCTSP) involved 164,733 participants and 228 clinics.
• Varenicline and Bupropion were the primary medications used, with post-program data collected via phone interviews after 1-year follow-up.

Main Results:

• Overall quit rates were 29.6% for Varenicline and 25.1% for Bupropion.
• Higher quit rates were observed in participants with hypertension, diabetes, coronary artery disease, and cerebrovascular events.
• Factors associated with higher success included increased age, female gender, longer drug use, low Fagerstrom score, and absence of COPD or cancer.

Conclusions:

• The Smoking Cessation Treatment Support Program (SCTSP) represents a successful nationwide community-based smoking cessation intervention.
• Real-life quit rates are comparable to clinical trial data.
• Key success factors included centralized clinics, standardized guidelines, algorithmic drug assignment, and physician-led support and follow-up.