Definition of Smoking Cessation
Smoking Cessation: Commonly known as “quitting smoking,” it is the process of discontinuing addictive tobacco smoking. All major medical institutions acknowledge that smoking cessation greatly improves a person’s health prospects…Read more
Explore Smoking Cessation research in the following databases:
PubMed Trip Cochrane*
*The Cochrane database requires users to enter the search term manually. Enter “smoking cessation”
Research Spotlight
The databases often return hundreds of medical studies for a single wellness approach. This section summarizes a sampling of five studies – providing just a taste of the available research.
- Paying people to stop smoking is very effective
A large, 2019 meta-analysis of 33 studies (21,000 people) from Cochrane Reviews found that paying people to stop smoking is very effective. Not only were people receiving financial rewards for kicking the habit more likely to quit, they were also more likely to remain smoke-free. The amount was irrelevant: It was just as effective to pay $100 as more than $700.
Access this study on smoking cessation - E-Cigarettes Help Smokers Quit
One of the critical unanswered questions in public health has been do e-cigarettes actually help smokers quit. A large, rigorous 2019 study from the UK National Health Service says “yes.” E-cigarettes were almost twice as successful as nicotine replacement products like the patch or gum for smoking cessation.
Access this study on smoking cessation - Oxford Meta-Analysis Details Success Rates of Cash- and Deposit-Based Rewards
Results of a University of Oxford (UK) meta-analysis of 8,500 adult smokers revealed that financial incentives to quit generally carried higher sustained success rates when 1.) subjects were required to make a cash deposit (refundable upon quitting, along with additional cash incentive); and 2.) when the cash reward was significantly higher.
Access this Smoking Cessation study - Workplace Can Help Employees Stop Smoking
A Cochrane review (2014, 57 studies) concludes the workplace is an effective setting for helping people stop smoking, and that there’s strong evidence for individual coaching and group pharmacological treatment.
Access this Smoking Cessation study - Mobile Devices Can Aid Smoking Cessation
A Cochrane review (2012, 5 studies of 9,000+ people) found that mobile phone interventions (i.e. text messages offering motivation/advice) help people quit smoking over usual care, and these benefits are sustained at least 6 months later.
Access this Smoking Cessation study
Studies-in-Progress/Clinical Trials Underway
A clinical trial is any research study that assigns people to health-related interventions to evaluate the outcomes. “Interventions” include drugs, surgical procedures, devices, behavioral treatments, preventive care, etc.
- ClinicalTrials.gov: explore trials underway in the U.S.
- World Health Organization: explore trials happening across the globe. When you reach WHO’s search page, please type in “smoking cessation.”
Access all studies currently available for Smoking Cessation in these databases:
*The Cochrane database requires users to enter the search term manually. Enter “smoking cessation”
