Come & Quit: A new flexible, Intensive Smoking Cessation Intervention Programme

Abstract

Aim  Smoking cessation is a major challenge for many smokers, and it is necessary to develop and evaluate new programmes. The aim was to compare the effectiveness of ‘Come & Quit’, a flexible, intensive smoking cessation intervention (SCI) with the Danish gold standard programme (GSP). Second, we aimed to identify whether gender was important among disadvantaged and heavy smokers.
Methods  This was a prospective cohort study based on the Danish National Smoking Cessation Database. From 2011-2016, we included 24,930 smokers from smoking cessation units throughout Denmark; 5,750 received ‘Come & Quit’, and 19,180 received the GSP.
Results  A total of 16,348 respondents were included in the outcome analyses on continuous abstinence after six months. Thirty-five percent remained successful quitters. Under the Russell criterion, the crude quit rate was 23.0%. The most important predictor was compliance. Overall, men had 3.0-3.1% higher quit rates than women for both programmes. The fully adjusted model confirmed the significantly higher success among men (OR=1.15, 95% CI: 1.07-1.23). Two multivariable logistic regression analyses for men and women showed no statistically significant differences between ‘Come & Quit’ and the GSP for men (OR=1.06, 0.92-1.23) or women (OR=0.94, 0.82-1.08). Across gender, compliance with the programmes was the most important predictor of successful quitting. Minor predictors were calendar year, lack of social disadvantage and heavy smoking.
Conclusion  The effectiveness of the intensive interventions compared in this study was similar across genders. However, overall, men had a significantly higher quit rate than women.