Comparison of the Characteristics of Smoking Cessation Success between Short-term and Long-term Success Groups

ABSTRACT

PURPOSE: The study aimed to compare characteristics associated with smoking and smoking cessation of those who had succeeded in smoking cessation. METHODS: Data were collected from January to June, 2008. The subjects were 9,819 smokers who were registered at the smoking cessation clinic of public health centers in Incheon. Four characteristics (demographic, health promotion, smoking, smoking cessation) were compared between 6-week (short-term) and 6-month (long-term) success groups. RESULTS: There was a significant difference between the 6-week and 6-month success groups for smoking cessation in demographic characteristics (gender, age, job, social security), health promotion (BMI, alcohol dependency, BP), smoking (first smoking age, smoking duration, expiration CO concentration, nicotine dependency), and smoking cessation (attempt to quit smoking, reason for smoking cessation, information source for registration). CONCLUSION: The group of short-term smoking cessation success was younger than the other. Also, short-term success group was of lower socioeconomic class than the other. The 6-month success group had a larger number of attempts to quit smoking. Therefore, smoking cessation policy should be focused more on younger people and those in lower socioeconomic status. These groups should be given advice on smoking cessation motives and more frequent counseling for smoking cessation.