A randomised controlled trial of self-incentives to boost cessation in community based stop smoking services

Abstract

Background: Self-incentives are frequently embedded within complex health behaviour change interventions and are regularly referred to within stop smoking contexts. However, the unique effect of self-incentivising has not yet been tested in a randomised controlled trial. The aim of the present research is to see whether self-incentives can boost smoking quit rates. Methods: Ninety-two participants were recruited from community stop smoking clinics and randomised to a control (asked to form a plan to quit smoking; 51 participants) or an intervention (asked to form an if-then plan to reward themselves at the end of the month if they had not smoked at all; 41 participants) condition. The main outcome measure was quit status at 3-month follow-up, which was self-reported. Chi square assessed the effectiveness of self-incentives on quit status. Findings: Self-incentivising significantly boosted the effects of the community stop smoking programmes: Sixteen participants (39.0%) reported successfully quitting in the self-incentivising condition, compared with 9 participants (17.6%) in the control condition (Χ2 = (1, n = 92) = 4.22, p <.05, d = 0.44). The odds ratio of quitting smoking with self-incentives compared to controls was 2.99, 95% CI = 1.15 to 7.76. Discussion: Encouraging smokers to self-incentivise significantly boosted the effectiveness of the standard stop smoking programme. The effectiveness of community based stop smoking programmes could be augmented with widespread deployment of self-incentives.