title: Incorporating social support into a community-wide smoking-cessation contest.
abstract: Social support for smoking cessation has been identified as a key factor differentiating which individuals are most likely to quit smoking. Attempts to enhance social support in clinic-based programs have generally been unsuccessful. This study investigated a strategy for increasing the involvement of supportive others among participants in a community-based smoking-cessation contest. These smokers were undertaking quit attempts without the supportive environment offered in clinic-based group programs. Subjects included 734 adult smokers who had participated in a smoking-cessation contest in their local community. Contest participants had the option of designating a "support person" who would assist them in quitting smoking and be eligible for prizes if the participant was a contest winner. Follow-up was by telephone survey 3 months after the end of the contest. No differences were observed in demographic or smoking history variables between those who did and did not elect to name a support person. A relatively high proportion (60%) of contest participants elected to identify a support person and self-reported smoking-cessation rates were significantly better among those who named a support person than among those who did not. Identifying a support person was a particularly effective strategy for those with smoking or nonsupportive spouses.
authors.affiliation: Division of Epidemiology, School of Public Health, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis 55454, USA.
authors.forename: P L
authors.initials: PL
authors.lastname: Pirie
authors.forename: B L
authors.initials: BL
authors.lastname: Rooney
authors.forename: T F
authors.initials: TF
authors.lastname: Pechacek
authors.forename: H A
authors.initials: HA
authors.lastname: Lando
authors.forename: L A
authors.initials: LA
authors.lastname: Schmid
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D016009:Chi-Square Distribution; D005260:Female; D005500:Follow-Up Studies; D006293:Health Promotion / Q000379:methods; D006801:Humans; D016015:Logistic Models; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D010358:Patient Participation / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D015397:Program Evaluation; D012494:Sampling Studies; D016540:Smoking Cessation / Q000379:methods*; D012944:Social Support; D018454:Spouses / Q000523:psychology; D016896:Treatment Outcome