Smoking: written, personalised feedback in addition to self-help material helped smokers quit

Clinical bottom line (level 1b)

  1. Smokers who received self-help materials and written personalised feedback compared with self-help materials alone were more likely not to smoke for 30 days (NNT = 7 at 12 months) and quit completely (NNT = 7 at 12 months) .
Becona and Vazquez: J Consult Clin Psychol 2001; 69 : 33-40
Expires May 2004

The study

Single-blinded ?concealed randomised trial with intention-to-treat
Setting: Galicia, Spain

300 patients (aged mean 37, 52% male) smokers wanting to quit

Excluded if
  • using nicotine replacement therapy or other pharmacotherpay or psychotherapy to stop smoking
  • did not live in Galicia
  • smoked < 10 cigarettes per day

Control Group: (n = 100, 100 analysed): no help
Experimental Group: (n = 100, 100 analysed): standard intervention: 1 mailing per week for 6 weeks containing a pamphlet with new strategies to stop smoking, a personalised letter of introduction with task instructions for the week, and self-monitoring and evaluation forms to be returned at the end of each week
Experimental Group: (n = 100, 100 analysed): feedback group: as for standard intervention plus 2 one-page mailings between the third and fourth, and fifth and sixth weeks with computer-generated feedback based on their responses on the self-monitoring and evaluation forms

95% followed for 12 months
Outcome notes:
  • quit smoking : not smoked since start of program

The evidence

Outcome Time to outcome CER EER RRR
(95% CI)		 ARR
(95% CI)		 NNT
(95% CI)
not smoked in last 30 days 12 months 13
(13.0%)		 27
(27.0%)		 110%
(14% to 280%)		 14.0%
(3.08% to 24.9%)		 7
(4 to 32)
quit smoking 12 months 10
(10.0%)		 25
(25.0%)		 150%
(27% to 390%)		 15.0%
(4.68% to 25.3%)		 7
(4 to 21)

  • No patient in the control group had stopped smoking after 12 months.

Citation

  1. Becona E, and Vazquez FL: effectiveness of personalized written feedback through a mail intervention for smoking cessation: a randomized-controlled trial in Spanish smokers. J Consult Clin Psychol 2001; 69 : 33-40
Search Terms: from ACP Journal Club
Contributor: Chris Ball, May 2002
Reviewer:

Clinical Question.
Patient smokers
Intervention or Exposure written personalised feedback and self-help material
Comparison self-help material
Outcome stopped smoking