CONFERENCE PROCEEDING
Are online interventions for smoking cessation effective alternatives to face-to-face interventions? A retrospective analysis
 
More details
Hide details
1
Spanish Association Against Cancer, Madrid, Spain
 
 
Publication date: 2023-04-25
 
 
Tob. Prev. Cessation 2023;9(Supplement):A47
 
KEYWORDS
ABSTRACT
Introduction:
Since 2020, the Spanish Association Against Cancer-Madrid has offered digital resources to the population interested in quitting smoking and has implemented 12-week online combined pharmacotherapy and behavioral interventions (O-CPBI) for smoking cessation. This study explores whether the O-CPBI could be as effective as face-to-face combined pharmacotherapy and behavioral interventions (FTF-CPBI).

Material and Methods:
An observational, retrospective, and longitudinal study was conducted. We included adults (≥18 years old) who attended a smoking cessation therapy at the Spanish Association Against Cancer between September 2018 and June 2021. We compared the rates of abstinence from tobacco use among subjects that attended an O-CPBI or an FTF-CPBI. Both interventions consisted of ten group sessions. The abstinence from smoking was measured at the end of therapy, and six months, and one-year after enrollment. This study is complementary to the research presented at the last congress of the National Committee for the Prevention of Smoking in Spain.

Results:
Eighty-one adults attended an O-CPBI and 127 an FTF-CPBI (mean age 50.3±10 and 52.9±9.6 years old, respectively, p=0.060). The proportion of women was higher in the O-CPBI than in the FTF-CPBI (80% vs. 64%, p=0.008). Mental disorders were more frequent in the FTF-CPBI group (29% vs. 16%, p=0.032); however, in the O-CPBI group, the hospital anxiety and depression scale (HADS) scores were above the given cut-off points (13-15) more frequently (45% vs. 28%, p=0.026). Overall, subjects with a mental disorder were less abstinent. In both groups, the use of varenicline was associated with higher odds of abstinence (OR 10.9 [IC 95% 2.3-52.03] and OR 2.6 [IC 95% 1.1-6.0], respectively). Smoking cessation rates were similar among both groups at the end of therapy (79% vs. 73%, p=0.192) six months (53% vs. 58%, p=0.32) and one year after enrollment (44% vs. 41%, p=0.66, respectively). In general, subjects with a history of cancer were less abstinent at the end of therapy (p=0.03); however, this difference was not observed in consecutive follow-ups (p=>0.05).

Conclusions:
The O-CPBI is an effective alternative to FTF-CPBI for smoking cessation. However, more studies must be conducted to evaluate which populations respond best to the interventions studied.

CONFLICTS OF INTEREST
The authors declare no conflict of interest.
eISSN:2459-3087
Journals System - logo
Scroll to top