Aims: To summarise the literature underpinning key recommendations made in the 2021 revision of the Ministry of Health's New Zealand Guidelines for Helping People to Stop Smoking.
Methods: A comprehensive literature review of smoking cessation interventions was undertaken in July 2021. Recommendations were formulated from the findings of the literature review and expert advice.
Results: Healthcare professionals should ask and briefly advise all people who smoke to stop smoking, regardless of whether they say they are ready to stop smoking or not. They should offer smoking cessation support, which includes both behavioural and pharmacological (e.g., nicotine replacement therapy, nortriptyline, bupropion or varenicline) interventions. The Guidelines also include advice around the use of vaping in smoking cessation. Recommendations are also formulated for priority populations of smokers: Māori, Pacific, pregnant women, and people with mental illness and other addictions.
Conclusions: The guidelines will assist healthcare professionals in providing evidence-based smoking cessation support to people who smoke. To be effective and equitable, the ABC model requires organisational commitment, integration into routine practice, and increased attention to the upstream determinants of smoking and quitting.