USPSTF Updates Tobacco Smoking Cessation Interventions Recommendations

The US Preventive Services Task Force (USPSTF) has updated its recommendations for tobacco smoking cessation interventions for adults, including pregnant persons.

This update to the group’s 2015 recommendation follows a review primary care interventions’ benefits and harms and specifically applies to individuals 18 years of age or older.

The USPSTF issued the following new recommendations:

• There is a significant net benefit of behavioral interventions, with or without FDA-approved pharmacotherapy, for smoking cessation in nonpregnant adults who smoke.
• There is also a significant net benefit of behavioral interventions for pregnant persons who smoke on smoking cessation and perinatal outcomes.
• The benefits and harms on pharmacotherapy intervention for pregnant persons’ smoking cessation remains undetermined, due to a limited number of studies.
• The benefits and harms on the use of e-cigarettes for tobacco smoking cessation in adults, including pregnant persons, remains undetermined due to a lack of clinical trials. 

—Leigh Precopio

Reference:

US Preventive Task Force. Interventions for tobacco smoking cessation in adults, including pregnant persons: US preventive services task force recommendation statement. JAMA. 2021;325(3):265-279. doi: 10.1001/jama.2020.25019