The results of analysis published yesterday show that those who use smoking cessation aids are up to 2.4 times more likely to successfully quit smoking than those that go “cold turkey” and rely on willpower alone to quit. Researchers also found that cessation aids were underused due to a lack of widespread access.

This information, which was compiled from a total of 69 different studies on smoking cessation, is particularly relevant to those colleges and universities trying to reduce cigarette smoking by students to below 10.5 percent, in line with the Healthy Campus 2010 goals. Health centers may choose to focus additional resources on promoting and making readily available such cessation aids as nicotine nasal sprays, nicotine patches and varenicline and bupropion tablets to maximize students’ chances of quitting. Additionally, many campuses are banning smoking on campus in an attempt to change students’ perceptions of how common smoking is amongst their peers, although to what extent this contributes to a lower smoking rate among students is a topic of some debate.

Health centers wishing to perform their own clinical studies on the effectiveness of smoking cessation aids for student smokers may find Nuesoft Xpress’ practice management system of use. The application includes a clinical studies tool that allows tracking, reports and analysis of participating students.