AUG/SEP 2006
Volume 12 - No. 3
SRNT Newsletter
Advancing Science & Health
Aug/Sept 2006, Volume 12, Number 3
Helping Smokers Stop:
New Developments for SRNT's
Treatobacco.net
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Why don't smokers get more help? Research shows that while health professionals may recognize how harmful tobacco is to health, they are often reluctant to discuss tobacco use with their patients. Moreover, governments and health care providers may not have in place the systems that are needed to enable health professionals to help patients to stop.
Health professionals may think that patients will ignore their advice. This too is a misconception. Health professionals have a unique authority when advising patients. Studies show that even brief (3-5 minute) advice from a doctor or nurse doubles the chances of a patient giving up smoking. Furthermore, where advice is accompanied by more intensive support, such as one-to-one or group sessions, success rates are even higher.
Another common misconception is that tobacco use is simply a matter of choice. To the contrary, tobacco dependence is recognized as a form of drug dependence by the World Health Organization. Many tobacco users try repeatedly to quit smoking, but they often fail.
Nicotine replacement therapy is a safe and effective way to help smokers stop. Various formulations are available – including gum, lozenge, patch, inhaler, and nasal spray. Clinical trials demonstrate that these medications increase the chance of a successful quit attempt. The non-nicotine tobacco dependence treatment bupropion is also effective, doubling the chances of success, and there are new medications on the way, including varenicline.
Governments and health authorities are beginning to recognize that treatment of tobacco dependence is a worthwhile public health strategy. Helping adult smokers stop is the key to cutting tobacco-related deaths in the medium term, and arguably is an ethical complement to population strategies which aim to persuade smokers to stop. The landmark WHO treaty, the Framework Convention on Tobacco Control, states in Article 14 that governments shall endeavor to include tobacco cessation services in their national health programs. More and more governments are recognizing that treatment of tobacco dependence is not only effective, it is also extremely cost-effective.
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Not only is UICC a founding member of the new GTP, but in November 2005 UICC became the major international partner in treatobacco.net. We are convinced UICC will help treatobacco.net reach out to health professionals, in partnership with other GTP members, as well as bring management skills and scientific knowledge to the project. Together UICC and treatobacco.net will be working to bring the latest news in effective systems and treatments for tobacco dependence to the attention of decision-makers and health leaders throughout the world. The benefits should be felt by UICC's member organizations and the tobacco cessation community worldwide. In addition, this effort is consistent with SRNT's determination to help bridge the gap between science and policy, making evidence based policy on tobacco more accessible to health professionals and decision makers, especially through the work of its Global Network Committee.
About the authors:
Martin Raw is an Honorary Senior Lecturer in Public Health Science, University of London, Visiting Professor at the
Sao Paulo Medical School, Federal University of Sao Paulo, and manager of SRNT/UICC's www.treatobacco.net.
Sinéad Jones, Ph.D., M.P.H., is Head of Tobacco Control with the International Union Against Cancer (UICC). Her interests include tobacco control as a strategy for cancer control, international tobacco control initiatives, and the impact of smokefree air policies in motivating and supporting smokers to stop.