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
Randomized Controlled Trial
. 2022 Aug 29;44(5):507-516.
doi: 10.47626/1516-4446-2021-2413.

Brief counseling for smoking cessation and alcohol use reduction concomitant with hospital procedures: a randomized clinical trial

Luz Helena Alba  1 , Maylin Penãloza  2 , Peter Olejua  3 , Eliana Cespedes  4 , Virginia Cuevas  1 , Ingrid Almonacid  1 , Lina Olaya  1 , Nelci Becerra  5
Affiliations
Randomized Controlled Trial

Brief counseling for smoking cessation and alcohol use reduction concomitant with hospital procedures: a randomized clinical trial

Luz Helena Alba et al. Braz J Psychiatry. .

Abstract

Objective: To evaluate the effect of brief counseling on patient readiness for behavioral change and cessation/reduction of tobacco and alcohol use.

Methods: This clinical trial randomized patients in blocks, stratified by risk factor. Adult smokers or at-risk drinkers undergoing surgical or diagnostic procedures were recruited. Outcome assessments and analyses were blinded. Brief counseling was compared with educational materials for the outcomes progress in stage of change and smoking/alcohol cessation/reduction.

Results: Overall, 222 participants were randomly assigned to the intervention group and 218 to the control group. Among them, 28 and 18 patients were lost to follow-up, respectively. Progress in change stage was 94.1% at 1 month in both groups (RR = 1.00; 95%CI 0.95-1.05) and 94.8 vs. 90.5% at 3 months (RR = 1.05; 95%CI 0.99-1.11) in the intervention and control groups, respectively. Smoking cessation and alcohol reduction rates at 3 months were 57.2 vs. 41% (RR = 1.40; 95%CI 1.14-1.71) in the intervention and control groups, respectively. Only brief counseling led to significant differences in smoking cessation (51.4 vs. 35.1%; RR = 1.46; 95%CI 1.12-1.92).

Conclusions: Brief counseling and educational materials improved patient motivation for behavioral change, but brief counseling had a greater effect on smoking cessation.

Keywords: Counseling; alcohol drinking; diagnostic techniques and procedures; hospitals; smoking cessation; surgical procedures.

PubMed Disclaimer

Conflict of interest statement

The authors report no conflicts of interest.

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1. Study flowchart.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

Similar articles

See all similar articles

Cited by

References

    1. World Health Organization (WHO) The top 10 causes of death. [Internet] Newsroom fact sheets. 2020. www.who.int/en/news-room/fact-sheets/detail/the-top-10-causes-of-death
    1. Oppedal K, Nesvg S, Pedersen B, Skjøtskift S, Aarstad AKH, Ullaland S, et al. Health and the need for health promotion in hospital patients. Eur J Public Health. 2011;21:744–9. - PubMed
    1. Stead LF, Buitrago D, Preciado N, Sanchez G, Hartmann-Boyce J, Lancaster T. Physician advice for smoking cessation. Cochrane Database Syst Rev. 2013;2013:CD000165. - PMC - PubMed
    1. Kaner EFS, Beyer FR, Muirhead C, Campbell F, Pienaar ED, Bertholet N, et al. Effectiveness of brief alcohol interventions in primary care populations. Cochrane Database Syst Rev. 2018;2:CD004148. - PMC - PubMed
    1. Clinical Practice Guideline Treating Tobacco Use and Dependence 2008 Update Panel, Liaisons, and Staff A clinical practice guideline for treating tobacco use and dependence: 2008 update. A U.S. Public Health Service report. Am J Prev Med. 2008;35:158–76. - PMC - PubMed

Publication types