Public health clinical demonstration project for smoking cessation in veterans with posttraumatic stress disorder

Addict Behav. 2010 Jan;35(1):19-22. doi: 10.1016/j.addbeh.2009.08.007. Epub 2009 Aug 19.

Abstract

Veterans with posttraumatic stress disorder are at high risk for smoking and experience difficulty with smoking cessation. We designed this clinical demonstration project to provide a low-cost, feasibly implemented smoking cessation intervention that would maximize the number of smokers who accessed the intervention. Five hundred eighty-four veteran smokers were contacted by invitational letters. Interested veterans received follow-up telephone calls using standardized scripts offering three intervention resources: 1) a referral to the National Cancer Institute's Smoking Quitline, 2) web-based counseling, and 3) local Veteran Affairs pharmacologic treatment for smoking cessation. Twenty-three percent of survey recipients participated in the clinical program. Two months after these resources were offered by phone, follow-up phone calls indicated that 25% of participants providing follow-up information reported maintaining smoking abstinence. This clinical demonstration project was associated with a 2.6% impact (i.e., reach [31.1% of smokers accessed intervention] by efficacy [8.4% of those accessing intervention quit]), meaning that 2.6% of the total number of targeted smokers reported 8 week abstinence. Results suggested that this brief, low-cost intervention was feasible and promoted smoking cessation in veterans with posttraumatic stress disorder.

Publication types

  • Research Support, N.I.H., Extramural
  • Research Support, U.S. Gov't, Non-P.H.S.

MeSH terms

  • Bupropion / therapeutic use
  • Cohort Studies
  • Counseling*
  • Delivery of Health Care / organization & administration
  • Health Promotion / methods
  • Health Promotion / organization & administration
  • Hotlines
  • Humans
  • Internet
  • Nicotine / therapeutic use
  • Patient Education as Topic
  • Public Health
  • Smoking / drug therapy
  • Smoking / psychology
  • Smoking Cessation / methods*
  • Smoking Cessation / psychology
  • Smoking Prevention*
  • Stress Disorders, Post-Traumatic / psychology*
  • United States
  • Veterans*

Substances

  • Bupropion
  • Nicotine