Shahab, L;
(2014)
Why use CO-verified 4-week quit rates as the primary measure of stop smoking service success?
(NHS Centre for Smoking Cessation and Training Briefings
14
).
NHS Centre for Smoking Cessation and Training (NCSCT): London.
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Abstract
Four-week quit rates, both self-report and carbon monoxide (CO)-verified, have been used to evaluate the effectiveness of stop smoking services since their inception in 1999. Although it does not take into account a number of important factors that affect success rates (e.g. level of dependence, age, socio-economic status etc), this measurement does allow for a crude comparison between stop smoking services and within services over time. The main purpose of this briefing, however, is to review the evidence on the effectiveness of four-week quit rates as a predictor of long-term abstinence versus measurement of quit rates for longer periods following the quit date. This briefing does not cover the evidence on extending behavioural support and treatment to smokers beyond four weeks, which is covered in a separate NCSCT briefing. The current standard within the stop smoking services for the assessment of success rates is CO-verified four-week quit rates.1 A 4-week quitter is defined as someone who reports abstinence between weeks two and four from the target quit date, verified by an expired air CO concentration of less than 10ppm (parts per million). By this standard the average success rates of the services in England is 36%. Although the CO threshold and the exact length of follow-up remain a matter of some debate, (guidelines for the evaluation of smoking cessation interventions in clinical trials recommend assessing smoking status at a minimum of six months) there are a number of reasons why the current standard constitutes the primary measure of service success.
| Type: | Report |
|---|---|
| Title: | Why use CO-verified 4-week quit rates as the primary measure of stop smoking service success? |
| Open access status: | An open access version is available from UCL Discovery |
| Publisher version: | http://www.ncsct.co.uk/usr/pub/NCSCT%20briefing%20... |
| Language: | English |
| Additional information: | © 2014 National Centre for Smoking Cessation and Training (NCSCT) |
| UCL classification: | UCL UCL > Provost and Vice Provost Offices > School of Life and Medical Sciences UCL > Provost and Vice Provost Offices > School of Life and Medical Sciences > Faculty of Population Health Sciences > Institute of Epidemiology and Health UCL > Provost and Vice Provost Offices > School of Life and Medical Sciences > Faculty of Population Health Sciences > Institute of Epidemiology and Health > Behavioural Science and Health |
| URI: | https://discovery.ucl.ac.uk/id/eprint/1450797 |
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