Comparative Effectiveness Research for Traditional versus Web-based Tobacco Cessation Interventions. Review of the Literature and Overview of the CDC Tobacco Cessation Study

Tobacco use is the leading risk factor for development of several cancers with more associations being identified over time. Cigarette smoking is the primary cause of lung cancer, the leading cause of cancer-related death in the United States. Telephone tobacco cessation counseling interventions (i.e. quitlines) are effective and available in all states. Recent studies have shown that 18–29% of quitline users have stopped using tobacco at 6 month follow up. In contrast, Web-based cessation interventions have shown increasing popularity and possibly reach a different population demographic but report lower quit rates of 7–13%. In 2011, 45 state Tobacco Control Programs offered tobacco cessation websites, 35 of these also offered interactive counseling online. Two recent studies comparing the relative effectiveness of these two interventions have shown promise in clarifying the impact of each intervention, but one only compared usage in a proactive quitline (i.e., counselors recruited participants) and one was limited to one state. In addition, a 2010 Cochrane review found inconsistent evidence that Web-based cessation programs were effective. In order to help address this gap the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) is undertaking a comparative effectiveness study of telephone versus Web-based tobacco cessation programs in 4 states and aims to recruit 4,000 individuals in each comparison arm (telephone vs. Web-based). This presentation will review the current literature, provide an overview of the CDC study, and discuss preliminary results.