Efficacy of a cognitive-behavioral program with pharmacological support to achieve smoking cessation

Abstract

Background and objective: In Germany over 30% of the population are smokers. Only very few smokers succeed in giving up smoking, because of the addictive nature of nicotine use. The objective of the present study was to evaluate a smoking cessation program which was recently established at a tertiary care clinic. Patients and methods: The median age of the 275 participants was 45,5 years; 60,4% of participants were female. Participants had tobacco dependence of 5,1 (Fagerstrom scale). The cognitive-behavioral smoking cessation program implemented in this clinic consisted of 8 sessions. Pharmacological support was recommended. A standardized evaluation was carried out after 6 and 12 months. Results: All 275 smokers took part in the program over a period of 21 months. At the end of the course, 72% of participants had become non-smokers, after 6 months 37,6% and after 12 months 27,1% had stopped smoking. Those who have not yet been evaluated 12 months after the end of the program demonstrated a point prevalence of 45,7% after 6 months. The cigarette consumption of participants who were smoking at the end of the course was reduced to less than half. 6 months later they smoked an average of 18,0 cigarettes/day; 12 months after ending the course, 19.0 /day were consumed (p<0,001). Costs of about 250 Euro per gained life year were approximated. Conclusion: It is possible to establish a smoking cessation program at a large clinic. The results correspond to international published experiences and confirm that such a program is efficacious and cost-effective.