By Sarah Bonato, Reference/Research Librarian, CAMH Library
It’s National Non-Smoking Week!
Since 1988, this has been a week for discussing many issues relevant to smoking, such as how smoking is bad for your health, how to quit smoking, and the importance of tobacco control measures.
In Canada, smoking is the leading cause of premature death, but the smoking rates in Canada for both men and women are on the decline. Most Canadian smokers say that that they want to quit. It's estimated that smokers might try to quit 30 times or more before successfully quitting for good.
See below for a short list of research on smoking cessation, including info on smoking cessation data and methods.
Recommendations on Behavioural Interventions for the Prevention and Treatment of Cigarette Smoking Among School-Aged Children and Youth (2017)
From the Canadian Task Force on Preventive Health Care, CMAJ, 189(8), E310-E316.
- Evidence-based guidance on behavioural interventions for the prevention and treatment of tobacco smoking for children and youth from the ages 5 through 18. Discusses the level of evidence for specific interventions, such the evidence from RCTs on both low-intensity behavioural interventions for quitting smoking, and preventing the uptake of smoking. A good source that grades the quality of evidence available, along with how the research evidence can be incorporated into clinical practice.
Access at https://www.cmaj.ca/content/cmaj/189/8/E310.full.pdf
Drugs for Smoking Cessation: Information for Health Professionals (2016
From the Canadian Agency for Drugs and Technologies in Health (CADTH)
- This report summarizes the findings from both a CADTH systematic review and a rapid review on the available drug therapies for smoking cessation. It includes a very helpful list of drugs that are used for smoking cessation therapy. The list includes info on available dosage, common adverse events, contraindications, and drug monitoring needs, along with the specific advantages and disadvantages of each listed drug. A handy quick reference guide to get started!
Access at https://www.cadth.ca/sites/default/files/pdf/drugs_for_smoking_cessation.pdf
Smoke-Free Ontario Strategy Monitoring Report (2018)
From Ontario Tobacco Research Unit
- Great for a snapshot for current info on smoking cessation in Ontario. Check Chapter 5 for info on the current cessation infrastructure, policy measures, interventions and treatment outcomes. Cessation indicators for smoking cessation are provided, such how many people in Ontario try to quit smoking, the number of contacts to the Smokers' Helpline/Smokers' Text, and the use of smoking cessation aids.
Access at https://www.cadth.ca/sites/default/files/pdf/drugs_for_smoking_cessation.pdf
Need more info on help available in Ontario? See Support for Quitting Smoking from the Government of Ontario at https://www.ontario.ca/page/support-quit-smoking and CAMH's info page on Tobacco here.
References
Leatherdale, S. T., & Shields, M. (2009). Smoking cessation: intentions, attempts and techniques. Health Rep, 20(3), 31-9.
Chaiton, M., Diemert, L., Cohen, J. E., Bondy, S. J., Selby, P., Philipneri, A., & Schwartz, R. (2016). Estimating the number of quit attempts it takes to quit smoking successfully in a longitudinal cohort of smokers. BMJ open, 6(6), e011045
Statistic Canada. (2018, June 2018). Smoking, 2017. Retrieved from https://www150.statcan.gc.ca/n1/pub/82-625-x/2018001/article/54974-eng.pdf
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