Efficacy of the Ascure Smoking Cessation Program: Retrospective Study

Background Smoking cessation helps extend a healthy life span and reduces medical expenses. However, the standard 12-week smoking cessation program in Japan has several notable problems. First, only 30% of participants complete this program. Second, participants may choose not to participate unless they have a strong motivation to quit smoking, such as health problems. Third, the program does not provide enough support during the period between clinical visits and after 12 weeks. Objective This study examined the efficacy of the 24-week ascure program to address the problems of accessibility and continuous support. The program combines online mentoring, over-the-counter pharmacotherapy, and a smartphone app. Methods Using a retrospective study design, we investigated data for 177 adult smokers who were enrolled in the ascure smoking cessation program between August 2017 and August 2018. The primary outcomes were continuous abstinence rates (CARs) during weeks 9-12 and weeks 21-24. To confirm smoking status, we performed salivary cotinine testing at weeks 12 and 24. We also evaluated the program adherence rate. Finally, we performed exploratory analysis to determine the factors associated with continuous abstinence at weeks 21-24 to provide insights for assisting with long-term continuous abstinence. Results The CARs of all participants for weeks 9-12 and weeks 21-24 were 48.6% (95% CI 41.2-56.0) and 47.5% (95% CI 40.0-54.8), respectively. Program adherence rates were relatively high throughout (72% at week 12 and 60% at week 24). In the analysis of the factors related to the CAR at weeks 21-24, the number of entries in the app’s digital diary and number of educational videos watched during the first 12 weeks were significant factors. Conclusions The ascure program achieved favorable CARs, and participants showed high adherence. Proactive usage of the smartphone app may help contribute to smoking cessation success in the long-term.

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Efficacy of the Ascure Smoking Cessation Program: Retrospective Study (Preprint)

10.2196/preprints.17270 ◽

2019 ◽

Author(s):

Ayaka Kato ◽

Tomoyuki Tanigawa ◽

Kohta Satake ◽

Akihiro Nomura

Keyword(s):

Smoking Cessation ◽

Retrospective Study ◽

Smoking Status ◽

Smoking Cessation Program ◽

Adherence Rate ◽

Smartphone App ◽

Online Mentoring ◽

Continuous Abstinence ◽

Program Adherence

BACKGROUND Smoking cessation helps extend a healthy life span and reduces medical expenses. However, the standard 12-week smoking cessation program in Japan has several notable problems. First, only 30% of participants complete this program. Second, participants may choose not to participate unless they have a strong motivation to quit smoking, such as health problems. Third, the program does not provide enough support during the period between clinical visits and after 12 weeks. OBJECTIVE This study examined the efficacy of the 24-week ascure program to address the problems of accessibility and continuous support. The program combines online mentoring, over-the-counter pharmacotherapy, and a smartphone app. METHODS Using a retrospective study design, we investigated data for 177 adult smokers who were enrolled in the ascure smoking cessation program between August 2017 and August 2018. The primary outcomes were continuous abstinence rates (CARs) during weeks 9-12 and weeks 21-24. To confirm smoking status, we performed salivary cotinine testing at weeks 12 and 24. We also evaluated the program adherence rate. Finally, we performed exploratory analysis to determine the factors associated with continuous abstinence at weeks 21-24 to provide insights for assisting with long-term continuous abstinence. RESULTS The CARs of all participants for weeks 9-12 and weeks 21-24 were 48.6% (95% CI 41.2-56.0) and 47.5% (95% CI 40.0-54.8), respectively. Program adherence rates were relatively high throughout (72% at week 12 and 60% at week 24). In the analysis of the factors related to the CAR at weeks 21-24, the number of entries in the app’s digital diary and number of educational videos watched during the first 12 weeks were significant factors. CONCLUSIONS The ascure program achieved favorable CARs, and participants showed high adherence. Proactive usage of the smartphone app may help contribute to smoking cessation success in the long-term.

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Pharmacist-Delivered Smoking Cessation Program in Community Pharmacy (The FINE Program) in Japan—The Development of a Training Course and a Feasibility Study

Journal of Pharmacy Practice ◽

10.1177/0897190019889745 ◽

2019 ◽

pp. 089719001988974

Author(s):

Mitsuko Onda ◽

Takashi Kuwanoe ◽

Atsunori Hashimoto ◽

Michiko Horiguchi ◽

Masayuki Domichi ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Smoking Cessation ◽

Community Pharmacy ◽

Feasibility Study ◽

Smoking Status ◽

Controlled Trial ◽

Smoking Cessation Program ◽

Community Pharmacies ◽

The Family ◽

Quitting Smoking ◽

Continuous Abstinence

Aim: Although smoking cessation support has been recommended as a routine component of pharmacists’duties, there is limited evidence of smoking cessation being achieved successfully in community pharmacy. The aim of this study was to develop a new smoking cessation program for use in the community pharmacy setting and investigate its feasibility. Methods: A feasibility study (the Family pharmacist’s Intervention for Nicotine Elimination [FINE] program) was conducted using 8 pharmacists at 2 community pharmacies in Japan. The pharmacists recruited as subjects smokers 20 or more years of age who were taking medications such as antidiabetes drugs. The patients completed questionnaires assessing their smoking status, and the pharmacists provided them with smoking cessation support services. Participating patients met with the pharmacists or talked to them on the phone 5 times at 2- to 4-week intervals and received personalized and structured brief smoking cessation advice. The primary outcome was continuous abstinence determined by Micro Smokerlyzer carbon monoxide monitor at 3 months. Results: Of 5306 patients, 2296 patients were screened and the rate of smoking was found to be 12.7%. Five smoking patients received the FINE program from pharmacists who had received training. One of the 5 succeeded in quitting smoking after 3 months. Conclusions: This is the first study to target Japanese smoking patients in community pharmacies with a brief structured intervention. The results tentatively support the feasibility of the FINE program. Further research including a randomized controlled trial is required to confirm the effectiveness of the FINE program.

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Use of Electronic Cigarettes to Aid Long-Term Smoking Cessation in the United States: Prospective Evidence From the PATH Cohort Study

American Journal of Epidemiology ◽

10.1093/aje/kwaa161 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 189 (12) ◽

pp. 1529-1537 ◽

Cited By ~ 5

Author(s):

Ruifeng Chen ◽

John P Pierce ◽

Eric C Leas ◽

Martha M White ◽

Sheila Kealey ◽

...

Keyword(s):

United States ◽

Smoking Cessation ◽

Electronic Cigarettes ◽

Smoking Status ◽

The United States ◽

Health Study ◽

Propensity Score Methods ◽

Continuous Abstinence ◽

Nationally Representative

Abstract Electronic cigarettes (e-cigarettes) are the preferred smoking-cessation aid in the United States; however, there is little evidence regarding long-term effectiveness among those who use them. We used the Population Assessment of Tobacco and Health Study to compare long-term abstinence between matched US smokers who tried to quit with and without use of e-cigarettes as a cessation aid. We identified a nationally representative cohort of 2,535 adult US smokers in 2014–2015 (baseline assessment), who, in 2015–2016 (exposure assessment), reported a past-year attempt to quit and the cessation aids used, and reported smoking status in 2016–2017 (outcome assessment; self-reported ≥12 months continuous abstinence). We used propensity-score methods to match each e-cigarette user with similar nonusers. Among US smokers who used e-cigarettes to help quit, 12.9% (95% confidence interval (CI): 9.1%, 16.7%) successfully attained long-term abstinence. However, there was no difference compared with matched non–e-cigarette users (cigarette abstinence difference: 2%; 95% CI: −3%, 7%). Furthermore, fewer e-cigarette users were abstinent from nicotine products in the long term (nicotine abstinence difference: −4%; 95% CI: −7%, −1%); approximately two-thirds of e-cigarette users who successfully quit smoking continued to use e-cigarettes. These results suggest e-cigarettes may not be an effective cessation aid for adult smokers and, instead, may contribute to continuing nicotine dependence.

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Impact of a Novel Smartphone App (CureApp Smoking Cessation) on Nicotine Dependence: Prospective Single-Arm Interventional Pilot Study (Preprint)

10.2196/preprints.12694 ◽

2018 ◽

Cited By ~ 1

Author(s):

Katsunori Masaki ◽

Hiroki Tateno ◽

Naofumi Kameyama ◽

Eriko Morino ◽

Riri Watanabe ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Smoking Cessation ◽

Nicotine Dependence ◽

Mobile Apps ◽

The United States ◽

Retention Rates ◽

Outpatient Clinics ◽

Smartphone App ◽

Smoking Cessation Treatment ◽

Continuous Abstinence

BACKGROUND Mobile apps have been considered to provide active and continuous support for smoking cessation. However, it is yet to be known whether a smoking cessation smartphone app improves long-term abstinence rates in nicotine-dependent patients. OBJECTIVE This study aimed to evaluate the long-term abstinence effect of a novel smartphone app, CureApp Smoking Cessation (CASC), in patients with nicotine dependence. METHODS In this prospective, interventional, multicenter, single-arm study, we provided the CASC app to all the participants, who used it daily for 24 weeks. The CASC app includes features to maximize the therapeutic effect of pharmacological therapies and counseling at outpatient clinics for smoking cessation. The primary endpoint was a continuous abstinence rate (CAR) from weeks 9 to 24, whereas secondary endpoints were CARs from weeks 9 to 12 and 9 to 52. RESULTS Of the 56 adult smokers recruited, 1 did not download the app; therefore, 55 participants constituted the full analysis sample. The CAR from weeks 9 to 24 was 64% (35/55, 95% CI 51%-76%), whereas the CARs from weeks 9 to 12 and 9 to 52 were 76% (42/55, 95% CI 65%-88%) and 58% (32/55, 95% CI 46%-71%), respectively. These CARs were better than the results of the national survey on outpatient clinics with regard to smoking cessation under the National Health Insurance Program and that of the varenicline phase 3 trial in Japan and the United States. There was only 1 participant who dropped out during the 12 weeks of the treatment period. This treatment decreased the scores related to withdrawal and craving symptoms. CONCLUSIONS The addition of CASC to usual smoking cessation therapies resulted in high CARs, high patient retention rates, and improvement of cessation-related symptoms. The smartphone app CASC is a feasible and useful tool to help long-term continuous abstinence that can be combined with a standard smoking cessation treatment program.

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Cigarette dependence and depressive symptoms as predictors of smoking status at five-year follow-up after a workplace smoking cessation program

Addictive Behaviors ◽

10.1016/j.addbeh.2017.04.003 ◽

2017 ◽

Vol 73 ◽

pp. 9-15 ◽

Cited By ~ 2

Author(s):

Gemma Nieva ◽

Marina Comín ◽

Sergi Valero ◽

Eugeni Bruguera

Keyword(s):

Smoking Cessation ◽

Depressive Symptoms ◽

Smoking Status ◽

Smoking Cessation Program ◽

Workplace Smoking ◽

Cigarette Dependence

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Continuous Abstinence Rates from Smoking Over 12 Months according to the Frequency of Participation in a Hospital-based Smoking Cessation Program among Patients Discharged after Acute Myocardial Infarction

Korean Journal of Health Promotion ◽

10.15384/kjhp.2016.16.1.48 ◽

2016 ◽

Vol 16 (1) ◽

pp. 48

Author(s):

Young-Hoon Lee ◽

Mi-Hee Han ◽

Mi Rim Lee ◽

Jin-Won Jeong ◽

Nam-Ho Kim ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Myocardial Infarction ◽

Acute Myocardial Infarction ◽

Smoking Cessation ◽

Smoking Cessation Program ◽

Continuous Abstinence

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Long-Term Outcomes of a Preoperative Lung Resection Smoking Cessation Program

Journal of Surgical Research ◽

10.1016/j.jss.2020.04.005 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 254 ◽

pp. 110-117

Author(s):

Joseph D. Phillips ◽

Kayla A. Fay ◽

Niveditta Ramkumar ◽

Rian M. Hasson ◽

Alexandra V. Fannin ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Smoking Cessation ◽

Lung Resection ◽

Smoking Cessation Program ◽

Long Term Outcomes

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Effects of smoking cessation on biological monitoring markers in urine

Genes and Environment ◽

10.1186/s41021-020-00165-z ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 42 (1) ◽

Author(s):

Yuya Kawasaki ◽

Yun-Shan Li ◽

Yuko Ootsuyama ◽

Kazuhiko Nagata ◽

Hiroshi Yamato ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Dna Damage ◽

Smoking Cessation ◽

Tobacco Smoke ◽

Smoking Status ◽

Smoking Cessation Program ◽

Tobacco Smoke Exposure ◽

Urinary Cotinine ◽

Quit Smoking ◽

Urinary Levels ◽

Quitting Smoking

Abstract Introduction Urinary nicotine and cotinine levels are often measured as biomarkers for tobacco smoke exposure. However, these biomarkers are not appropriate to evaluate the effects of quitting smoking for several days, because of their short half-lives. In this study, we focused on the changes in the urinary 4-(methylnitrosamino)-1-(3-pyridyl)-1-butanol (NNAL) levels of 55 patients in a smoking cessation program, because of the long half-life. At the same time, urinary 7-methylguanine (m7Gua) and 8-hydroxy-2′-deoxyguanosine (8-OHdG), as DNA damage markers of cigarette smoking, were also measured. Results In the subjects who completed the quit-smoking program (18 subjects out of 55), the urinary nicotine and cotinine levels decreased to 1.7 and 0.2% at 8 weeks after the first visit to the clinic. By contrast, the NNAL levels decreased to 12.3% at 8 weeks after quitting smoking. During the same period, the urinary m7Gua levels significantly decreased, from 27.32 μg/mg creatinine to 14.17 μg/mg creatinine by the elimination of subjects who showed increased levels of NNAL during the smoking cessation program. The 8-OHdG levels were also reduced within the same period, but were not significantly different. From the all data analysis, the urinary levels of cotinine and NNAL positively correlated with the level of m7Gua. Conclusions NNAL may be an appropriate exposure marker for evaluating the smoking status of patients in a smoking cessation program. The urinary cotinine and NNAL levels positively correlated with the m7Gua levels.

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