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Saul Shiffman, PhD; Jean A. Paty, PhD; Jeffrey M. Rohay, MS; Michael E. Di Marino, MA; Joe Gitchell, BA

Arch Intern Med. 2000;160:1675-1681.

Background  Standard, generic self-help materials have been largely ineffective as behavioral treatments for smoking cessation. In contrast, self-help programs tailored to the needs of specific smokers have shown promise in facilitating quitting.

Objective  To evaluate the incremental efficacy of the Committed Quitters Program (CQP), a set of computer-tailored materials offered to purchasers of nicotine polacrilex gum, compared with a brief untailored user's guide and audiotape, both as supplements to nicotine replacement therapy.

Methods  We conducted a randomized, open-label trial with 3 parallel arms. Subjects were smokers who purchased 2- or 4-mg nicotine polacrilex gum and called the CQP toll-free enrollment line. Three thousand six hundred twenty-seven subjects consented to participate in 1 of 3 study arms: (1) those receiving the CQP materials (CQP group, n=1217), (2) those receiving CQP materials and an outbound telephone call (CQP+C group, n=1207); and (3) those receiving no supplemental intervention beyond the user's guide and audiotape that were prepackaged with the nicotine polacrilex gum (UG group, n=1203). Twenty-eight–day continuous abstinence rates were assessed by telephone interviews at 6 weeks and 10-week continuous rates at 12 weeks into treatment.

Results  Abstinence rates among respondents at the 6- and 12-week assessments were significantly higher for the CQP (36.2% and 27.6%) and CQP+C (35.5% and 27.3%) groups compared with the UG group (24.7% and 17.7%) at both intervals. The quit rates for the CQP and CQP+C groups were almost identical.

Conclusions  The CQP proved to be an effective behavioral treatment, enhancing quit rates over and above nicotine replacement therapy and a brief untailored written guide and audiotape.

From the University of Pittsburgh (Drs Shiffman and Paty), and Pinney Associates (Drs Shiffman and Paty and Messrs Rohay, Di Marino, and Gitchell), Pittsburgh, Pa.

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