title: The effectiveness of telephone counselling and internet- and text-message-based support for smoking cessation: results from a randomized controlled trial.
abstract: To compare the effectiveness of proactive telephone counselling, reactive telephone counselling and an internet- and text-message-based intervention with a self-help booklet for smoking cessation.
  
  
  
  A randomized controlled trial with equal allocation to four conditions: (1) proactive telephone counselling (n = 452), (2) reactive telephone counselling (n = 453), (3) internet- and text-message-based intervention (n = 453) and (4) self-help booklet (control) (n = 452).
  
  
  
  Denmark.
  
  
  
  Smokers who had participated previously in two national health surveys were invited. Eligibility criteria were daily cigarette smoking, age ≥ 16 years, having a mobile phone and e-mail address.
  
  
  
  Primary outcome was prolonged abstinence to 12 months from the end of the intervention period.
  
  
  
  At 12-month follow-up, higher prolonged abstinence was found in the proactive telephone counselling group compared with the booklet group [7.3 versus 3.6%, odds ratio (OR) = 2.2, 95% confidence interval (CI) = 1.2-4.0]. There was no clear evidence of a difference in prolonged abstinence between the reactive telephone counselling group or the internet-based smoking cessation program and the booklet group: 1.8 versus 3.6%, OR = 0.8, 95% CI = 0.6-1.2 and 5.3 versus 3.6%, OR = 1.6, 95% CI = 0.8-3.0, respectively. In the proactive telephone counselling group, the cost per additional 12-month quitter compared with the booklet group was £644.
  
  
  
  Proactive telephone counselling was more effective than a self-help booklet in achieving prolonged abstinence for 12 months. No clear evidence of an effect of reactive telephone counselling or the internet- and text-message-based intervention was found compared with the self-help booklet.
authors.affiliation: Centre for Intervention Research, National Institute of Public Health, University of Southern Denmark, Copenhagen, Denmark.
authors.forename: Lise S
authors.initials: LS
authors.lastname: Skov-Ettrup
authors.affiliation: Department of Cancer Prevention and Information, Danish Cancer Society, Copenhagen, Denmark.
authors.forename: Peter
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Dalum
authors.affiliation: Department of Business and Economics, University of Southern Denmark, Odense M, Denmark.|KORA - Danish Institute for Local and Regional Government Research, Copenhagen, Denmark.
authors.forename: Mickael
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Bech
authors.affiliation: Centre for Intervention Research, National Institute of Public Health, University of Southern Denmark, Copenhagen, Denmark.
authors.forename: Janne S
authors.initials: JS
authors.lastname: Tolstrup
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D003376:Counseling / Q000379:methods*; D003718:Denmark; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D020407:Internet; D016015:Logistic Models; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D016017:Odds Ratio; D010174:Pamphlets; D016540:Smoking Cessation / Q000379:methods*; D012944:Social Support; D013689:Telephone; D060145:Text Messaging; D000073869:Tobacco Smoking / Q000628:therapy*; D016896:Treatment Outcome
keywords: Internet; motivational interviewing; randomized controlled trial; smoking cessation; tailored; telephone; text-messages