Talking things through with a health worker may help people quit smoking.

The review

1. 01

   Who took part

   14 studies with 10,538 adults who smoked, published from 1997 to 2008. Twelve of the studies were in the United States. Studies of pregnant women and teenagers were left out.

2. 02

   What they did

   Most studies had one session of 10 to 40 minutes, given by a health worker or counsellor. Some added phone calls afterwards. The other groups got brief advice or usual care, often with self-help booklets or videos.

3. 03

   What happened

   People in the talking-through groups quit about 27% more often than the other groups. The results were similar across the studies. The review warned that study quality varied and that the counselling was not always checked. It also said positive results may have been more likely to be published.

What the review found

1. Helped

   Across 14 studies, counselling that talked through mixed feelings helped more people quit than brief advice.

   • Action: Talk through your mixed feelings about changingtested

   Pooled analysis of 14 studies with 10,538 people · vs brief advice or usual care · ⚠ signs that small negative studies went unpublished; whole programmes were tested, so no single part can be credited

Source