The effect of a structured smoking cessation program, independent of exposure to existing interventions

Objectives. This study assessed the effectiveness of a smoking cessation pr ogram for women in public health clinics, controlling for reported exposure s to 4 common intervention components (provider advice, booklet, video segm ent, posters) among smokers in the control group. Methods. After a baseline control period 10 pair-matched clinics were rando mly assigned to study groups. A total of 1042 smokers in the combined basel ine and control groups and 454 smokers in the intervention group completed a preintervention questionnaire and a postintervention telephone interview 5 to 8 weeks later. Eight smoking outcomes, including quitting, were analyz ed for the effect of reported exposure to intervention components, experime ntal program, and clinic service. Results. Greater exposure to intervention components, being in the experime ntal program, and being seen in prenatal clinics independently improved smo king outcomes. Conclusions. The number of interventions reported by smokers in the control group ranged from none to 4 and varied across clinic services. The experim ental program we tested produced better outcomes than the minimal smoking c essation interventions already existing in the control clinics, after we co ntrolled for whether smokers were or were not exposed to these intervention s.