Group programmes helped more people stop smoking than self-help did.

The review

1. 01

   Who took part

   Adults who smoked took part in 66 trials, mostly community volunteers. Some trials had people with heart disease, diabetes, schizophrenia or alcohol problems.

2. 02

   What they did

   Group programmes usually had six to eight sessions. The sessions covered quit plans, solving problems and sharing experiences. The other groups got self-help materials, brief advice, one-to-one counselling, little or no help, or group support with medicine.

3. 03

   What happened

   Group programmes helped more people stop smoking than self-help did, but one-to-one counselling made no clear difference. Assuming 5 in 100 people stopped with self-help, the review estimates 8 to 12 in 100 would stop in a group. Brief advice gave a smaller gain, rated low quality, and the review's numbers for it do not match.

What the review found

1. Helped

   Across 13 studies, more people stopped smoking for at least six months in groups than with self-help materials.

   • Rule: Practise with a grouptested
   • Rule: With a coach or therapisttested

   Pooled analysis of 13 studies with 4,395 people · vs people using self-help materials · they rated themselves · the authors rated their certainty moderate · ⚠ whole programmes were tested, so no single part can be credited

2. Helped

   Across 14 studies, group programmes helped a little more people stop smoking for six months than brief advice did.

   • Rule: Practise with a groupused
   • Rule: With a coach or therapistused

   Pooled analysis of 14 studies with 7,286 people · vs people who got brief advice · they rated themselves · the authors rated their certainty low · ⚠ whole programmes were tested, so no single part can be credited

3. No difference

   Across five studies, groups helped no more people stop smoking for six months than one-to-one counselling did.

   • Rule: Practise with a grouptested
   • Rule: With a coach or therapistused

   Pooled analysis of 5 studies · vs people who had one-to-one counselling · they rated themselves · the authors rated their certainty moderate · ⚠ whole programmes were tested, so no single part can be credited

4. No difference

   Across nine studies, extra skills or thought therapy made no difference to quitting for six months.

   • Action: Challenge unhelpful thoughtstested
   • Action: Solve problems step by steptested
   • Rule: Practise with a groupused

   Pooled analysis of 9 studies with 1,599 people · vs programmes without those parts · they rated themselves · ⚠ whole programmes were tested, so no single part can be credited

Source