The Great American Smokeout: 10 articles on quitting smoking

On the third Thursday of each November, the American Cancer Society encourages the estimated 32.4 million smokers in the United States to begin the “journey to a smoke-free life” in the “Great American Smokeout.”

According to WHO, those who stop smoking around 40 years of age gain 9 years of life expectancy compared with those who continue to smoke; those aged about 50 years gain 6 more years; and those aged about 60 years gain 3 more years.

Similar data in the American Journal of Public Health provide evidence that “stopping smoking as early as possible is important, but cessation at any age provides meaningful life extension,” according to Donald H. Taylor Jr., PhD, MPP, a professor of public policy at Duke University’s Sanford School of Public Policy, and colleagues.

Below, find some of Healio’s recent stories on helping people quit smoking:

Varenicline recommended over patch, bupropion as initial treatment for smoking cessation

The American Thoracic Society issued a clinical practice guideline that outlines recommendations for initiating pharmacologic treatment for smoking cessation in tobacco-dependent adults. Read more.

App based on acceptance helps more smokers quit than app based on avoidance

iCanQuit, an acceptance and commitment therapy-based smoking cessation app, helped more smokers quit than the National Cancer Institute’s QuitGuide, a U.S. clinical practice guidelines app based on avoidance of smoking triggers, data show. Read more.

Cytisinicline at least as effective as varenicline for smoking cessation

Achieve Life Sciences announced positive top-line results of the RAUORA trial demonstrating that cytisinicline was noninferior to varenicline (Chantix, Pfizer) for smoking cessation. Read more.

Nicotine e-cigarettes, counseling aid smoking cessation in randomized trial

In the randomized E3 trial, nicotine e-cigarettes combined with individual counseling was more effective for smoking cessation at 12 weeks than non-nicotine e-cigarettes with counseling or counseling alone. Read more.

Combining reduced-harm nicotine products may improve smoking cessation

Combining reduced-harm nicotine products can lead to improvement in smoking cessation without short-term harm, according to a study published in The Lancet Respiratory Medicine. Read more.

Are e-cigarettes a viable tool to help patients with cancer quit smoking?

In this point/counterpoint, Terry Frank Pechacek, PhD, a research professor of health management and policy in the department of health policy and behavioral sciences at Georgia State University School of Public Health, and J. Taylor Hays, MD, an internal medicine specialist at Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minnesota, discuss using e-cigarettes to help patients with cancer stop smoking. Read more.

Smoking cessation should be ‘pillar’ of the cancer treatment protocol

More attention has been given to the role oncologists should play in discussing tobacco use and actively encouraging smoking cessation among their patients. However, not all oncologists have the bandwidth or the resources to promote tobacco cessation. Read more.

Smoking intervention at pediatrician’s office helps parents quit

Pediatricians can help parents quit smoking by routinely screening them for tobacco use and offering them cessation assistance during their child’s appointment, study findings published in JAMA Pediatrics suggest. Read more.

Text messages modestly helpful in getting pregnant women to stop smoking

A study published in Nicotine and Tobacco Research suggests that a low-cost text message program may help some pregnant women quit smoking. Read more.

‘Modern’ approach to smoking cessation may increase chances of success

An approach to smoking cessation that treats nicotine addiction as a medical condition that must be controlled is usually more effective than other smoking cessation methods, a speaker at the American College of Physicians Internal Medicine meeting said. Read more.

References:

• Taylor DH, et al. Am J Public Health. 2002;doi:10.2105/ajph.92.6.990.
• WHO. Tobacco: Health benefits of smoking cessation. https://www.who.int/news-room/q-a-detail/tobacco-health-benefits-of-smoking-cessation. Accessed November 14, 2020.