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Objective: To report on the use of the New Zealand Quitline for recruiting participants to a smoking cessation trial. Methods: Analysis of data on trial recruitment and randomisation. Results: 68% of 26,369 callers to the New Zealand Quitline over 12 months indicated an interest in taking part in research, 28% of whom met eligibility criteria for a cessation intervention trial, assessed on the data routinely collected at Quitline registration. Of these, 1317 (26%) were contacted by call back with 1027 (78%) agreeing to take part in the trial. After further eligibility checking 851 people were randomised. Weighting of calls ensured that 25% of participants were Maori. Conclusions: Quitlines have good potential to be an effective means of randomising participants into cessation trials and ensuring adequate representation of underrepresented population groups.

Health care professionals (HCPs) in New Zealand have access to free smoking cessation training that enables them to deliver smoking cessation support and provide Government subsidised nicotine replacement therapy (NRT). However, it is unknown how many trainees go on to provide cessation services or what level of smoking cessation support activity they undertake. A questionnaire was sent to 1183 HCPs to assess this and also enquire about barriers to establishing and/or providing a cessation service. Despite a low response rate (11%) a number of important issues were identified; 84% of respondents had provided smoking cessation treatment and the majority of these (92%) were still providing treatment. The most frequent barriers reported were lack of dedicated time and funding to provide treatment. Support in establishing smoking cessation treatment and ongoing training support were the 2 main trainee needs. Smoking cessation specialists are a relatively new group of HCPs whose numbers are likely to grow. Smoking cessation training should address the needs of HCPs and a range of barriers to implementing treatment.

This article characterises the social support received by a large sample of smokers attempting to stop and the relationship between this and the outcome of their attempt. A survey was conducted of 928 smokers attending a group-based program. Smoking among colleagues and a perception of having someone to turn to predicted outcome at the end of treatment, 4 weeks from the quit date (Odds ratio [OR] = 0.81, p = .008 and OR = 1.31, p = .003 respectively) Among those who abstained for the first week, smoking among colleagues and the frequency with which they had been offered cigarettes predicted outcome at the end of treatment (OR = 0.81, p = .04 and OR = 0.73, p = .01 respectively). There were no significant social support correlates of cessation for 26 weeks. Social support has a role to play in the short-term, but in the context of a group-based treatment program appears not to be related to long-term success.