Effective,
low-cost way
to help prevent smoker relapse
October 14, 2004, Newswise (TSN)— A University of South
Florida study has found that sending a series of self-help booklets to
individuals who recently quit smoking can help keep them smoke-free for
the long term. Study findings have been published in the October issue
of Journal of Consulting and Clinical Psychology.
“This research is aimed at the problem
of smoking relapse, which has been largely overlooked in the public
health community,” said lead investigator Dr. Thomas Brandon, psychology
professor and director of the Tobacco Research and Intervention Program
at the H. Lee Moffitt Cancer Center & Research Institute. “We have
rightly created public health campaigns to prevent teens from starting
to smoke and to convince adults to quit, but we have not put the same
amount of effort into helping recent quitters stay smoke-free.”
Through this study funded by the
National Cancer Institute, USF researchers developed a series of eight
relapse-prevention booklets titled Forever Free ™ and mailed those to
more than 400 participants who had recently quit and who wanted
additional help staying smoke-free. The study found that when the eight
booklets were sent to individuals who had quit smoking within the
previous six months, they were less likely to relapse during the
following two years, compared with a control group that received only a
single booklet.
“Current research shows that, among
those who quit smoking, between 70 and 90 percent resume smoking the
following year,” Brandon said. “Yet our study found that only 21 percent
of participants who received the eight booklets relapsed at the two-year
point.”
In addition to showing the
effectiveness of the booklets, the study reports that the booklets are a
cost-effective way of preventing smoking relapse. For example, the cost
for typical smoking cessation treatments ranges between $1,000 and
$5,000 per year of life saved, Brandon says. In contrast, the study
estimated that the booklets cost only $83 per year of life saved.
“In terms of the economics of
extending life, there are few public health interventions that are as
low cost as these simple booklets,” Brandon said. “We hope managed care
organizations, as well as state and local health departments, will
choose to adopt the booklets to give to new ex-smokers.”
As a result of the study’s findings of
the booklets’ effectiveness in preventing relapse, USF researchers have
begun testing the use of Forever Free ™ to help pregnant women and new
mothers. The NCI is funding this effort due to the high rates—70
percent—of women who relapse in the first six months after delivery.
“Up to half of female smokers quit
when they become pregnant,” Brandon said. “The bad news is that nearly
all of them start smoking again after they give birth, not realizing
that the effects of secondhand smoke can be even more harmful to the
baby than during pregnancy.”
Brandon and his fellow researchers are
actively recruiting participants for the “new moms” study. Pregnant
women nationwide who have already quit smoking are eligible to
participate.
The booklets have already been adopted
by the National Cancer Institute and can be downloaded from
http://www.smokefree.gov. Callers to NCI’s smoking quitline
(1-877-44U-QUIT) can also request paper copies of the booklets. Pregnant
women interested in participating in the new moms study can call
1-877-954-2548.
About H. Lee Moffitt Cancer Center &
Research Institute
In 2001 the National Cancer Institute
awarded Moffitt the status of a Comprehensive Cancer Center - in
recognition of its excellence in research and contributions to clinical
trials, prevention and cancer control. Additionally, Moffitt is a member
of the National Comprehensive Cancer Network, a prestigious alliance of
the country's leading cancer centers, and is listed in the U.S. News &
World Report as one of the top cancer hospitals in America. Moffitt's
sole mission is to contribute to the prevention and cure of cancer.
|
Now,
keep up to date with daily feeds of newly posted stories about America's
Seniors...click on the box to the left