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Introduction: Understanding the characteristics of smokers who enroll in a trial of quitline support and those who decline could guide recruitment approaches and service delivery to better engage smokers and increase successful quitting. However, it is unknown whether factors such as smokers’ perceived effectiveness of using quitting aids or self-exempting beliefs are associated with quitline uptake. We compared the sociodemographic characteristics, smoking behaviours, perceived effectiveness of using quitting aids, and self-exempting beliefs of participants and nonparticipants who were actively telephoned and offered quitline support as part of a randomized controlled trial. Methods: Overall, 48,014 telephone numbers were randomly selected from the electronic telephone directory and contacted. A total of 3,008 eligible smokers were identified and invited to participate in a trial of quitline support. Consenting trial participants (n = 1,562) and nonparticipants (n = 500) completed a baseline interview. Results: Multivariate analysis showed that the following factors were associated with trial participation: consumption of 21 or more cigarettes per day (odds ratio [OR] = 1.45 [1.07–1.99]), readiness to quit within 30 days (OR = 4.45 [3.20–6.19]) or 6 months (OR = 3.22 [2.46–4.23]), perceiving that calling the quitline was definitely (OR = 2.34 [1.62–3.39]) or partly effective (OR = 2.15 [1.63–2.83]), believing that using self-help materials was partly effective (OR = 1.50 [1.16–1.94]), thinking that nicotine replacement therapy was partly effective (OR = 1.38 [1.04–1.84]), perceiving that using willpower alone was partly (OR = 1.99 [1.48–2.67]) or not effective (OR = 2.60 [1.95–3.46]), and not holding a self-exempting belief (OR = 1.45 [1.11–1.89]). Conclusions: Increasing smokers’ utilization of quitlines is likely to require changing their perceptions of the effectiveness of quitting strategies compared with using willpower alone and addressing self-exempting beliefs. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

Aims Active recruitment of smokers increases the reach of quitlines; however, some quitlines restrict proactive telephone counselling (i.e. counsellor-initiated calls) to smokers ready to quit within 30 days. Identifying characteristics associated with successful quitting by actively recruited smokers could help to distinguish those most likely to benefit from proactive telephone counselling. This study assessed the baseline characteristics of actively recruited smokers associated with prolonged abstinence at 4, 7 and 13 months and the proportion achieving prolonged abstinence that would miss out on proactive telephone counselling if such support was offered only to smokers intending to quit within 30 days at baseline. Design Secondary analysis of a randomized controlled trial in which the baseline characteristics associated with prolonged abstinence were examined. Setting New South Wales ( NSW) community, Australia. Participants A total of 1562 smokers recruited at random from the electronic NSW telephone directory. Measurements Baseline socio-demographic and smoking-related characteristics associated with prolonged abstinence at 4, 7 and 13 months post-recruitment. Findings Waiting more than an hour to smoke after waking and intention to quit within 30 days at baseline predicted five of the six prolonged abstinence measures. If proactive telephone counselling was restricted to smokers who at baseline intended to quit within 30 days, 53.8-65.9% of experimental group participants who achieved prolonged abstinence would miss out on telephone support. Conclusions Less addicted and more motivated smokers who are actively recruited to quitline support are more likely to achieve abstinence. Most actively recruited smokers reported no intention to quit within the next 30 days, but such smokers still achieved long-term abstinence. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Introduction: Only 1%–7% of smokers use quitlines annually. Active telephone recruitment (“cold calling”) can enroll about 50% of community smokers to quitline services. However, whether cold-called smokers’ characteristics differ from traditional quitline clients is unknown. To assess whether active telephone recruitment reaches new groups of smokers, New South Wales (NSW) Quitline callers were compared with cold-called smokers who received telephone counseling as part of a randomized controlled trial. Methods: Data were extracted from the NSW Quitline database from September 13, 2005, to April 10, 2007, to coincide with the trial’s recruitment period. Records (n = 18,584) of first-time quitline callers, who smoked daily, resided in NSW, Australia, and received telephone counseling were included. Cold-called participants who received telephone counseling (n = 695) were recruited by telephone from the electronic NSW telephone directory. Eligibility requirements were daily tobacco use, aged 18 or older, NSW resident, and English speaking. Smokers were eligible regardless of their quitting intention. Results: Male smokers, older age groups, those living in nonmetropolitan areas, smokers who took longer to smoke their first cigarette after waking, consumed fewer cigarettes per day, and were less motivated to quit had greater odds of being referred to the quitline through cold calling. Conclusions: Active telephone recruitment enrolls new groups of smokers to quitlines. The reach of quitlines could be improved if quitlines incorporated cold calling into their recruitment strategies. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

Background Systematic reviews demonstrated that proactive telephone counseling increases smoking cessation rates. However, these reviews did not differentiate studies by recruitment channel, did not adequately assess methodological quality, and combined different measures of abstinence. Methods Twenty-four randomized controlled trials published before December 31, 2008, included seven of active recruitment, 16 of passive recruitment, and one of mixed recruitment. We rated methodological quality on selection bias, study design, confounders, blinding, data collection methods, withdrawals, and dropouts, according to the Quality Assessment Tool for Quantitative Studies. We conducted random effects meta-analysis to pool the results according to abstinence type and follow-up time for studies overall and segregated by recruitment channel, and methodological quality. The level of statistical heterogeneity was quantified by I2. All statistical tests were two-sided. Results Methodological quality ratings indicated two strong, 10 moderate, and 12 weak studies. Overall, compared with self-help materials or no intervention control groups, proactive telephone counseling had a statistically significantly greater effect on point prevalence abstinence (nonsmoking at follow-up or abstinent for at least 24 hours, 7 days before follow-up) at 6–9 months (relative risk [RR] = 1.26, 95% confidence interval [CI] = 1.11 to 1.43, P < .001, I2 = 21.4%) but not at 12–15 months after recruitment. This pattern also emerged when studies were segregated by recruitment channel (active, passive) or methodological quality (strong/moderate, weak). Overall, the positive effect on prolonged/continuous abstinence (abstinent for 3 months or longer before follow-up) was also statistically significantly greater at 6–9 months (RR = 1.58, CI = 1.26 to 1.98, P < .001, I2 = 49.1%) and 12–18 months after recruitment (RR = 1.40, CI = 1.23 to 1.60, P < .001, I2 = 18.5%). Conclusions With the exception of point prevalence abstinence in the long term, these data support previous results showing that proactive telephone counseling has a positive impact on smoking cessation. Proactive telephone counseling increased prolonged/continuous abstinence long term for both actively and passively recruited smokers. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

Background: Only 1%–7% of adult smokers use quitlines annually. Active telephone recruitment may increase utilization and enroll new groups of quitline users. Purpose: This study aimed to (1) determine the proportion of adult daily smokers actively recruited by telephone to quitline support; (2) calculate the cost per smoker recruited; and (3) compare the characteristics of participants to smokers in the New South Wales (NSW, Australia) general population. Methods: Between September 2005 and April 2007, 1562 adult daily smokers randomly selected from the electronic NSW telephone directory were recruited into an RCT. The proportion of smokers and the cost per smoker recruited were examined. Participants were compared to NSW adult daily smokers from the NSW Population Health Survey and the Centre for Health Research & Psycho-oncology Smoking Community Survey. Analysis was completed in 2008. Results: More than half (52%) of eligible smokers contacted by telephone were recruited into cessation support. The cost per smoker recruited was AU$71 (US$59). Active telephone recruitment successfully enrolled smokers who are currently under-represented among quitline users. For instance, more than two thirds (68%) of participants were not intending to quit within 1 month. Compared with NSW adult daily smokers, participants were significantly more likely to be older; more highly educated; married/living with partner or divorced/separated; a nonmetropolitan resident; more nicotine dependent; more ready to quit; and have fewer household members. Participants were significantly less likely to live with a smoker than were NSW adult daily smokers. Conclusions: Active telephone recruitment has the potential to substantially increase the proportion of smokers using quitline services at a reasonable cost. This method also engages smokers currently under-represented in quitline populations. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]