Background: People with mental illnesses (MI) benefit from incentives to promote tobacco cessation. "Quit and Win" contests are community-based approaches that incentivize cessation. However, little is known about "Quit and Win" contest effectiveness among people with MI.
Aim: To examine the utility of "Quit and Win" contests among people with MI.
Method: This study had two phases: (a) a systematic literature review to explore the potential effectiveness of "Quit and Win" contests for people with MI and (b) a pilot feasibility study of implementing a "Quit and Win" contest among people with MI from a community mental health program (CMHP).
Results: In phase 1, no reviewed study specifically included people with MI in their sample. Of the four cohort and five randomized controlled studies in the review, the mean reported participant quit rates at the end of "Quit and Win" contests were 76.8% and 28.3%, respectively. In phase 2, within a CMHP, four out of seven participants completed a "Quit and Win" contest, and one individual achieved cessation.
Conclusion: People with MI may benefit from incentive-based tobacco cessation programs. Implementing a "Quit and Win" contests within a CMHP is important and requires more studies to determine feasibility and effectiveness.
Keywords: community public health; mental illness; quit and win; tobacco cessation.
© 2021 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.