People Are Twice As Likely To Quit Smoking When They Are Incentivized

People are twice as likely to quit smoking when they are incentivized

A new British study shows that financial incentives can get twice as many smokers to quit. Scientists at the University of East Anglia's Norwich School of Medicine examined how money helps people quit smoking and published their findings in the Cochrane Library.

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A new British study shows that financial incentives can get twice as many smokers to quit. Scientists at the University of East Anglia's Norwich School of Medicine examined how money helps people quit smoking and published their findings in the Cochrane Library.

They analyzed data from 33 studies from eight countries, involving a total of more than 21,600 participants, including pregnant women. Half of the smokers were rewarded in the form of cash or vouchers for purchases for quitting and not starting again.

Ten studies focused on pregnant women who smoke who were given purchase vouchers for confirmed smoking cessation. Participants received from zero to 1185 dollars. The scientists then followed the participants for a minimum of six months, checked their breathing and took tests from those who claimed to have quit smoking. In the end, the authors found that six months or more after the start of the study, those who received the quit smoking reward were 50% more likely to quit than the control group smokers.

“Among smokers who did not receive cash incentives, only 7% were able to quit smoking within six months, compared with about 10.5% who received it,” says lead author Dr. Caitlin Notley.

Such incentives could be part of a comprehensive approach to helping people quit smoking, he said. In addition, he said, the financial incentives were in effect after the end of the study, which indicates their effectiveness in the long term. Similar results were observed in the group of pregnant women who smoked. The authors emphasize that smoking cessation during pregnancy reduces the risk of childbirth complications, stillbirth and premature birth.