Association between the engagement of relatives in a behavioural group intervention for smoking cessation and higher quit rates at 6-, 12- and 24-month follow-ups.

OBJECTIVE: To assess the effectiveness of a behavioural group intervention for smoking cessation, which included as its most original feature the recommendation to participate with a relative or close friend.
METHODS: A total of 1,060 subjects entered the programme, which consisted of 9 group sessions over a period of 5 weeks. The intervention consisted of a modified version of the Five-Day Plan, the main differences being the use of behavioural therapy techniques and small group work, and the addition of 4 weekly booster sessions. About two thirds of the participants came with a relative or close friend. Long-term abstinence from smoking was assessed with follow-up telephone interviews.
RESULTS: Very few subjects were lost to follow-ups (9.2% at 6 months, 9.7% at 1 year, 10.8% at 2 years). The observed quit rates were 42.6% at 6 months, 35.5% at 1 year and 32% at 2 years. When considering as smokers all subjects who were lost to follow-ups, quit rates were also satisfactory (38.7% at 6 months, 32.1% at 1 year and 28.6% at 2 years). The main predictors of a good outcome were being male, smoking less than 20 cigarettes per day, having started smoking after 18 years of age, having made previous quitting attempts, not having a history of unsuccessful participation to smoking cessation interventions and attending the sessions with a relative or close friend. DISCUSSION: Although some limitations inherent in the design of our study suggest caution in interpreting the results and in making comparisons, the long-term effectiveness of the intervention was satisfactory. The inclusion of a relative or close friend appeared useful. This simple and inexpensive strategy may deserve recommendation, though in the future it should be tested in controlled trials. Copyright 2002 S. Karger AG, Basel