© 1988 Oxford University Press
research-article |
Self-Reported Long-Term Smoking Cessation in Patients with Respiratory Disease: Prediction of Success and Perception of Health Effects
* Department of Epidemiology and Biostatistics, Kresge Building, The University of Western Ontario London, Ontario N6A 5C1, Canada
Health Care Research Unit, The University of Western Ontario
Departments of Medicine, Victoria Hospital and The University of Western Ontario
Pederson L L (Department of Epidemiology and Biostatistics, Kresge Building, University of Western Ontario, London, Ontario, N6A 5C1, Canada), Wanklin J M and Lefcoe N M. Self-reported long-term smoking cessation in patients with respiratory disease: prediction of success and perception of health effects. International Journal of Epidemiology 1988, 17: 804–809.
Smoking status of 372 patients with respiratory disease, who had been advised to quit smoking by a respiratory specialist, was assessed six months after the advice2–4. A multiple logistic regression model was developed for prediction of successful abstinence. The patients were again followed four to seven years later. Questionnaires were returned by 160 patients (43.0%). Of the remaining patients, 27 (7.3%) had died, 12 (3.2%) refused to participate, 53 (14.2%) had no current address available and 120 (32.3%) did not return questionnaires mailed to them. Among the respondents, 31.9% reported at least one year of abstinence from cigarettes, 63.1% were still smoking and 5.0% had quit smoking for periods of less than one year. While the original logistic model was not very useful for predicting long-term success (69.7% accuracy of classification), a model that included, as predictors, six-month smoking status and reasons for smoking other than addiction, was more useful (78.9% accuracy). At follow-up, successful abstainers reported improvement in their respiratory condition but no differences were found in reported symptoms or emotional well-being when they were compared to those who continued to smoke. Treatment implications of these results are discussed and include offers of alternative treatments if short-term abstinence is not achieved following physician advice.
Revised 1 February 1988