A randomized trial assessing the Five-Day Plan for smoking cessation

• Published in: Addiction (Abingdon, England) England), 2005-10, Vol.100 (10), p.1546-1554
• Main Authors: Romand, Raymond, Gourgou, Sophie, Sancho-Garnier, Hélène
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: 12-month quit rates; Addiction; Addictive behaviors; Adolescent; Adult; Adult and adolescent clinical studies; Aged; Behavior therapy. Cognitive therapy; Behavioural psychology; Biological and medical sciences; Counseling - methods; Empirical research; Female; Five-Day Plan; France; group behavioural therapy; Health; Humans; Male; Medical sciences; Medical treatment; Middle Aged; Psychology. Psychoanalysis. Psychiatry; Psychopathology. Psychiatry; Psychotherapy, Group - methods; Regression analysis; smoking cessation; Smoking Cessation - methods; Smoking Cessation - psychology; Social problems; Therapy; Tobacco; Tobacco smoking; Tobacco, tobacco smoking; Toxicology; Treatments
• ISSN: 0965-2140; 1360-0443
• DOI: 10.1111/j.1360-0443.2005.01215.x

ABSTRACT Aim  To evaluate the effectiveness of the Five‐Day Plan (FDP) in helping smokers to stop smoking. Design  Randomized controlled trial comparing intervention and control groups. The primary outcome measure was 12 months continuous abstinence verified by expired air carbon monoxide concentration. Secondary outcome measures were self‐reported abstinence at end of treatment, at 3 and 6 months. Setting  Six towns in France. Participants  228 smokers, recruited by newspaper and radio advertisement, aged 18 years or over and willing to make an attempt to quit smoking. Intervention  The Intervention group (119 participants) received the FDP, which is a behavioural group‐based treatment programme that has been in operation in France since 1965. It involves five consecutive evening behavioural therapy sessions. The Control group (109 participants) received a single session discussing the health effects of smoking. Findings  In the Intervention group, 67 participants (56%) quit smoking at the end of the FDP. After three months this number had been reduced to 30 (25%) and to 19 (16%) by the end of one year. In the Control group these numbers were 14 (13%) and 12 (11%), respectively, after three and 12 months. When considering the rate of cessation without lapse after one year a significant difference was observed with a 13% rate in the Intervention group and 3% in the Control group (P = 0.004). Conclusions  The FDP may be considered as an aid for smokers who want to quit.