Short-Term Success Rates of Smoking Cessation Support Programs and Factors Predicting Smoking Relapse: Using Data from a Smoking Cessation Clinic in a Hospital

Abstract

See editorial commentary page on 351 Background: Although the number of medical institutions running a smoking cessation clinic is on the rise, there remains a paucity of research on the long-and short-term success rates of smoking cessation programs, as well as on smoking relapse rates, before and after project implementation. This study assessed the general characteristics of patients visiting the smoking cessation clinic, success rate of smoking cessation in the short term, and risks of relapse. Methods: Medical records from March 2015 to April 2017 were analyzed and telephone surveys were conducted with 151 smokers who visited a hospital smoking cessation clinic from March 2015 to April 2017. Results: Of the 139 smokers who were eligible for follow-up, 22 (15.8%) failed to quit smoking initially. The clinic's 6-month success rate of smoking cessation was 64.83%. Those with higher medication compliance had a lower risk of primary failure (odds ratio, 0.056; 95% confidence interval, 0.005-0.609), whereas those with higher age (hazard ratio [HR], 0.128; P=0.0252) and a greater number of visits to the clinic (HR, 0.274; P=0.0124) had a lower risk of relapsing. Conclusion: The risk of primary failure to quit was higher with low medication compliance, and that of relapsing was higher with lower age and fewer number of clinic visits. Various evaluation and analysis methods can be carried out in the future based on the accumulated data for maintenance of smoking cessation and relapse prevention.

Development of a Risk Score to Predict Short-term Smoking Relapse Following an Inpatient Smoking Cessation Intervention

“…25 According to previous studies, the number of counseling sessions or clinic visits is an important determinant of relapse. 15,26 However, our study aimed to develop a model that predicts the risk of smoking relapse using risk factors at the time of admission. However, as the number of counseling sessions was unavailable at the time of hospitalization, it was decided not to be included in the predictive model.…”

“…Tobacco craving questionnaire (≤ 202, ≥ 203 points). 16 Self-efficacy scores for smoking cessation were divided into tertiles (low [9][10][11][12][13][14][15][16][17][18][19][20][21][22][23][24], middle [25][26][27][28][29][30], and high [31-45]). 17 The drug regimens included NRT, including nicotine patches, lozenges, gum, and prescription drugs (varenicline or bupropion).…”

“…The scores for each question were summed up and ranged from 1 to 10. 15 Stress was assessed using the 10-item Korean version of Perceived Stress Scale (PSS-10), which ranged from 0 to 50 and was divided into low (≤ 23), moderate (24)(25)(26)(27)(28)(29)(30)(31)(32)(33)(34), and high (≥ 35). Depression was measured using the Center for Epidemiologic Studies Depression Scale (CES-D), which ranges from 0 to 60 points and is divided into three groups: normal (≤ 15), moderate (16)(17)(18)(19)(20)(21)(22)(23)(24), and severe (≥ 25).…”

The Current Status and Challenges of National Smoking Cessation Support Program in Korea

“…The success rate at 6 months was approximately 40%, which is comparable with that of smoking cessation clinics run by local public health centers. 3) In the present issue, Yu et al 4) investigated the success rate of smoking cessation and risk of relapse after implementation of the national smoking cessation support program. Results indicated that a 6-month success rate of smoking cessation was 64.8%, which was higher than the rate in a 2016 survey.…”

“…In the previous study, the smoking cessation rate of the registrants using the advanced general hospital was also higher than that of the registrants using the local clinic. 3) According to Yu et al, 4) higher medication compliance was associated with a lower risk of primary failure, and more frequent visits to smoking cessation clinics were associated with a lower risk of relapsing. More than half of all registrants were known to have dropped out after one or two visits.…”