Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
Meta-Analysis
. 2015 Aug 25;12(9):10235-53.
doi: 10.3390/ijerph120910235.

Effect of Smoking Reduction Therapy on Smoking Cessation for Smokers without an Intention to Quit: An Updated Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis of Randomized Controlled

Lei Wu  1 , Samio Sun  2 , Yao He  1   3 , Jing Zeng  4
Affiliations
Meta-Analysis

Effect of Smoking Reduction Therapy on Smoking Cessation for Smokers without an Intention to Quit: An Updated Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis of Randomized Controlled

Lei Wu et al. Int J Environ Res Public Health. .

Abstract

Objective: Effective strategies are needed to encourage smoking cessation for smokers without an intention to quit. We systematically reviewed the literature to investigate whether smoking reduction therapy can increase the long-term cessation rates of smokers without an intention to quit.

Methods: PubMed, Embase, and CENTRAL (Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials) were searched for randomized controlled trials (RCTs) on the effect of smoking reduction therapy on long-term smoking cessation in smokers without an intention to quit. The primary outcome was the cessation rate at the longest follow-up period. A random effects model was used to calculate pooled relative risks (RRs) and 95% confidence intervals (CIs).

Results: Fourteen trials with a total of 7981 smokers were included. The pooled analysis suggested that reduction support plus medication significantly increased the long-term cessation of smokers without an intention to quit compared to reduction support plus placebo (RR, 1.97; 95% CI, 1.44-2.7; I(2), 52%) or no intervention (RR, 1.93; 95% CI, 1.41-2.64; I(2), 46%). In a subgroup of smokers who received varenicline or nicotine replacement therapy (NRT), the differences were also statistically significant. This suggests the safety of using NRT. The percentage of smokers with serious adverse events who discontinued because of these events in the non-NRT group was slightly significantly different than in the control group. Insufficient evidence is available to test the efficacy of reduction behavioural support in promoting long-term cessation among this population.

Conclusions: The present meta-analysis indicated the efficacy of NRT- and varenicline-assisted reduction to achieve complete cessation among smokers without an intention to quit. Further evidence is needed to assess the efficacy and safety of reduction behavioural support and bupropion.

Keywords: meta-analysis; nicotine replacement therapy; smoking reduction therapy; varenicline; without quit intention.

PubMed Disclaimer

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
Flow diagram of trials included in the meta-analysis.
Figure 2
Figure 2
Forest plot of comparison: reduction support plus medication vs. reduction support plus placebo.
Figure 3
Figure 3
Forest plot of comparison: reduction support plus medication vs. no intervention.
Figure 4
Figure 4
Forest plot of comparison: reduction support plus medication vs. other support plus medication.
Figure 5
Figure 5
Meta-analysis of the safety outcomes.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

Similar articles

See all similar articles

Cited by

See all "Cited by" articles

References

    1. Jiang Y., Elton-Marshall T., Fong G.T., Li Q. Quitting smoking in China: Findings from the ITC China Survey. Tob. Control. 2010;19:12–17. doi: 10.1136/tc.2009.031179. - DOI - PMC - PubMed
    1. Boyle P., Gandini S., Robertson C. Characteristics of smokers’ attitudes towards stopping: Survey of 10,295 smokers in representative samples from 17 European countries. Eur. J. Public Health. 2000;10:5–14. doi: 10.1093/eurpub/10.suppl_3.5. - DOI
    1. Jamal A., Agaku I.T., O’Connor E., King B.A., Kenemer J.B., Neff L. Current cigarette smoking among adults—United States, 2005–2013. Morb. Mortal. Wkly. Rep. 2014;6:1108–1112. - PMC - PubMed
    1. Hughes J.R., Carpenter M.J. The feasibility of smoking reduction: An update. Addiction. 2005;100:1074–1089. doi: 10.1111/j.1360-0443.2005.01174.x. - DOI - PMC - PubMed
    1. Abdullah A.S. How far should we promote smoking reduction in order to promote smoking cessation? Asian Pac. J. Cancer Prev. 2005;6:231–234. - PubMed

Publication types

LinkOut - more resources