Changes in the profiles of smokers seeking cessation treatment and in its effectiveness in Galicia (Spain) 2001–10

Abstract

BackgroundIn recent years, the prevalence of daily smokers has decreased in all developed countries due to a great variety of factors. Despite this decrease, the effectiveness of clinical treatments has decreased and several studies report a change in smokers’ characteristics. The purpose of the present study is to analyze the changes in the characteristics of Spanish smokers who seek smoking cessation treatment between 2001 and 2010 and the changes in the effectiveness of such treatment.MethodsThe sample was made up of 870 smokers who sought psychological treatment for giving up smoking at the Smoking Cessation Unit in the Faculty of Psychology of the University of Santiago de Compostela (Spain) during the period 2001 to 2010.ResultsSmokers in the 2006–2010 group, compared to those in the 2001–2005 group, were older, smoked fewer cigarettes per day and of a brand with fewer mg/nicotine, had been smoking longer, were less motivated to give up smoking, and had more antecedents of depression. Quit rates were validated by testing smokers' carbon monoxide (CO) levels.Percentages of abstinence were higher in the 2001–2005 group than in the 2006–2010 group (58.7% vs. 52.15 at the end of treatment, p = 0.05); 30.8% vs. 24.2% at 6 months follow-up, p = 0.031; 27.5% vs. 22% at 12 months follow-up, p = 0.059). Although abstinence decreased more than 5% in the 2006–2010 group there were no differences between the two groups in nicotine dependence. Those participants who did not assist to the follow-up were considered smokers at pretreatment level.ConclusionsIn Spain there has been a qualitative change in the profile of the smokers seeking smoking cessation treatment. Treatment effectiveness has decreased, and the variables predicting intervention outcome have changed.

Cognitive-behavioral treatment with behavioral activation for smokers with depressive symptomatology: study protocol of a randomized controlled trial

“…Previous studies of cognitive behavioral interventions for smoking cessation [20, 33] and studies of cognitive behavioral interventions for smoking cessation with components targeting depressive symptoms [24, 31] suggest that quit rates after treatment may range between 28% and 61.9%. The sample size for this study was calculated using G*Power3 Software [34].…”

“…Despite this, a reduction over time in abstinence rates has been shown following psychological and/or pharmacological smoking cessation treatment [20–22]. As recent studies suggest, this trend could be due to a change in treatment-seeking smokers, who show significantly greater self-reported depressive symptoms when compared to prior studies [20, 23]. …”

Influencia de la sensibilidad a la ansiedad en una intervención psicológica para dejar de fumar

“…En los úl-timos años, se ha detectado una disminución de la efi cacia de esta intervención, obteniéndose en los últimos estudios porcentajes de abstinencia al fi nal de la intervención en torno al 51% (Becoña et al, 2014;Piñeiro y Becoña, 2013), debido probablemente a que las personas que continúan fumando y demandan ayuda psicológica para dejar de fumar tienen una mayor dependencia de la nicotina y una mayor psicopatología concurrente.…”

“…ASI-3 = Anxiety Sensitivity Index 3. * p ≤ .05; **p ≤ .01 sobre intervenciones psicológicas para dejar de fumar (Becoña et al, 2014). Con respecto a las puntuaciones medias de la muestra total de fumadores en la escala ASI-3, los participantes obtuvieron medias claramente superiores a los datos normativos de la versión española de la ASI-3, realizada en una muestra de 582 estudiantes universitarios (Sandín et al, 2007), la cual indica una media de 14.1 (DT = 9.6) para la ASI-3 total, de 4.5 (DT = 4.1) para la subescala física, 2.7 (DT = 3.5) para la subescala cognitiva y 6.9 (DT = 4.6) para la subescala social.…”

Validity evidence of the Behavioral Activation for Depression Scale-Short Form among depressed smokers

“…Smoking produces a heavy economic burden worldwide, especially in Europe and North America where the tobacco epidemic accounts for 5.7% of global health expenditures ( Goodchild, Nargis, & Tursan d’Espaignet, 2018 ). In Spain, despite there having been a slight decrease in the percentage of daily smokers over the last decade (from 32.5% in 2005 to 30.8% in 2015) ( National Plan of Drugs, 2017 ), depression seems to have increased in this population ( Becoña, López-Durán, Fernández del Río, & Martínez, 2014 ). This comorbidity leads not only to poor cessation outcomes ( Weinberger et al, 2016 ), but also causes poor quality of life as evidenced by a high number of hospitalizations ( Baker, 2017 ).…”