MENLO PARK, Calif., May 18 /PRNewswire/ — A recently completed
randomized trial compared three ways to deliver a behavioral
smoking cessation program using varenicline (Chantix®): by
phone, web, or both. Although phone counseling had greater
treatment advantage for early cessation and appeared to increase
medication adherence, no differences in abstinence outcomes were
seen at six months. The findings suggest the three programs are all
effective treatment options when combined with varenicline.
Nonprofit scientific research institute SRI International,
Group Health Research Institute, and Free & Clear, Inc.
conducted the trial, which was published in the May 2010
American Journal of Preventive Medicine.
Proactive telephone behavioral counseling (PTC) and web-based
services are popular tools for smoking cessation. Although both PTC
and web-based services are known to be effective, previous studies
have not examined whether a combination of these services results
in better outcomes than one method alone. The trial aimed to
determine the relative effectiveness of a widely used smoking
cessation program (Free & Clear Quit For Life® Program)
that was delivered in three ways: standard PTC, web-based delivery,
and a program that combined the two.
The trial was one of the first “real-
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