"Real-world" effectiveness of reactive telephone counseling for smoking cessation: a randomized controlled trial.
BACKGROUND
Reactive telephone helplines for smoking cessation (where all calls to counselors are smoker initiated) are increasingly used in the United States. However, limited data from randomized controlled trials are available on their effectiveness. The study objective was to evaluate the real-world effectiveness of reactive telephone counseling for smoking cessation using a randomized controlled trial study design.


METHODS
The study was implemented during a period from 2003 to 2006 to evaluate a reactive telephone helpline run by the American Lung Association chapter of Illinois-Iowa. The 990 new callers, all adult current smokers who called the helpline, were randomized on their first call into one of the two following groups: a control group that received only mailed self-help literature (n = 496); and a study group that received supplemental live reactive telephone counseling (n = 494). Telephone follow-up was completed at 1, 3, 6, and 12 months after study enrollment by interviewers blinded to group assignment. Seven-day point prevalence rates of self-reported abstinence at follow-up evaluations were compared between the two groups using an intent-to-treat design.


RESULTS
The two groups did not differ significantly in baseline demographics and smoking-related behavior. The abstinence rates (ranging between 0.09 and 0.15) were not significantly different between the two groups at 1-, 3-, 6-, and 12-month follow-up evaluations. Post hoc subgroup analysis showed that black callers had lower abstinence rates at the 3- and 12-month follow-up evaluations as compared with white callers.


CONCLUSIONS
Supplemental live, reactive telephone counseling does not provide greater success in smoking cessation than self-help educational materials alone.
Sood
Akshay
A
Department of Medicine, University of New Mexico Health Sciences Center, Albuquerque, NM. Electronic address: asood@salud.unm.edu.
Andoh
Jennifer
J
Department of Medicine, Southern Illinois University School of Medicine, Springfield, IL.
Verhulst
Steven
S
Department of Medicine, Southern Illinois University School of Medicine, Springfield, IL.
Ganesh
Mathany
M
Department of Medicine, Southern Illinois University School of Medicine, Springfield, IL.
Edson
Billie
B
Department of Medicine, Southern Illinois University School of Medicine, Springfield, IL.
Hopkins-Price
Patricia
P
Department of Medicine, Southern Illinois University School of Medicine, Springfield, IL.
D000328:Adult; D003376:Counseling / Q000379:methods* / Q000592:standards; D004522:Educational Status; D005260:Female; D005500:Follow-Up Studies; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D017410:Practice Guidelines as Topic; D044469:Racial Groups; D012648:Self Care; D012907:Smoking / Q000453:epidemiology; D016540:Smoking Cessation / Q000379:methods* / Q000523:psychology; D013689:Telephone; D013997:Time Factors; D014481:United States / Q000453:epidemiology