Summary characteristics and outcomes of smoking cessation interventions (further details are presented in online supplementary files 2–8)
| Study ID | Study characteristics | Description | Baseline behaviour | Quit rate* | Global quality rating† | Effectiveness‡ | Cost-effectiveness*** | Differential effects§ |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Bauld et al29 | Design: CBA Duration: 52 weeks¶ Country: UK Number of pharmacies: >200 Number of participants: 1785 Mean age: I: 44.0; C: 49.8 % female: I: 56.5; C: 65.5 | Individual pharmacy-based NHS smoking cessation service + NRT | 21+ cigarettes/day: 396 (40.1%) | 38/1374 (2.8%) | Weak | ? | Yes both services compared to control | NR |
| Group community-based NHS smoking cessation service + NRT | 21+ cigarettes/day: 169 (41.6%) | 26/411 (6.3%) p=0.001 | ||||||
| Bock et al30 | Design: RCT Duration: 26 weeks Country: USA Number of pharmacies: 2 Number of participants: 299 Mean age: I1: 45.5; I2: 46.5; C: 42.3 % female: 59.0 | Smoking cessation training for pharmacists + tailored counselling using computer software + NRT | Number of cigarettes smoked/day: 18.2; Fagerström score: 5.3 | 28/100 (28.0%) | Moderate | ↑ | NR | NR |
| Smoking cessation training for pharmacists + tailored counselling using computer software | Number of cigarettes smoked/day: 17.7; Fagerström score: 5.1 | 15/100 (15.0%) | ||||||
| Observation only control (not randomised) | Number of cigarettes smoked/day: 13.8; Fagerström score: 4.9 | 8/99 (8.1%) p<0.01 | ||||||
| Burford et al31 | Design: RCT Duration:26 weeks Country:Australia Number of pharmacies:8 Number of participants:160 Mean age:I:24.2; C:25.1 % female: I:68.7; C:56.2 | Smoking cessation advice + computer-generated photoageing | Fagerström score: 2.87; >21 cigarettes/day smoked: 10% | 11/80 (13.8%) | Moderate | ↑ | Yes | NR |
| Smoking cessation advice | Fagerström score: 2.96; >21 cigarettes/day smoked: 15% | 1/80 (1.3%) p=0.003 | ||||||
| Costello et al32 | Design: RCT Duration:5 weeks Country:Canada Number of pharmacies:98 Number of participants:6987 Mean age:NR % female: I:54.4; C:54.9 | 1 week then fortnightly visit for NRT plus 3 sessions brief behavioural counselling | HSI ≥3: 91.8% | 612/3503 (17.5%) | Weak | ↔ | NR | NR |
| 5 weeks NRT at initial visit plus 1 session brief behavioural counselling | HSI ≥ 3: 91.4% | 604/3350 (18.0%) p=0.4 | ||||||
| Crealey et al 1990<CE: Please check year is not matching with reference list.> | Design:nRCT Duration:26 weeks Country:UK Number of pharmacies:2 Number of participants:169 Mean age:NR % female: NR | Behavioural support, 67% (35/52) nicotine gum | NR | 24/52 (46.2%) | Weak | ↑ | Yes | NR |
| Nicotine gum only | NR | 3/48 (6.3%) | ||||||
| Control (expressed wish to stop smoking) | NR | 0/60 (0%) p<0.01 (I vs C) | ||||||
| Hoving et al34 | Design: RCT Duration:52 weeks Country:Netherlands Number of pharmacies:65 Number of participants:545 Mean age:I:46; C:47 % female: I:53; C:54 | Computer-generated tailored advice | Number of cigarettes smoked/day: 22 | 2/256 (0.8%) | Strong | ↔ | NR | NR |
| ‘Thank you’ letter control | Number of cigarettes smoked/day: 21 | 2/289 (0.7%) NS | ||||||
| Howard-Pitney et al35 | Design: RCT Duration:26 weeks Country:USA Number of pharmacies:5 Number of participants:410 Mean age:I:36.3; C:34.7 % female: I:1; C:1 | Advice and support + nicotine patch | Number of cans chewed/week: 3.9 | 78/206 (37.9%) | Moderate | ↔ | NR | NR |
| Advice and support + placebo patch | Number of cans chewed/week: 4.1 | 69/204 (33.8%) p<0.40 | ||||||
| Maguire et al36 | Design: RCT Duration:52 weeks Country:UK Number of pharmacies:51 Number of participants:484 Mean age:I:42; C:38 % female: I:40; C:44 | Behavioural support, 87% (230/265) NRT | Number of participants 10–20 cigarettes/day: 197/265 | 38/265 (14.3%) | Weak | ↑ | NR | NR |
| Ad hoc advice, 84% (183/219) NRT | Number of participants 10–20 cigarettes/day: 121/219 | 6/219 (2.7%) p < 0.001 | ||||||
| Mochizuki et al37 | Design: RCT Duration:12 weeks Country:Japan Number of pharmacies:14 Number of participants:28 Mean age:I:44.1; C:49.1 % female: I:18.2; C:18.8 | Nicotine gum plus advice on usage, initial and follow-up cessation advice | Number of cigarettes smoked/day: 23.0; Fagerström score: 4.56 | 5/11 (45.5%) | Strong | ↔ | NR | NR |
| Nicotine gum plus advise on usage | Number of cigarettes smoked/day: 25.7; Fagerström score: 6.31 | 5/16 (31.3%) OR=1.83, NS | ||||||
| Sinclair et al38 | Design: RCT Duration:36 weeks Country:UK Number of pharmacies:62 Number of participants:492 Mean age:I:41.7; C:41.5 % female: I:61.2; C:62.7 | Training pharmacists/assistants in smoking cessation behaviour change + NRT | Fagerström score: 5.2 | 26/217 (12.0%) | Strong | ↔ | Yes | NR |
| Standard professional pharmacy support + NRT | Fagerström score: 5.2 | 19/257 (7.4%) p=0.089 | ||||||
| Sonderskov et al40 | Design: RCT Duration:26 weeks Country:Denmark Number of pharmacies:42 Number of participants:522 Mean age:I(21 mg):39.1; C(21 mg):39.9; I(14 mg):38.2; C(14 mg):38.9 % female: I(21 mg):47.5; C(21 mg):52.5; I(14 mg):51.7; C(14 mg):48.3 | 21 mg nicotine patches | Fagerström score: 7.0 | 15/132 (11.4%) | Strong | ↑ 21 mg; ↔ 14 mg | NR | No (gender) |
| Placebo | Fagerström score: 8.1 | 6/142 (4.2%) p<0.05 | ||||||
| 14 mg nicotine patches | Fagerström score: 6.1 | 27/119 (22.7%) | ||||||
| Placebo | Fagerström score: 6.1 | 23/125 (18.4%) NS | ||||||
| Vial et al39 | Design: RCT Duration:52 weeks Country:Australia Number of pharmacies:9 Number of participants:102 Mean age:51.0 % female: I1:41; I2:54; C:36 | Pharmacy-based nicotine patches plus weekly counselling | Fagerström score: 5.79 | 4/21 (19.0%) | Weak | ↔ | NR | NR |
| Hospital outpatient clinic nicotine patches plus weekly counselling | Fagerström score: 5.94 | 5/21 (23.8%) | ||||||
| Minimal intervention (written and verbal information at baseline) | Fagerström score: 6.33 | 1/22 (4.5%) NS |
*p Values were extracted directly from the study papers and relate to between group difference.
†Global rating: ‘strong’=no ‘weak’ ratings, ‘moderate’=one ‘weak’ rating and ‘weak’=two or more ‘weak’ ratings.
‡effectiveness was assessed using between group differences.
§Differential effects: age, gender, ethnicity or socioeconomic status (education, income, occupation, social class, deprivation or poverty).
¶From baseline to last follow-up.
?, Unable to assess effectiveness/cost-effectiveness; ↑, intervention effective; ↓, intervention not effective; ↔, no statistically significant between group difference; C, control group; CBA, controlled before-after study; Fagerström score, 0–10, higher score=greater nicotine dependence; HIS, Heaviness of Smoking Index, higher score indicates greater number of cigarettes smoked per day and smoking first cigarette within 5 min of waking; I, intervention group; NHS, National Health Service; NR, not reported; nRCT, non-randomised controlled trial; NRT, nicotine replacement therapy; NS, non-significant; RCT, randomised controlled trial.