Comparing Models of Smoking Treatment in Glasgow: Final report

The study looked at the cost effectiveness of the two main types of NHS support for smokers in Glasgow who want to quit – Starting Fresh (pharmacy-based one to one behavioural support) and Smoking Concerns (community-based intensive group behavioural support).

The study found that both forms of support available to help smokers stop in Glasgow are effective and cost effective. At the individual level, smokers are more likely to quit in the short and longer term if they access group support, after controlling for a wide range of client characteristics. This poses questions about why group support is currently the least available form of smoking treatment in the IK.

However, pharmacy-based services are extremely accessible to smokers and, in Glasgow at least, achieve a much higher throughput. This suggests that both types of intervention have a valuable role to play in cessation, but that further work is needed to determine what can be done to bring the success rates of pharmacy services up to those of groups and how to expand access to group-based services.