A longitudinal investigation of the efficacy of pharmacological smoking cessation aids in real-life settings [ 2007 - 2009 ]

Research Grant

Researchers: Prof Robert Donovan (Principal investigator) ,  A/Pr Owen Carter ,  Prof Michael Daube ,  Prof Mohammad Siahpush ,  Prof Ron Borland

Brief description Currently around 3 million Australians, or 17% of people aged 14 years and over, smoke tobacco daily. These smokers are at major risk of developing coronary heart disease, stroke, peripheral vascular disease, and a variety of cancers, including lung, laryngeal, oral, kidney, bladder, breast, pancreas and colon cancers. At any one time almost half of Australian smokers intend to quit smoking or have already set a date to do so but few (around 10%) succeed on each attempt. Clinical trials of quitting aids, such as nicotine patches, gum and Zyban, suggest that smokers are around twice as likely to quit if using these. However clinical trials are conducted in artificial environments and these quitting aids appear to have a far smaller impact on successful quitting rates in the 'real world'. Pharmaceutical quitting aids are heavily advertised by drug companies and widely used in Australia. Futhermore the Commonwealth Government has invested over $133 million dollars subsidising such aids to Australian smokers in the past four years. However it is not known to what extent these quitting aids have made a difference to Australian smoking rates. Sales volumes of pharmaceutical quitting aids appear not to have translated into expected increases in numbers of smokers successfully quitting, suggesting they are less effective than clinical trials suggest. The present study aims to investigate whether pharmaceutical quitting aids actually are less effective in the 'real world', and if so, why.

Funding Amount $AUD 592,837.55

Funding Scheme NHMRC Project Grants

Notes Standard Project Grant