Scientists Say These 3 Methods Work Best
By University of Massachusetts Amherst
A comprehensive analysis conducted by scientists, including a public health researcher from the University of Massachusetts Amherst, has pinpointed the top three methods for smoking cessation:
- Varenicline
– This prescription medication is marketed under brand names such as
Chantix and Champix.
- Cytisine
– Derived from plants, this compound is accessible over the counter as
Cravv® in Canada and across Central and Eastern Europe, and by
prescription in the UK, though it remains less common in the U.S.
- Nicotine
e-cigarettes.
The review, published September 4 in the journal Addiction,
was conducted by the non-profit Cochrane
Tobacco Addiction Group (CTAG) and led by senior author Jamie
Hartmann-Boyce, assistant professor of health policy and management in the
UMass Amherst School of Public Health and Health Sciences, and lead author
Jonathan Livingstone-Banks, a University of Oxford researcher in
England.
Worldwide, smoking is the leading cause of preventable
disease and death, resulting in more than seven million deaths per year.
“For people who smoke cigarettes, the single best thing they can do for their health is to quit smoking,” says Hartmann-Boyce, a Cochrane editor who conducted research at Oxford before joining UMass Amherst. “However, many people find it difficult to do so. Fortunately, there is strong evidence to support the use of a number of different ways to quit smoking.”
The three top strategies for quitting work best when
combined with behavioral support, such as counseling, the review states.
Bupropion and nicotine replacement therapy (NRT) are also effective, especially
NRT patches combined with fast-acting forms like gum. “For behavioral support,
evidence is strongest for counseling and for programs that reward people for
stopping smoking,” Hartmann-Boyce adds.
Recent Cochrane Reviews on Smoking Cessation
CTAG’s new summary outlines the key findings from 14
Cochrane reviews that CTAG published between 2021 and 2023. Three Cochrane
reviews included in this summary are particularly noteworthy:
- The
updated Cochrane review on NRT for smoking cessation found high-certainty
evidence that combining a fast-acting form of NRT (gum, lozenges, sprays)
with NRT patches helped more people to quit than single-form NRT alone.
- The
Cochrane review of e-cigarettes for smoking cessation is a living
systematic review: review authors search for new studies monthly and
update the review whenever new data emerge. The
latest update concluded that there was high‐certainty
evidence that e-cigarettes with nicotine increase quit rates compared with
NRT, and moderate‐certainty evidence that they increase quit rates
compared with e-cigarettes without nicotine.
- The 2023
Cochrane review of pharmacological and e-cigarette interventions
for smoking cessation included all drugs licensed as treatments for
smoking cessation anywhere in the world, as well as e-cigarettes with or
without nicotine. The review included 319 studies (157,179 participants).
The most effective interventions were nicotine e‐cigarettes,
varenicline, and cytisine, all of which had high-certainty evidence,
closely followed by combination NRT.
- The updated
Cochrane review on nicotine receptor partial agonists
(varenicline and cytisine) for smoking cessation found that, in studies
directly comparing cytisine and varenicline, there may be no difference
between either medication for quitting smoking. The review included 75
trials.
“Our team will continue to review evidence on the best ways
to help people quit smoking, as we know how vitally important this is to people
who smoke and to public health,” Hartmann-Boyce says.
Reference: “Effects of interventions to combat tobacco
addiction: Cochrane update of 2021 to 2023 reviews” by Jonathan
Livingstone-Banks, Nicola Lindson and Jamie Hartmann-Boyce, 04 September
2024, Addiction.
DOI: 10.1111/add.16624