A 12 month smoking cessation outcome-Allen Carr’s Easyway to Stop Smoking-a randomised clinical trial

Abstract

Background/Aims: Allen Carr’s Easyway to Stop Smoking (AC) is widely used. There are no published randomised clinical trials (RCT) to support its use. Pharmacotherapy and counselling are effective smoking cessation treatments but pharmacotherapy is not used in AC. AC is a behavioural intervention which seems unique.

Primary aim: to determine if AC had higher quit rates than Quit.ie service (Quit.ie is an online portal for smoking cessation) at 3months(mos), secondary aims: quit rates at 1,6, and 12mos. and determining associated factors including weight change.

Methods: Open, single centre, RCT, 300 smokers recruited, 18yrs plus, a minimum 5 cigarettes daily, matched for age, sex and education, were randomly assigned to AC and Quit.ie. Participants with acute cardiac, respiratory, serious psychiatric illnesses, on-going treatment for alcohol/ illicit drugs were excluded. AC consisted of a 5 hour seminar, in a group setting. Self-reported and CO validated quit rates were analysed at 1,3,6, and 12mos.

Results: AC, 151 and Quit.ie, 149 mean age 44 years, outcomes for all 300 were analysed on an Intention to Treat basis.(West et al., 2005) AC had higher quit rates at 1,3,6, and 12mos, AC: 38%(n=57), 27%(n=40), 23%(n=35), 22 %(n=33) vs Quit.ie: 20%(n=30), 15%(n=22), 15%(n=23), 11%(n=17), respectively (all pvalues <0.05) Logistic regression AC vs Quit.ie, OR 2.26 (95% CI 1.22-4.21) pvalue =0.01. Weight gain at 3mos was 3.8kg in AC vs. 1.8kg in Quit.ie (pvalue =0.01). Higher education was associated with quitting in both conditions (pvalue<0.05).

Conclusions: Allen Carr quit rates were superior to Quit.ie, comparable to established interventions, and deserves further evaluation.