Dm. Koffman et al., THE IMPACT OF INCLUDING INCENTIVES AND COMPETITION IN A WORKPLACE SMOKING CESSATION PROGRAM ON QUIT RATES, American journal of health promotion, 13(2), 1998, pp. 105-111
Purpose. To determine the effectiveness of a multicomponent smoking ce
ssation program supplemented by incentives and team competition. Desig
n. A quasi-experimental design was employed to compare the effectivene
ss of three different smoking cessation programs, each assigned to sep
arate worksites. Setting. The study was conducted from 1990 to 1991 at
three aerospace industry worksites in California. Subjects. All emplo
yees who were current, regular tobacco users were eligible to particip
ate in the program offered at their site. Intervention. The multicompo
nent program included a self-help package, telephone counseling, and o
ther elements. The incentive-competition, program included the multico
mponent program plus cash incentives and team competition for the firs
t 5 months of the program. The traditional program offered a standard
smoking cessation program. Measures. Self-reported questionnaires and
carbon monoxide tests of tobacco use or abstinence were used over a 12
month period. Results. The incentive-competition program had an absti
nence rate of 41 % at 6 months (n = 68), which was significantly bette
r than the multicomponent program (23%, n = 81) or the traditional pro
gram (8%, n = 36). At 12 months, the quit rates for the incentive and
multicomponent programs were statistically indistinguishable (37% vs.
30%), but remained higher than the traditional program (11%). Chi-squa
re tests, t-tests, and logistic regression were used to compare smokin
g abstinence across the three programs. Conclusions. Offering a multic
omponent program with telephone counseling may be just as effective fo
r long-term smoking cessation as such a program plus incentives and co
mpetition, and more effective than a traditional program.