Telephone counselling for smoking cessation

Abstract

Background Telephone services can provide information and support for smokers. Counselling may be provided proactively or o ered reactively to callers to smoking cessation helplines. Objectives To evaluate the e ect of telephone support to help smokers quit, including proactive or reactive counselling, or the provision of other information to smokers calling a helpline. Search methods We searched the Cochrane Tobacco Addiction Group Specialised Register, clinicaltrials.gov, and the ICTRP for studies of telephone counselling, using search terms including 'hotlines' or 'quitline' or 'helpline'. Date of the most recent search: May 2018. Selection criteria Randomised or quasi-randomised controlled trials which o ered proactive or reactive telephone counselling to smokers to assist smoking cessation. Data collection and analysis We used standard methodological procedures expected by Cochrane. We pooled studies using a random-e ects model and assessed statistical heterogeneity amongst subgroups of clinically comparable studies using the I 2 statistic. In trials including smokers who did not call a quitline, we used meta-regression to investigate moderation of the e ect of telephone counselling by the planned number of calls in the intervention, trial selection of participants that were motivated to quit, and the baseline support provided together with telephone counselling (either self-help only, brief face-to-face intervention, pharmacotherapy, or financial incentives). Main results We identified 104 trials including 111,653 participants that met the inclusion criteria. Participants were mostly adult smokers from the general population, but some studies included teenagers, pregnant women, and people with long-term or mental health conditions. Most trials (58.7%) were at high risk of bias, while 30.8% were at unclear risk, and only 11.5% were at low risk of bias for all domains assessed. Most studies (100/104) assessed proactive telephone counselling, as opposed to reactive forms. Among trials including smokers who contacted helplines (32,484 participants), quit rates were higher for smokers receiving multiple sessions of proactive counselling (risk ratio (RR) 1.38, 95% confidence interval (CI) 1.19 to 1.61; 14 trials, 32,484 participants; I 2 = 72%) Telephone counselling for smoking cessation (Review)

Quality of smoking cessation advice in guidelines of tobacco-related diseases: An updated systematic review

“…61,[189][190][191][192] Several Cochrane reviews have supported the effectiveness of these options and have showed enhanced behavioural support focusing on adherence to smoking cessation medications can improve adherence, and therefore recommends that interventions to increase adherence should address the practicalities and perception changes about taking medication. [191][192][193][194][195] As such, counselling interventions given outside routine clinical care by smoking cessation counsellors, including health educators and psychologists, could assist smokers to quit. 195 In respect to unwillingness to quit, in the UK about 40% of smokers do not want to quit, and despite the reduction in smoking rates across Europe since 2000, these rates are less pronounced compared to Australia and North America.…”

Developing a Guided Imagery Telephone-Based Tobacco Cessation Program for a Randomized Controlled Trial

“…We created matched control and intervention condition protocols based on evidence-based tobacco cessation programs, including motivation and skill building, triggers, coping with cravings, coping with withdrawal, problem solving/relapse prevention, and the use of nicotine replacement therapy (NRT). 32 Each condition featured 6 sessions that covered the same topics in sequence. 32 However, the control condition used an approach guided by cognitive behavioral theory (CBT) and the intervention condition used a guided imagery approach, including personalized guided imagery scripts.…”

“…32 Each condition featured 6 sessions that covered the same topics in sequence. 32 However, the control condition used an approach guided by cognitive behavioral theory (CBT) and the intervention condition used a guided imagery approach, including personalized guided imagery scripts. To create these scripts, trained coaches elicit sensory and emotion-rich information from participants related to quitting smoking, and work with participants to craft this information into a vivid guided imagery script which is recorded for repeated listening.…”

Connectivity of Real-Time Video Counselling Versus Telephone Counselling for Smoking Cessation in Rural and Remote Areas: An Exploratory Study

“…The services routinely offered by quitlines for smoking cessation include telephone counselling (reactive and/or proactive) and written materials [1]. Telephone counselling is an accessible and flexible mode for delivering smoking cessation support [1][2][3] that has been shown to increase quitting success [4][5][6] and is cost effective [7]. The advantages of telephone services that assist people to quit include that: support can be tailored to individual needs; they are widely accessible; they eliminate the need to travel to access services; and they can reach rural and remote populations that may have limited access to in-person smoking cessation interventions [2].…”