Smoking cessation: what have we learned over the past decade?

Abstract

This article discusses developments in understanding smoking and smoking cessation, methodological issues, and intervention approaches over the past 10 years. Although effective multisession clinic interventions have been developed, such programs reach relatively few smokers. This has led to self-help, work site, health care setting, and community interventions aimed at delivering less intensive programs to larger populations. Conceptual and empirical developments and trends within these above delivery contexts are reviewed, and avenues of research are identified. Nicotine replacement strategies have benefited from technological advances (e.g., transdermal patches) and present continuing challenges with respect to integration with behavioral strategies and incorporation into primary care medical settings. Research over the next decade should focus on the development of cost-effective interventions that can reach representative and high-risk smokers.