Tailoring smoking cessation programs to the specific needs and interests of the patient
BMJ 2003; 327 doi: https://doi.org/10.1136/bmjusa.01090002 (Published 19 November 2003) Cite this as: BMJ 2003;327:E57
- Victor J Strecher (strecher@umich.edu), PhD, MPH professor and associate director, cancer prevention and control,
- Wayne F Velicer (velicer@uri.edu), PhD professor and co-director
- University of Michigan Comprehensive Cancer Center, Ann Arbor, Michigan, USA
- Cancer Prevention Research Center, University of Rhode Island, Kingston, Rhode Island, USA
This article originally appeared in BMJ USA
Ideally, smoking cessation programs should be able to reach a large number of smokers, be effective in achieving long-term abstinence, and achieve these goals at a reasonable cost. Current anti-smoking efforts, unfortunately, have not been able to offer all of these characteristics. Community- and media-based cessation programs (eg, quit contests) have been able to reach a large number of smokers but lack effectiveness.1 On the other hand, intensive, multi-session clinical interventions can achieve relatively high long-term abstinence rates,2 but their reach is limited. Smoking cessation clinics have a limited impact on population cessation rates, and some have even advocated abandoning the clinic approach to cessation.3
Computer-based smoking cessation interventions hold the promise of combining the benefits of high-reach media-based interventions, individually-oriented clinics, and popular self-help programs.4 5 With the rapid development of computer technology, tailoring a cessation program to the specific needs and …
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