Smoking cessation

NEW YORK, June 19 (Praxis Press) Compared to standard programs, self-help programs tailored to the needs of specific smokers show promise in helping smokers to quit. Shiffman and colleagues evaluated the efficacy of the Committed Quitters Program (CQP), a set of computer-tailored materials offered to purchasers of nicotine polacrilex gum, and compared its effectiveness to a brief untailored user's guide and audiotape in helping smokers quit smoking. The 3627 study participants were recruited from smokers who purchased nicotine polacrilex gum and called the toll-free CQP number. Those who received the CQP materials reported a 47% higher quit rate at 6 weeks and a 56% higher quit rate at 12 weeks than the people receiving the untailored user's guide or nicotine replacement therapy alone. The CQP was more effective than a brief untailored written guide and audiotape or nicotine replacement therapy alone in helping smokers quit smoking.