title: Persistence of the effect of the Lung Health Study (LHS) smoking intervention over eleven years.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Research on the long-term persistence of effects of interventions aimed at smoking cessation is limited. This paper examined the quitting behavior of individuals who were randomized to a smoking cessation intervention (SI) or to usual care (UC), at a point approximately 11 years later.
  
  
  METHODS
  The initial sample consisted of 5,887 adult smokers in 10 clinics who had evidence of airways obstruction. Two-thirds of the original participants were offered an intensive 12-week smoking cessation intervention. Of these, 4,517 were enrolled in the long-term follow-up study.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Randomized group assignment was a strong predictor of smoking behavior after 11 years, in that 21.9% of SI participants and only 6.0% of UC participants maintained abstinence throughout the interval. Logistic regressions identified covariates associated with abstinence. A higher proportion of abstinence was observed in participants that had been assigned to SI (OR = 4.45), were older (OR = 1.11, increment 5 years), had more years of education (OR = 1.05), and fewer cigarettes/day at baseline (OR = 0.90, increment 10 cigarettes).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Smokers exposed to an aggressive smoking intervention program and who sustain abstinence for a five-year period are very likely to still be abstinent after 11 years.
authors.affiliation: Department of Community Health Sciences, University of Manitoba, Winnipeg, MB, Canada R3A 1R9. rmurray@hsc.mb.ca
authors.forename: Robert P
authors.initials: RP
authors.lastname: Murray
authors.forename: John E
authors.initials: JE
authors.lastname: Connett
authors.forename: Cynthia S
authors.initials: CS
authors.lastname: Rand
authors.forename: Wei
authors.initials: W
authors.lastname: Pan
authors.forename: Nicholas R
authors.initials: NR
authors.lastname: Anthonisen
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D001944:Breath Tests; D002170:Canada; D002248:Carbon Monoxide / Q000032:analysis; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008175:Lung Neoplasms / Q000517:prevention & control; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D015397:Program Evaluation; D040242:Risk Reduction Behavior; D016540:Smoking Cessation; D014481:United States
chemical_list: D002248:Carbon Monoxide