Smoking cessation: a new approach through secondary prevention strategies in the Federal Republic of Germany.

There are 15-16 million cigarette smokers in the Federal Republic of Germany. Of these, some 50% smoke over 5,500 cigarettes a year. Yet, according to Federal Centre for Health Education studies, over half would like to cut down or give up smoking and some 4-5 million smokers are prepared to accept external help. Although the FCHE operates basically in the area of primary prevention, such a situation called for an intervention at the secondary prevention level. Accordingly, a programme was developed, "Smokers! Here's your chance: quit in ten weeks!", which aimed at serving as a back-up strategy to primary prevention measures. One criterion used in developing the programme was that the therapy offered should be available to all. The FCHE turned therefore to institutions for adult education and to local institutions to organize courses based on the principles of learning theory and behaviour therapy on as broad a base as possible. This paper reviews problems encountered and presents the results of an initial survey of the interim situation after three years. It is based on built-in investigations regarding participant-related success in connection with all the courses undertaken in 1978. Findings indicate an absolute success rate, stable in the medium term, of 27% (zero consumption), and when stable reduction (1-50% of previous consumption) is included, a success rate of 43%. The author points out that the success rate per course, however encouraging, is not the only factor that should be taken into account. The real criterion for success is the contribution that the development and dissemination of a course system on an extensive scale can make to health education.