Effects of frequency and duration in telephone counselling for smoking cessation

Objective: This study evaluates alternative protocols in telephone counselling for smoking cessation. Design: The American Cancer Society enrolled 6322 clients in a randomised trial comparing three counselling formats of varying duration and frequency of contact, with or without booster sessions, and mailed self help booklets without telephone counselling. Setting and participants: Participants were drawn from callers to the American Cancer Society's National Cancer Information Center seeking assistance with smoking cessation who provided informed consent and were adult daily smokers, ready to make a quit attempt within two weeks, and from states not served by an evidence based proactive telephone counselling programme. Outcomes: Six-month cessation rates (30-day point prevalence) were measured in telephone interviews. Results: There was a significant counselling effect. The overall cessation rates that were yielded by a brief protocol including booster sessions were equivalent to those obtained with the American Cancer Society's standard protocol with boosters. Conclusions: Based on these findings, the abbreviated protocol with five sessions and two boosters is considered to be an option for improving cost efficiency in the delivery of this service.