Natalie Walker of the Clinical Trials Research Unit, University of Auckland, presented the results of the RASP study at the Society for Research on Nicotine & Tobacco Conference in Baltimore, USA this week. The study aimed to assess if there is a change in voice quality up to six-months after quitting, and whether it is possible to validate self-reported smoking abstinence using smokers’ voices recorded over a landline telephone. A simple, non-invasive, inexpensive, method for validating smoking status that is able to be used across a widely-dispersed population without requiring face-to-face contact could revolutionize the way smoking cessation studies are evaluated and population smoking trends monitored.

No difference was found between continuing smokers and participants who had quit, but several technical difficulties could have undermined detection of a difference. The researchers conclude that further technical development and research, specifically focussing on improved methods of reducing within-individual variability and cleaner voice recordings is worth pursuing. Voice recognition technology could also be explored to ensure that the same participant is reached for follow-up, they said. Future studies would also need to explore ways to counter the distortions to voice that occur with use of mobile or internet phone use.