Web-Based Committed Quitters Stop Smoking Plan

The Web-Based Committed Quitters Stop Smoking Plan – or CQ PLAN for short – is an online, tailored smoking cessation program to be used in conjunction with the NiQuitin CQ 21mg patch. The purpose of the program is to ultimately increase the abstinence rate of smokers over the age of 18 by enhancing self-efficiency, offering tailored suggestions for coping with potential obstacles, and encouraging the use of nicotine replacements such as NiQuitin CQ. Unlike targeting programs, tailored programs are flexible, accommodating for the personal characteristics and experiences of the smoker.

In order to partake in the plan, all participants must meet the following requirements: participants must set a quit date within a week of enrollment in the CQ PLAN; participants must have internet access throughout the duration of the program; participants must have a valid email address; participants must smoke more than 10 cigarettes per day; participants enroll for a follow-up to the plan, which includes two web-based questionnaires administered 6 weeks and 12 weeks after enrollment.

Though there have been many smoking cessation programs administered by phone and through print, the Web CQ PLAN is the first to explore the possibilities tailored, online materials. The CQ PLAN provides participants with the following materials:
1. A baseline questionnaire to gauge participant demographic, smoking history, personal motivations for quitting, potential obstacles, and past history with quitting. This questionnaire is used to determine how the Web CQ PLAN would be tailored to the participant;
2. A listed contact who will receive tailored information on how he or she can support the smoker during the duration of the program;
3. An online cessation guide;
4. Three online newsletters with material tailored to the quitter;
5. Behavior support messages delivered over a 10-week period.
The content of the materials received through the plan differs from participant to participant to participant. In total, there are over 1030 different possible combination of materials available to quitters

To increase the abstinence rate of smokers over the age of 18 through a supplemental, online, tailored smoking cessation program.

The Committed Quitters Stop Smoking Plan has been successful at increasing the abstinence rate for smokers enrolled in the plan. Abstinence was higher for enrollees of the plan after 28 days and after 10-weeks.

The evaluation of the web-base CQ PLAN showed that there were significant differences in continuous abstinence rate after 28 days of enrollment and after 10 weeks of enrollment; 28-days after enrollment abstinence was 1.29 times higher in those enrolled in the tailored web CQ PLAN than those who were enrolled in the control (p-value=0.0006). Similarly, the study also showed that 10-week abstinence after enrollment was 1.33 times higher in those enrolled in the tailored web CQ PLAN than in those who were enrolled in the control (p-value=0.0005).