Avaliação da intervenção breve em tabagismo: estudo piloto de um ensaio clínico randomizado

Abstract

Smoking is the result of nicotine addiction, and tobacco use is associated with various diseases and causes of death. The Objective of the study was to evaluate the effectiveness of a Brief Intervention (BI) session for tobacco addicts seeking treatment in Primary Health Care Units (PHCUs) in Juiz de Fora. Method: We compared the intensive treatment of the smoker, which follows the Ministry of Health (MH) protocol and uses the Cognitive-Behavioral Approach (CBA), in eight weekly sessions, with the Brief Intervention model, which consists of a form of counseling in an attempt to modify behavior through motivational techniques, in a single session. Participants were assigned to each treatment group in random order. The outcomes measured were: cessation, motivation, reduced number of cigarettes, intensity level of nicotine dependence, symptoms of depression and anxiety, craving, adherence to treatment, smoking cessation attempts. Fifty-Two (52) persons participated in the study. Follow-up evaluations were conducted by phone, at three and six months after the interventions. The study was a pilot for a randomized clinical trial with descriptive analyses. Results: Most of the people in this study were female (82.7%), with a mean age of 49 years (SD 9.6). In the baseline assessment, a high level of nicotine dependence predominated in the groups. In the follow-ups, the BI group showed and maintained a decrease. Motivation was high at the baseline, in the groups. In the follow-ups it remained high and absent in the BI group and high in the CBA group. The groups showed symptoms of anxiety in the baseline. In the follow-ups there was an increase, in the BI group, and a reduction, in the control group. The groups also showed symptoms of depression. In the follow-ups, depression increased in the BI group and decreased in the control group. In the baseline, people had moderate craving in both groups. In the follow-ups, craving remained moderate in the BI group. The BI group did not report abstinence. The number of attempts to quit smoking increased. There was a reduction in the number of cigarettes smoked and an influence on health behavior. Discussion: The pilot study showed that it is possible to reduce tobacco use, change health behavior, increase the number of attempts to quit smoking, and control the levels of nicotine craving and dependence through a brief intervention in a single session. Conclusion: An individual intervention (BI), in one session, with less training time for its administration and a lower cost to implement, showed promising results when compared to the CBA group. Further studies are suggested to evaluate the BI for smoking treatment.