Clinical inquiries. What predicts a successful smoking cessation attempt?
Quit date abstinence (strength of recommendation [SOR]: B, based on low-quality randomized controlled trial [RCT] of healthy subjects) and refraining from tobacco products within the first 2 weeks after an attempt (SOR: A, based on 2 RCTs) predict long-term abstinence from smoking. Inconsistent studies variously identify being married, a diagnosis of coronary artery disease (CAD) within the past 2 years, a higher education level, advanced age, and social status (such as being a homeowner) as factors correlated with successful smoking cessation (SOR: C, based on prospective cohort studies with conflicting results). Smoking cessation rates increase in a dose-response relationship with minutes per counseling session, number of counseling sessions, and total minutes of counseling time (SOR: A, based on good-quality meta-analyses). Among counseling techniques, providing smokers with practical counseling (problem-solving skills), providing social support as part of treatment, helping smokers obtain social support outside of treatment, and use of aversive smoking interventions (eg, rapid smoking) seem to be efficacious (SOR: B, based on limited-quality meta-analyses).
Ryckman
Kimberly A
KA
Christiana Care Family Medicine Residency, Wilmington, DE USA.
Bercaw
David M
DM
Ellis
Mark R
MR
Wolf
Diane G
DG
Elgert
Stephen
S
D003376:Counseling; D006801:Humans; D011237:Predictive Value of Tests; D016032:Randomized Controlled Trials as Topic; D012907:Smoking / Q000009:adverse effects / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000628:therapy; D016540:Smoking Cessation / Q000379:methods; D012944:Social Support