Are formal self-care interventions for healthy people effective? A systematic review of the evidence.

Introduction: Preventative interventions are shown to be effective in reducing 40% of the mortality due to unhealthy behaviours and lifestyles. Health-promoting self-care has been recognised as a promising strategy in preventative health. However, self-care research is being done around the self-management of chronic illnesses and the promotion of self-care practices among healthy populations has been overlooked by many healthcare systems.

Abstinence and relapse among smokers who use varenicline in a quit attempt-a pooled analysis of randomized controlled trials.

Background And Aims: Varenicline increases the likelihood of long-term abstinence following a quit attempt. It has been suggested that (1) part of its benefit arises from 'recruiting into abstinence' smokers who are not able to stop on the target quit date and (2) there may be a higher rate of relapse after treatment. This study addressed these issues.

Feasibility of offering nicotine replacement therapy as a relapse prevention treatment in routine smoking cessation services.

Background: National Health Service stop smoking services (NHS SSS) in the UK offer cost- effective smoking cessation services. Despite high abstinence rates after acute cessation treatment, the majority of clients have relapsed by one year. Several interventions have been identified, from trial data, as effective in preventing relapse to smoking.

Cost effectiveness of interventions to reduce relapse to smoking following smoking cessation.

Aims: To determine the incremental cost effectiveness of nicotine replacement therapy (NRT), bupropion and varenicline for preventing relapse to smoking when used by abstinent smokers

Design Setting And Participants: Cohort simulation and sensitivity analyses combining cost and health service data with systematic review estimates for the effectiveness of NRT, bupropion and varenicline when used by abstinent quitters to prevent their relapse to smoking.

Measurements: Incremental health gain in Quality Adjusted Life Years (QALYs) generated by each drug compared to 'no intervention'.

Findings: Bupropion resulted in an incremental QALY increase of 0.

A systematic review of the effectiveness of smoking relapse prevention interventions for abstinent smokers.

Aims: To carry out a systematic review of the effectiveness of relapse prevention interventions (RPIs) among abstinent smokers who had completed an initial course of treatment or who had abstained unassisted, pooling only outcome data from similar follow-up time points.

Methods: We used the same search strategy as was used in Cochrane reviews of RPIs to identify randomized trials of behavioural and pharmacological studies of smoking RPIs published up to July 2008. Abstinence from smoking was defined as either continuous abstinence or point prevalence abstinence, measured at three follow-up time points: short term (1-3 months post randomization), medium term (6-9 months) and long term (12-18 months).

Provision of relapse prevention interventions in UK NHS Stop Smoking Services: a survey.

Background: UK NHS Stop Smoking Services provide cost effective smoking cessation interventions but, as yet, there has been no assessment of their provision of relapse prevention interventions.

Methods: Electronic questionnaire survey of 185 UK Stop Smoking Services Managers.

Results: Ninety six Stop Smoking Service managers returned completed questionnaires (52% response rate).

Relapse prevention in UK Stop Smoking Services: a qualitative study of health professionals' views and beliefs.

Background: NHS Stop Smoking Services in the UK provide cost effective smoking cessation interventions, but approximately 75% of smokers who are abstinent at 4 weeks relapse to smoking by 12 months. This study aimed to explore health professionals' understanding of relapse prevention interventions (RPIs), the feasibility of offering such support and whether and how these are currently used in UK NHS Stop Smoking Services.

Methods: Sixteen health professionals working in UK NHS Stop Smoking Services, selected from those attending a national conference were interviewed and Framework Analysis was used to identify recurrent key themes and concepts in their perceptions and experiences of providing relapse prevention interventions (RPIs).