Smoking cessation study weighs effectiveness of rewards versus punishment

A study on employer smoking cessation programs has found that while programs that reward quitting are more popular, ones that penalized continued smoking are more effective (Source: “Study Asks if Carrot or Stick Can Better Help Smokers Quit,” New York Times, May 14, 2015).

The trial, which was described in The New England Journal of Medicine on Wednesday, was the largest yet to test whether offering people financial incentives could lead to better health. It used theories about human decision making that have been developed in psychology and economics departments over several decades and put them into practice with more than 2,500 people who either worked at CVS Caremark, the country’s largest drugstore chain by sales, or were friends or relatives of those employees.

Researchers found that offering incentives was far more effective in getting people to stop smoking than the traditional approach of giving free smoking cessation help, such as counseling or nicotine replacement therapy like gum, medication or patches. But they also found that requiring a $150 deposit that would be lost if the person failed to stay off cigarettes for six months nearly doubled the chances of success.

HPIO will be hosting a forum titled “Breaking the addiction: Policy pathways toward effective tobacco cessation and prevention for all Ohioans,” on June 1 at the Ohio Union at Ohio State. The event will explore the science of nicotine addiction, including research on the reasons why tobacco use is more common among people with serious mental illness and those living in poverty. Speakers, which include  Dr. Judith Prochaska of Stanford University; Dr. Harold Pollack of the University of Chicago and Micah Berman, JD  and Dr. Mary Ellen Wewers, of the Ohio State University, will describe evidence-based approaches for effective tobacco cessation for specific populations and discuss current policies in Ohio regarding tobacco and what changes could be made to reduce tobacco use.