Hostname: page-component-7c8c6479df-995ml Total loading time: 0 Render date: 2024-03-28T19:32:58.848Z Has data issue: false hasContentIssue false

A Naturalistic Study of an Australian Smoking Cessation Model in a Victorian Community Health Service With 12-Month Follow-Up

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  21 February 2012

Christine Buckley*
Affiliation:
Colac Area Health, Colac, Victoria, Australia. cabuckley@swarh.vic.gov.au
Diane O'Dowd
Affiliation:
Colac Area Health, Colac, Victoria, Australia.
Katherine Gannon
Affiliation:
Colac Area Health, Colac, Victoria, Australia.
Mark Brennan
Affiliation:
Colac Area Health, Colac, Victoria, Australia.
*
*Address for correspondence: Christine Buckley, Colac Area Health, 2–28 Connor Street, Colac VIC 3250, Australia.

Abstract

The current practice of treating smokers as a homogenous group fails to recognise and adequately address the vast range (10–80ng/mL) of nicotine plasma levels (Russell, 1990) found among smokers. The Bittoun Model (Bittoun, 2006) individualises treatment according to the level of nicotine dependency. A total of 115 participants were enrolled in a 12-month program review based on the Bittoun Combination Nicotine Replacement Therapy (NRT) Algorithm (Bittoun, 2006). Participants found to be non nicotine dependent (Fagerstrom Test for Nicotine Dependence [FTND] = 0) (Heatherton et al., 1991) were excluded from the study. At 3 months, 52% (n = 99) of participants were total abstainers (self-reporting and expired CO ≤ 5ppm). Outcomes at 6 months (n = 58) and 12 months (n = 18; self-reporting) were 48% and 33% respectively. The Bittoun Model of Smoking Cessation offers an efficacious strategy for the assessment, management and delivery of tobacco intervention for the hard to treat smoker.

Type
Articles
Copyright
Copyright © Cambridge University Press 2007

Access options

Get access to the full version of this content by using one of the access options below. (Log in options will check for institutional or personal access. Content may require purchase if you do not have access.)