Smoking quit rate and community-based programs

Retail pharmacies’ smoking cessation programs are effective in helping smokers quit, according to a study published in the September issue of The Annals of Pharmacotherapy.

The study, led by Nasreen Khan, PhD, senior health economist with the University of Colorado-Denver, followed pharmacist-delivered tobacco cessation services, established by the New Mexico Pharmaceutical Care Foundation. As part of the program, pharmacists who received Rx for Change training provided tobacco cessation counseling to patients during initial visits, 1-month follow-up visits, 3-month follow-up visits, and 6-month follow-up visits.

After analyzing the results from 346 study participants, the average quit rate at the end of 6 months was 25%. Researchers found that the predictors of quitting included: high confidence levels in quitting at baseline, individuals who smoked cigarettes at least 30 minutes after waking up, those who attempted to quit smoking for the first time, and patients who were non-Caucasian.

"A smoking cessation program delivered through trained community pharmacists with prescriptive authority is an effective approach to reducing smoking," Khan wrote. "Further research should be conducted to compare the effectiveness of pharmacists with that of other providers’ tobacco cessation services."