Eight-year follow-up of a community-based large group behavioral smoking cessation intervention

Objective: To evaluate the effectiveness of a large group community-based b ehavioral smoking cessation intervention over an S-year follow-up period an d to determine precessation predictors of cessation at each follow-up time. Research Approach: Behavioral intervention followed by three longitudinal follow-up interviews. Setting: Regional Outpatient Cancer Centre. Study Par ticipants: 971 participants in smoking cessation clinics held be tween 1986 and 1990. Intervention: Eight 90-minute sessions over 4 months utilizing e ducation. self-monitoring, nicotine fading, a group quit date and behaviora l modification techniques. Up to 110 smokers participated in each group pro gram. Main Outcome Measures: Cessation rates at 3, 6, and 12 months postqui t and at 8-year follow-up. Differences between successful and unsuccessful participants in precessation demographic, smoking history, and smoking beha vior variables. Results: At 3 months postquit date, 39.3% of the 971 partic ipants reported that they were not smoking, decreasing to 32.1% at 6 months and 26.0% at 12 months. At the 8-year follow-up, 33.9% of the original sam ple were contacted, and of those, 47.7% reported that they were currently n ot smoking. There were nine predictors of cessation at the end of the progr am (3 months), which were similar to those previously reported in the liter ature. Similarly, at 6 and 12 months, six factors were associated with not smoking. At the 9-year follow-up the only variable predictive of continued abstinence was being female (p < .05). Conclusions: This program was succes sful in promoting smoking cessation and maintenance, even with its large-gr oup format. Predictive factors were similar to those previously reported in the literature. (C) 2000 Elsevier Science Ltd.