Motivations toward smoking cessation, reasons for relapse, and modes of quitting: results from a qualitative study among former and current smokers

Abstract

BackgroundSmoking cessation plays a crucial role in reducing preventable morbidity and mortality and is a recognized public-health-policy issue in many countries. Two of the most important factors that affect the efficacy of quitting smoking are motivation and the ability to cope with situations causing relapse.AimThe objective of the study reported here was to investigate former and current smokers’ motivations for smoking cessation, reasons for relapse, and modes of quitting.MethodsWe arranged four focus groups with 24 participants (twelve current and twelve former smokers) and eleven semi-structured interviews (five current and six former smokers) with a view to understanding and categorizing their opinions on motivations and the course and process of smoking cessation. The data were next analyzed using descriptive qualitative methods.ResultsThree main themes were identified: (1) motivations to quit smoking, (2) reasons why smokers sometimes relapse, and (3) modes of quitting smoking. Within the first theme, the following six subthemes surfaced: (1) a smoking ban at home and at work due to other people’s wishes and rules, (2) the high cost of cigarettes, (3) the unpleasant smell, (4) health concern, (5) pregnancy and breastfeeding, and (6) a variety of other factors. The second theme encompassed the following subthemes: (1) stress and the need to lessen it by smoking a cigarette, (2) the need to experience the pleasure connected with smoking, and (3) the smoking environment both at home and at work. Participants presented different smoking-cessation modes, but mainly they were unplanned attempts.ConclusionTwo very important motivations for smoking cessation were a smoking ban at home and at work due to other people’s wishes and rules, and the high cost of cigarettes. The most common smoking-cessation mode was a spontaneous decision to quit, caused by a particular trigger factor. Relapse causes encompassed, most notably: stress, lack of the pleasure previously obtained from smoking, and the smoking environment.

Massachusetts Medicaid members that smoked in 2008: Characteristics associated with smoking status in 2014

“…Consistent with our findings of family member’s influence, prior studies have noted the importance of social influences in smoking cessation, such as family members urging the smoker to quit or informal bans on smoking at home [24, 25]. Christakis and Fowler [26] applied a network analysis approach to examine social influences on smoking behavior among a Framingham Heart Study cohort (from 1971 to 2003).…”

“…A 2006 review of 30 studies examining smokers’ reasons for quitting found health consequences of smoking to be the most consistent motivation [23]. A 2014 qualitative study corroborated findings that concerns about health were one of the most important motivations to quit [24]. …”

Association between secondhand smoke exposure and quality of life in pregnant women and postpartum women and the consequences on the newborns

“…Women in general usually are more concerned about health than men are, and pregnancy is one of the motivations in female smokers to quit smoking [50,51], reflecting the concern for their child’s health. However, the high rate of SHS found in pregnant and postpartum women in this study could reflect that although this vulnerable group might be very careful about health risks and protective of their child, SHS in their daily environment is very difficult for them to avoid.…”

Cervical cancer screening among women ≥70years of age in the United States—A referral problem or patient choice

“…We also found that younger women were more likely to initiate screening themselves than older women and that women ≥70 years of age who were past, but not current, smokers were more likely to seek out screening on their own. Since these women were not current smokers, it is possible that they requested this test because they were concerned about their health (Buczkowski et al, 2014), but had limited understanding of its risk-benefit ratio. This suggests that patient education needs to target this population to prevent overutilization of health care resources.…”