Study urges integrating smoking cessation into TB treatment

Researchers and health officials have called for integrating smoking cessation support into routine tuberculosis (TB) treatment after a study in Bangladesh and Pakistan found that mobile phone-based text messages nearly tripled quitting rates among TB patients.

The study found that 41.7% of patients receiving supportive text messages had quit smoking within six months, compared with 15.3% of those receiving written advice alone. Mortality was also lower in the text-message group, at 3.5%, against 7.5% in the comparison group.

The findings were presented at the final dissemination event of the RESPIRE-Quit4TB Trial, organised by ARK Foundation at Hotel Sarina in Dhaka today (5 November).

The study involved 1,080 TB patients in Bangladesh and Pakistan under the NIHR Global Health Research Unit on Respiratory Health (RESPIRE). It evaluated mTB-Tobacco, a mobile health intervention developed by RESPIRE researchers in collaboration with the World Health Organization (WHO), which uses timed text messages to encourage patients to quit smoking during TB treatment.

Opening the event, Professor Rumana Huque, executive director of ARK Foundation, stressed the need to translate research findings into practical policies, particularly as the government is developing a national tobacco cessation strategy that includes integrating cessation support into existing TB services.

Chief Guest Sheikh Momena Moni, additional secretary of the World Health Wing under the Health Services Division, said better planning and implementation were needed to make effective use of available resources.

“Our challenge is not a shortage of budget, but gaps in planning and implementation. With practical recommendations, we can increase district-level allocations for tobacco control and work to reduce tobacco use,” she said.

She added that the draft national strategic plan on tobacco cessation includes provisions for integrating cessation support into TB control activities, while findings from Quit4TB could help guide wider implementation.

Professor Kamran Siddiqi, professor of global public health at the University of York, said smoking cessation should be an integral part of TB care, helping patients recover while reducing their risks of cancer and heart disease. Mobile health interventions could provide direct support to patients in quitting, he added.

Md Mamunur Rashid, joint secretary of the Health Services Division, stressed the need for coordination across ministries, funding and technical support to implement tobacco control policies.

The event also brought together representatives of Bangladesh Medical University and the National Tobacco Control Cell, alongside other health stakeholders. Discussions covered healthcare workers’ training and capacity, patient follow-up, access to mobile-based support, funding and the sustainability of interventions.

Participants called for closer coordination between the National Tuberculosis Programme, the National Tobacco Control Cell and other stakeholders to incorporate evidence-based smoking cessation support into routine TB services.