Interventions for smoking cessation with supporting of health staff in low - and middle-income countries: a systematic review and meta-analysis study

The level of smoking cessation support in hospitals are low, especially in resource limited settings. Current healthcare systems are not well organized to address the issue. This review aimed to evaluate the effectiveness of smoking cessation interventions initiated in health facilities in resource-limited settings. A systematic review using meta-analysis techniques was applied. Bibliographic databases included PubMed, Medline, LILACS, the United States Clinical Trials and the Cochrane Collaboration Library. Eligibility criteria included smoking cessation intervention studies were published in English or Vietnamese, from the year 1990 to 2018. Study designs were randomized controlled trials, quasi-randomized controlled trials, cohort studies and before and after studies. Populations were limited to those in low and middle-income countries. Interventions were limited smoking cessation programs conducted in health facilities. 17 studies had included for the reviewing. 12 studies had been assessed to the meta-analysis. The proportion of successful smoking cessation in 6 months follow-up were range from 11.7% to 62.2% for the intervention group. In 12 months, follow-up, the abstinence rate ranges from 13.6% to 73%. The popularly of medical staff support the intervention was the physicians (8/17, 47.1%) and doctor (5/17, 29.4%). The evidence from our study suggests that the abstinence rate can be affected by the supporting of medical staff follow the smoking cessation (SC) program.