Research shows that smoking cessation is the most significant preventable health behavior change that a person can make to lower cancer risk. In addition, telephone quitlines are an effective, science-based smoking cessation treatment that is universally accessible to smokers in the U.S. However, little research has explored promising approaches that could increase quitline use, improve quit rates, and inform resource allocation for quitline services. The proposed study will test three promising enhancements to the standard quitline treatment that typically consists of counseling and, possibly 2 weeks of a NRT medication. These enhancements are: 1) combination nicotine replacement therapy as recommended by the United States Public Health Service Clinical Practice Guideline on Treating Tobacco Use and Dependence; 2) extended duration of cessation medication use; and 3) an innovative counseling addition - cognitive medication adherence counseling - to optimize adherence to cessation medication. In addition, the cost-effectiveness of each intervention will be calculated. The findings of the proposed research have broad potential application and relevance to state quitlines, quitline service providers, and other purchasers of quitline services such as employers and insurers. Additionally, the study findings can potentially inform other telephone health behavior counseling programs.
The study design is a fully crossed 2x2x2 factorial design that tested the effect of two versus six weeks of nicotine replacement therapy (NRT), the effect of NRT monotherapy (nicotine patch alone) versus NRT combination therapy (nicotine patch + oral NRT), and the effect of cognitive medication adherence counseling (CMAC) versus no CMAC. A total of 987 smokers seeking cessation assistance from the Wisconsin Tobacco Quit Line (WTQL) were randomly assigned to the eight (2x2x2) different conditions generated by the three experimental factors. This design provides us with sufficient power to analyze each of our three main effects listed above. We will also test for two- and three-way interactions, but do not have sufficient data to make a priori assumptions about interaction effects. Finally, we will conduct a cost-effectiveness analysis for each of the three interventions to allow readers of this research to evaluate whether the additional costs of the interventions yield sufficient gains to warrant implementing them broadly.
Study Type
INTERVENTIONAL
Allocation
RANDOMIZED
Purpose
TREATMENT
Masking
SINGLE
Enrollment
987
If \> 10 cigs/day: one 21 mg nicotine patch per day If \< or = 10 cigs/day: one 14 mg nicotine patch per day
If \< 25 cigs/day, 2 mg nicotine gum, at least 5 pieces of oral NRT per day (maximum of 1 piece every 1-2 hours), unless this amount of use produces nicotine toxicity effects. If ≥ 25 cigs/day, 4 mg nicotine gum, at least 5 pieces of oral NRT per day (maximum of 1 piece every 1-2 hours), unless this amount of use produces nicotine toxicity effects.
CMAC consists of tailored cessation counseling to improve medication adherence during the counseling calls. The CMAC protocol was developed by study investigators and involved: (1) pre-quit assessment of beliefs that might undermine NRT adherence; (2) on-going medication adherence assessment by quitline Quit Coaches; and (3) tailored coaching based on the ongoing assessments.
Wisconsin Tobacco Quit Line (service provided by Free & Clear, Inc.)
Seattle, Washington, United States
University of Wisconsin Center for Tobacco Research and Intervention
Madison, Wisconsin, United States
7-Day Point Prevalence Abstinence From Smoking by Intervention
Self-reported total abstinence from any tobacco use (even a single puff) for the seven days preceding the target follow-up day.
Time frame: 26 weeks after the target quit smoking date
7-Day Point Prevalence Abstinence From Smoking by Nicotine Replacement Therapy (NRT) Group
Self-reported total abstinence from any tobacco use (even a single puff) for the seven days preceding the target follow-up day.
Time frame: 26 weeks after the target quit smoking date
Incremental Cost-Effectiveness Ratio for 7-Day Point Prevalence Abstinence From Smoking at 26 Weeks Post-Quit by Nicotine Replacement Therapy (NRT) Group
For cost analyses, we computed the costs of intervention per caller, the cost per quit based on the 6-month ITT 7-day PPA, and the incremental cost-effectiveness ratio (ICER. Intervention costs included direct costs associated with registration, provision of NRT and counseling (standard and MAC), and mailing of a quit guide (all participants) and a MAC information sheet (MAC participants only). Facility space, supplies, and physician supervision time were included in the call costs; research-related costs were excluded. ICER ratio is a measure of the added cost per added quit for two treatments. ICER was computed as the cost difference between the least intensive treatment group (2 weeks of nicotine patch only) and a more intensive comparison group divided by the difference in the quit rates of the two groups being compared; e.g., the ICER for the group that received 2 weeks of nicotine patch and nicotine gum = (213-178)/(.482-.384) = $357.
Time frame: 26 weeks after the target quit smoking date
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