Effectiveness of an integrated smoking cessation service model on smoking status: A preliminary study

Smoking cessation has been considered a benefit for smokers. This study aimed to investigate the effect of an integrated smoking cessation service model (ISCSM) on enhancing cessation among smokers in a community setting.

The participants were 144 smokers allocated into two groups, experimental and control with 72 participants each. The ISCSM comprised two sessions: 1) smoking cessation service design and training smoking cessation capacity for the Community Health Workers (CHWs) by nurses; and 2) integrated smoking cessation service delivery. The CHWs offered brief advice for smoking cessation for smokers through home visits under supervision by nurses, then referred to proactive multisession intensive telephone counselling that was behavioral therapy with follow-up. In contrast, the control group received Thai therapy, which was mouthwash. The 7-day point prevalence abstinence (PPA) was assessed 30 days after the quit date. The probability of quitting between the experimental and control groups was calculated by the risk ratio (RR). Propensity score matching was performed to analyze the treatment effect after balancing the covariate factors.

The probability of quitting smoking successfully among the participants in the experimental group was 7.5 times higher than the control group (χ²=46.18, RR=7.50, p<0.001). For the treatment effect tested by the PSM, the ISCSM efficiently impacted the 7-day PPA at 30 days among smokers in the experimental group after balancing the covariates (SS=0.281, MS=0.281, df=1, F=13.20, p<0.001).

The findings of this study indicate that the ISCSM is an efficient, powerful intervention for enhancing smoking cessation.