Related Experiment Videos
Telephone support as an adjunct to transdermal nicotine in smoking cessation
H A Lando1, S Rolnick, D Klevan
1Division of Epidemiology, School of Public Health, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis 55454-1015, USA.
Objectives:
Transdermal nicotine patches have shown considerable promise in improving smoking cessation outcomes. The present study assessed telephone support as an adjunct to a managed care-based, single-session group orientation smoking cessation program with nicotine patch therapy.
Methods:
The unit of randomization was the orientation session (n = 35). Subjects (n = 509) were randomly assigned to a group session without telephone support, the session plus access to a toll-free help line, or the session with telephone help line plus active telephone outreach.
Results:
Contrary to hypothesis, there were no differences between treatment conditions. Overall abstinence rates were 22% at 6 months and 21% at 1 year. Fewer than 1% of eligible subjects called the toll-free help line. An average of 3.8 of a possible 4 calls were completed in the telephone outreach condition.
Conclusions:
Abstinence results obtained in this program were comparable to those obtained with more extensive counseling. However, there was no evidence of benefit from telephone support beyond the initial physician-led group orientation session.