- Cessation interventions (counseling and NRT medication) should be covered under both public and private health insurance plans.
- In regions or countries where cost is a barrier to access, low-intensity interventions such as counseling (face-to-face, internet-based email, chat rooms, etc), telephone counseling, and the use of self-help materials should be utilized to help smokers quit and maintain abstinence.
- Smoking cessation promotion is cost-effective when NRT products are used. NRT combined with face-to-face or telephone counseling is more cost-effective compared to NRT or counseling alone; therefore, the combination should be promoted when economically feasible.
- As a viable, effective and cost-effective treatment, NRT should be available and affordable for general sale (OTC).
- The planning of smoking cessation services should place special emphasis on groups in society where smoking is most prevalent. These would comprise the poor and less educated. Such a focus would reduce the disparities in health attributable to tobacco use.
- Simple briefs outlining the social and economic benefits of smoking cessation should be prepared and disseminated among political decision-makers to promote understanding and to effect the drafting and implementation of strong public policies and effective health strategies.
- Due to limited or non-existent evidence, research should be conducted on the costs and cost-effectiveness of interventions using bupropion (Zyban), interventions for cessation of non-cigarette forms of tobacco (smokeless tobacco, cigar or pipe smoking), and interventions targeting youth who use tobacco (where recruitment into cessation programs is a special challenge).
- Given the very limited research on the economics of smoking cessation, development of adequate surveillance systems should be a priority and research and evaluation should be included as key elements.
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