The effect of proactively identifying smokers and offering smoking cessation support in primary care populations: a cluster-randomised trial
Rachael Murray, Cancer Research UK Graduate Training Fellow, University of Nottingham, UK

Abstract

Aims:
To establish whether proactively identifying all smokers in primary care populations and offering smoking cessation support is effective in increasing long term abstinence from smoking.

Design:
Cluster randomised controlled trial. 

Setting:
24 general practices in Nottinghamshire, randomised by practice to active or control intervention.

Participants:
All adult patients registered with the practices who returned a questionnaire confirming that they were current smokers (n=6856). 

Intervention:
Participants were offered smoking cessation support by letter, and referred into NHS stop smoking services if required.

Measurements:
Validated abstinence from smoking and use of smoking cessation services.  

Findings:
Validated point prevalence abstinence from smoking at 6 months was not significantly different between intervention and control groups (3.5% and 2.5% respectively) either before or after adjusting for age, sex and Townsend score (adjusted Odds Ratio 1.64, 95% CI 0.92–2.89).  Those in the intervention group were, however, more likely than controls to report that they had used local cessation services during the study period (16.6% and 8.9% respectively, adjusted OR 2.09, 95% CI 1.57–2.78). 

Conclusions:
Proactively identifying smokers who want to quit in primary care populations, and referring them to a cessation service, increased contacts with cessation services and the number of quit attempts, but had no significant effect on smoking cessation.

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About the presenter
Rachael is a Cancer Research UK Graduate Training Fellow currently completing the first year of her PhD investigating spontaneous smoking cessation, supervised by Professor Sarah Lewis, Professor Ann McNeill and Dr Tim Coleman at the University of Nottingham.