Smoking is one of the biggest public health threats across the globe, according to the World Health Organization. It accounts for one in ten deaths among adults worldwide. The vast majority of these deaths are preventable.
Earlier this year, the Cochrane Collaboration updated a systematic review that assessed whether or not smoking cessation programs in the workplace are effective.
The review included 51 randomized, controlled studies and a total of more than 57,000 participants. The review evaluated a range of interventions including group therapy, individual counseling, self-help materials, nicotine replacement therapy and social support.
The review offered several conclusions that shed some light on which types of workplace intervention programs are the most effective:
- There is strong evidence that interventions directed towards individual smokers – including counseling and prescriptions medications – help people to quit smoking. These programs were equally effective whether an employer or another source offers them. Interventions that promote self-help are less effective, although they did slightly improve smokers’ likelihood of quitting.
- There is limited evidence that incentives for participating in a smoking cessation program or quitting smoking are effective.
- The reviewers found no evidence of programs that were effective at preventing people from smoking.
The take-home message? There is strong evidence that employer-sponsored programs can help workers to quit smoking. And the data clearly show that quitting smoking is the single-most important action a smoker can take to improve his or her health. It certainly makes good sense for companies to offer this life-changing benefit for its employees.
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