Effectiveness of self-help smoking cessation programs in the 21st century: A systematic review (2025)

BACKGROUND: Due to the diversity of self-help smoking cessation programs, the effects of those programs on smoking and the factors involved in their efficacy remain unclear, with contradictory results.
PURPOSE: The purpose of this review was to systematically analyze literature from 2000 to 2023 to evaluate the effectiveness of various self-help smoking cessation programs including a follow-up at 6 months postintervention and to identify if any specific type of material proved to be more effective than others.
METHODS: Using the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Review and Meta-Analyses method, 17 studies were included in this review.
RESULTS: Results suggest that programs actively involving users are the most effective ones. While technological self-help smoking cessation programs are prevalent, they do not inherently surpass traditional print-based methods in effectiveness. Technology alone does not necessarily enhance smoking cessation outcomes. The findings also highlight specific limitations associated with assessing the effectiveness of interventions: numerous studies primarily compare various intervention types, often lacking a suitable control condition, and frequently involve numerous confounding variables. Additionally, most interventions lack a clearly defined timeline, impeding a precise assessment of real-time effects. Finally, the results raise questions about the duration of protocols: 6 months may not always be adequate to observe the progression of an individual's nicotine addiction.
CONCLUSIONS: This study considers the factors involved in the effectiveness of self-help smoking cessation programs, provides insight into the existing limitations of current research and suggests potential avenues for future studies. [Author's abstract]