Task Force Doubts Value of Schemes to Help Smokers Quit : ‘No Magic Bullets’ in War on Smoking, Cardiologist Says

CHICAGO —  Quit-smoking programs employing acupuncture, chewing gum and other techniques are no more effective than advice and repeated encouragement in helping smokers kick the habit, a government report concluded today.

Scientists on the U.S. Preventive Services Task Force, a government-coordinated committee of researchers, evaluated 39 smoking cessation programs and found it was the amount and variety of advice and support that determined success rather than the type of technique used, be it acupuncture, chewing gum or aversion therapy.

Furthermore, the researchers reported in the Journal of the American Medical Assn., the overall success rates of such programs was low after a year, averaging 5.8% higher than would be expected normally.

“There are no magic bullets,” said Dr. Thomas Kottke, a cardiologist at the Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minn., and lead author of the study.