Evaluating the effectiveness of proactive telephone counselling for smoking cessation in a randomized controlled trial.
OBJECTIVE
To evaluate the effectiveness of repeated-contact proactive telephone counselling for smoking cessation in a UK setting.


METHODS
Randomized controlled trial.


METHODS
The Quitline, an established national telephone counselling service available throughout the UK.


METHODS
A total of 1,457 callers to the Quitline in 2000 and 2001 were allocated randomly to a Control group to receive usual care or to a Repeated Contact group to be offered five proactive calls in addition to usual care. MEASUREMENTS Prolonged abstinence and 24-hour point-prevalent abstinence 6 and 12 months after recruitment, quit attempts and 24-hour periods of abstinence in non-quitters.


RESULTS
No significant differences were found between the Repeated Contact and Control groups on prolonged or point-prevalent abstinence. On an intention-to-treat basis, 9.5% of the Control group were abstinent for longer than 6 months at the 12-month follow-up, compared with 9.3% of the Repeated Contact group; 18.9% and 20.2%, respectively, were point-prevalent abstinent at the 6-month follow-up. Significantly more non-quitters in the Control group made a quit attempt in the first 6 months following recruitment than in the Repeated Contact group (62.6%/56.1%, P < 0.05). CONCLUSIONS Proactive telephone counselling did not significantly increase abstinence rates, and appeared to decrease quit attempts, in callers to the Quitline. A non-structured, client-led counselling protocol and insufficient pre-quit motivational counselling could account for the lack of effect.
Department of Epidemiology and Public Health, University College London, London, UK. hazel.gilbert@ucl.ac.uk
Hazel
H
Gilbert
Stephen
S
Sutton
D000328:Adult; D003376:Counseling / Q000379:methods*; D005260:Female; D015277:Hotlines; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D011939:Mental Recall; D008875:Middle Aged; D017060:Patient Satisfaction; D016540:Smoking Cessation / Q000379:methods*; D013689:Telephone; D016896:Treatment Outcome