Do you smoke cigarettes but want to quit? If you’re nodding yes, you share this goal with over 60% of people who smoke. This translates into more than 700 million people across the world aiming to “butt” out their cigarettes for good (1). Unfortunately, the motivation to quit isn’t always enough on its own. Quitting is hard for most, and with fewer than 10% of adults—or less than 1 in 10—successfully quitting each year, the stats echo this (2).
Naturally, when going it alone is too tough, people seek support. But what can be done when support is hard to access? For example, various supports ranging from medications to counseling are available to help people along their quit journey. That said, some people may not want to publicly purchase nicotine replacement therapies (NRT) like patches, gums, or lozenges because they fear being judged for smoking, while others may have limited mobility or access to transportation, making seeking in-person health care services difficult (3).
Now, we know from previous discussions around exercise, treatments for certain conditions, and end-of-life care that people like to engage in activities and receive services directly at home. In addition to fulfilling preferences, this helps break down barriers to access. When it comes to quitting smoking, delivering NRT, information on how to access helplines, and educational reading materials through the mail is one approach to providing people with support at home. This tackles the access piece, but let’s dive deeper into whether this approach is effective in getting people to quit with the help of a systematic review (3).
What the research tells us
The review found that receiving supports that aim to help people quit smoking via mail (aka mailout support) can increase chances of successfully quitting. These benefits can be seen at six months to a year. As always, it’s great to know that an approach can be effective, but it's even better when we have an idea of which characteristics yield the most benefits. This way we know what to look for when choosing between available programs that offer mailout support. Currently, we see that the odds of quitting are higher when people who smoke receive mailout support over a period greater than 12 weeks and when that support includes NRT versus just behavioral support (e.g., counselling) on its own. It should be noted that while mailout support has shown promise, very limited evidence shows that face-to-face support may still be more effective.
Given that this is a novel review, more research is needed to further confirm the results, provide greater understanding of how mailout support compares to face-to-face support, and clarify how best to roll out this approach (3). In the meantime, mailout support offers an alternative to people that cannot access in-person support or prefer the at-home option. Visit the Government of Canada website for links to various smoking cessation support services across the country, some of which include mailout support or access to trained specialists that can help people find programs and services within their community.
