This study examined the role of social support and behavioral interventions used during the last unsuccessful quit attempt for smokers' intentions to quit smoking within the next 6 months, and identified smokers' attributes associated with use of social support and behavioral interventions. The analytic sample included 7,195 adult daily smokers who responded to the 2010-2011 Tobacco Use Supplement to the Current Population Survey, conducted in the US, and indicated having a serious quit attempt in the past 12 months. Smokers who relied on social support from friends and family had higher odds of intending to quit than those who did not (OR= 1.39, 95% CI= 1.22:1.58), and smokers who used interventions had higher odds of intending to quit than those who did not (OR= 1.36, 95% CI= 1.07:1.74). These associations were similar for both sexes, all age groups, and nicotine dependence levels. Both, relying on social support and use of behavioral interventions were more common among smokers who were female, higher educated, residing in the Western US region, and those who used pharmacological aids for smoking cessation. Social support and behavioral interventions are associated with higher intentions to quit among attempters who relapsed and thus, may aid future smoking cessation.
Background: Lung cancer screening and tobacco treatment for patients at high-risk for lung cancer may greatly reduce mortality from smoking, and there is an urgent need to improve smoking cessation therapies for this population.
Aims: The purpose of this study is to test the efficacy of two separate, sequential interventions to promote tobacco cessation/reduction compared to standard care in smokers considered high-risk for lung cancer.
Methods: The study will recruit 276 current smokers attending a lung cancer screening clinic or considered high-risk for lung cancer based on age and smoking history across two sites. Patients first will be randomized to either standard tobacco treatment (8 weeks of nicotine patch and five individual counselling sessions) or standard tobacco treatment plus personalized gain-framed messaging. At the 8-week visit, all patients will be re-randomized to receive biomarker feedback or no biomarker feedback. Repeated assessments during treatment will be used to evaluate changes in novel biomarkers: skin carotenoids, lung function, and plasma bilirubin that will be used for biomarker feedback. We hypothesize that personalized gain-framed messages and receiving biomarker feedback related to tobacco cessation/reduction will improve quit rates and prevent relapse compared to standard care. Primary outcomes include 7-day point-prevalence abstinence verified with expired carbon monoxide at 8 weeks and mean cigarettes per day in the past week at 6 months.
Conclusions: Study findings will inform the development of novel interventions for patients at risk for lung cancer to improve smoking cessation rates.
Introduction: The majority of attempts to stop smoking end in failure. One way to improve success may be to explore different combinations of existing cessation medications.
Aims: This observational study examined "triple therapy" (varenicline + nicotine patch + nicotine lozenge) in 36 smokers trying to quit.
Methods: A 12-week, observational study exploring tolerability, via adverse events (AEs) elicited at each of 9 phone assessments. Secondary outcomes included satisfaction rates, medication changes, and self-reported quit rates at week 12.
Results: 35 of 36 participants reported at least one AE. Insomnia (75%), abnormal dreams (72%) and nausea (64%) were most common. Most were mild to moderate. No deaths, hospitalizations, cardiovascular events, or suicidality were reported. Six participants (17%) decreased the dose of at least one medication, 5 (14%) decreased the dose then discontinued at least one medication, and 13 (36%) discontinued at least one medication without trying a lesser dose. Participants were highly satisfied with their medications, and 58% reported quitting at 12 weeks, with 38% reporting prolonged abstinence.
Conclusion: Despite high rates of AEs and medication changes, high rates of satisfaction and self-reported quitting, with no serious AEs, were observed with triple therapy. Additional data on tolerability and efficacy are needed.
Trial registration: clinicaltrials.gov number NCT02681510.

