According to a new research it is easier for smokers to quit smoking if they receive constant behavioural support and medication from others. The study showed that this approach can be successfully integrated to the 'real world' and that a combination of the two treatment options (clinical and psychological) offers almost a threefold increase in the success rate over attempts to quit smoking without using a cessation aid.
Daniel Kotz, PhD, from the University of Maastricht in the Netherlands, said that randomized clinical trials had a high internal validity, but because they were conducted under very strict conditions, they did not reflect the real world in which these treatments were supposed to be used and they therefore conducted a study to compare the various smoking cessation methods in the real world. (Read: Quit smoking for a healthy heart)
Investigators conducted a prospective cohort study in a random sample of 1,560 adult smokers who took part in an English national household survey between November 2006 and March 2012. The study showed that a total of 23 percent reported not smoking at the end of the six-month period. The investigators found that smokers who used a combination of specialist behavioural support and medication in their quit attempts reported higher levels of urges to smoke than did smokers who tried to quit unaided. After adjusting for this, they found smokers using the combination approach had almost three times the odds of success than did those who used neither medication nor behavioural support. (Read: Why you should quit smoking)
A combination of prescription medication along with limited behavioural support was also more effective than unaided quitting. They found however that smokers who bought nicotine replacement therapy (NRT) over the counter with no behavioural support had a reduced success rate. J. Taylor Hays, MD, Director of the Mayo Clinic Nicotine Dependence Centre in Rochester, Minnesota, said that tobacco use continued to be prevalent and deadly in the United States and worldwide. Further, smoking cessation was one of the most important health behaviour changes that they could encourage in their patients. The study is published in Mayo Clinic Proceedings. (Read: Yogendra Pranayam 1 yoga pose to beat the ill-effects of smoking)
Why smoking is bad for you
Reason #1: Is known to cause cancer
Reason #2: Leads to formation of wrinkles and premature ageing
We try a number of ways to fight the signs of ageing, right from creams to diets to even surgical treatments, but did you know that if you quit smoking you can actually cut down the appearance of fine lines and other signs of ageing by half? Yes, smoking leads to the appearance of fine lines(especially around the eyes and lips), age spots, puffy eyes, dull, dry and lifeless skin. How it happens is that the chemicals present in cigarettes cause the fine capillaries under your skin to contract and constricts the blood flow to your skin. This lack of blood and fresh oxygen causes your skin to look dull and lifeless. So much so that the habit leads to permanent damage to connective fibers like elastin and collagen leading to the formation of permanent lines and wrinkles. Want to know more about how smoking affects your beauty? Read about the 8 reasons smoking is bad for your beauty.Read more...
With inputs from ANI
Image Source: Getty Images
Follow us on Facebook and Twitter for all the latest updates! For daily free health tips, sign up for our newsletter.
Follow us on