Long-term effectiveness of computer-generated tailored feedback in smoking cessation

Although tailored interventions consisting of only a few pages of information lead to more quitting than no intervention in the short term, the long-term efficacy of a single tailored intervention still has to be proven. In the present study smokers were reactively recruited and randomly allocated to one of four intervention conditions: (1) outcome information, (2) self-efficacy enhancing information, (3) both sorts of information or (4) no information, Smokers in the three experimental groups received computer-generated tailored feedback containing the condition-specific information, by mail, The results from the 13 months follow-up can be summarized as follows, Compared to the no information condition, all three experimental conditions led to significantly more smokers mho had engaged in 24-h quit attempts, However, no experimental condition led to more 7-day quitting than the no information condition, With regard to continuous abstinence, the experimental condition offering a combination of outcome information and self-efficacy enhancing information had a significant effect, compared to the no information condition, It is concluded that a minimal six-page tailored intervention can be beneficial in supporting smokers to quit smoking, even after 13 months.