THE EFFICIENCY OF THE MATCHED-PAIRS DESIGN OF THE COMMUNITY INTERVENTION TRIAL FOR SMOKING CESSATION (COMMIT)

The Community Intervention Trial for Smoking Cessation (COMMIT) was a randomized trial to evaluate the effects of a community-wide smoking c essation intervention design involved 22 pair-matched communities on s moking behavior. The statistical and the randomization of one communit y in each of the 11 pairs to the intervention with the other community in the pair acting as a comparison. Communities were matched on the b asis of their geographical proximity and similarity of demographic com position. In this paper, we use the data on the rates of quitting smok ing among cohorts of heavy and light/moderate smokers in each communit y to estimate the gains in efficiency achieved by the matched-pairs de sign compared to an unmatched randomized trial. We find evidence of so me gain in efficiency, although the data are not extensive enough to g ive estimates of efficiency gain that have good precision. Published b y Elsevier Science Inc. 1997.