An analysis of a Commitment Contract for Smoking Cessation (CARES)

Quitting cigarettes isn’t difficult as it seems. Our program provides an easy way to quit smoking. It doesn’t matter how long you have been smoking, we can fix you.

Based on assessment results, the intervention phase consisted of a reinforcement schedule that provided rewards for changing criterion levels for smoking behaviour. The initial criterion was determined by calculating the mean number of cigarettes smoked per day during the baseline period. Each criterion level (or short term objective) lasted for a two week period before changing the criterion level again. The timeline for baseline, intervention, maintenance phases are outlined in table 1.

Quitting rates of participants who are unwilling to stop smoking at all using electronic cigarettes shows how much of an effective cessation method they are. For nicotine replacement therapy to work, smokers would have to volunteer to quit and seek help, while with electronic cigarettes cessation just happens.

Pharmacists are health care professionals that work in their communities to raise the quality of life for the patients they serve. Pharmacists have been working at Consumer Values Stores (CVS) since their first doors opened in 1963. The company has since largely expanded and has become the second largest retail-pharmacy chain in the United States with more than 8,000 store nationwide. CVS is a billion dollar company and has since changed its corporate name to CVS Health along with becoming a leader in corporate social responsibility. The chain is going to great lengths to improve public health all over the country by doing such things as ceasing the sale of cigarettes in its stores and starting a nation-wide smoking cessation program called “We’re Tobacco Free”. CVS has also partnered with MinuteClinic to operate inside some of its stores.

This service provides free nicotine replacement patches, lozenges, or gum, access to one-on-one coaching, developing a personalized quit plan, receive peer support, cancel and a cessation coach. This program would require funds, as they are giving out products and needing a staff. The University uses a peer program which uses volunteers to help with the peer support and receives several grants to help with the funding. According to a USA article, they support hundreds of students, faculty and staff and about a quarter state they have been successful in quitting. (“Wellness Resource Center.")

Unfortunately, clinical trials do not mimic the real world. The first problem with the trial is that it was too short. Other than this, the clinical trial failed to mimic real-life social situations. People in the real world spend time with friends, go to work and have families. You have to test nicotine patches in these situations, or you will never know if they work.

The pre intentional stage receives text messages based on their risk, the amount of money they are saving or spending on tobacco, and motivation to reduce smoking cigarettes on a daily basis.

History has proven that government penalties, in the form of taxes, deter smoking. The 2000 U.S. Surgeon General’s Report, Reducing Tobacco Use, found that raising tobacco-product prices decreases the prevalence of tobacco use, and tobacco tax increases produce significant long-term improvements in health. From its review of existing research, the report concluded that raising tobacco taxes is one of the most effective tobacco prevention and control strategies (7). Along with price increases, mass-media campaigns and smoking bans have made cigarette smoking pretty much unacceptable in today’s society. “Today, approximately 22 percent of adults age twenty-two and older are smokers, compared with 33 percent in 1979” (Thorpe 1440). It is clear, from these examples, the use of penalties to deter the unhealthy behavior of smoking is a successful intervention.

Inputs are resources needed to operate the pre-operative smoking cessation program. Inputs usually include the human, financial, organizations, and community resources a program has available to direct toward doing the work (W.K. Kellogg Foundation, 2004). Inputs for this pre-operative smoking cessation program includes: (a) utilizing the clinical practice guideline for treating tobacco use and dependence, (b) administrative support, (c) physicians, (d) nurse practitioners, (e) smoking status on patient charts, (f) smoking cessation reading booklets, (g) online/hotline resources for smoking cessation and (h) follow-up system. All of these resources are integral part of the pre-operative smoking cessation program and enable activities to take place.

The fifth participants Jester, 41 and from London, suffers from asthma and COPD and smoked between 15-20 cigarettes a day. Since completing the study, Jester has felt drastic improvements to his health. Vaping has helped him quit smoking the most and he is currently between 4-0mg of nicotine and continuing to quit altogether. Here's what he has to say: It has been a great wake up call to see how easy it was to quit the habit of over 30 years. I must admit I did not hold out too much faith in vaping at first, but over the last few days with the help of this kit I have managed to pretty much all stop smoking.

The Tips campaign began in March 2012 as the first paid national tobacco education campaign sponsored and funded by a federal agency to inform the public on the damaging consequences of smoking and encouraging quitting. This campaign has continued through 2016, focusing on various health issues caused or worsened by smoking or exposure to second hand smoke, such as cancer, heart disease, stroke, gum disease, and mental health disorders. “The American Journal of Preventative Medicine” published an analysis of the cost-effectiveness of the 2012 Tips campaign, showing that it prevented more than 17,000 early mortalities and facilitated about 179,000 years of healthy life .

A program with promising success, Project ALERT, showed a decrease or reduction in cigarette smoking with over 50% fewer students smoking in a 15 month follow up. Also, a one-third decrease in initiation of marijuana use.

would like to discuss replacement therapy for tobacco, and the helpful ways of quitting, there are different ways to quit smoking and kicking that nasty habit, to increase your life term. According to the CDC Tobacco use can lead to tobacco/nicotine dependence and serious health problems. Quitting smoking greatly reduces the risk of developing smoking-related diseases and early death. It can lead to lung cancer and many other types of cancer and risk for heart disease, stroke, and peripheral vascular disease (narrowing of the blood vessels outside your heart). (, 2015) There have been different types of therapy to reduce the use of nicotine and tobacco use. Such as medications that’s been approved by your PCP, nicotine patches, and Hypnosis.

Nicotine use is a leading preventable cause of death in the world, directly and indirectly responsible for 440,000 deaths per year. The health problems that result in tobacco use tally an annual of $75 billion in direct medical costs (Slovic 36). That money spent on medical problems for smokers should be used to pay for more important things in our society such as schools, libraries, childcare, etc.

According the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (2015), cigarette smoking is the leading cause of preventable disease and death in the United States, accounting for more than 480,000 deaths every year, or 1 of every five deaths. In 2015, about 15 of every 100 U.S. adults age 18 years or older currently smoke cigarettes. However, this is a decline from nearly 21 of every 100 adults back in 2005. One reason for the decline is due to smoking cessation programs developed within our communities. These programs are helping smokers to quit their habit, and improve their health and lifestyle. Let us look at what it takes to make a smoke cessation successful within ones’ community.