Follow-Up Study Results of Patients of a Cigarette Cessation Clinic and Factors Affecting These Results

ABS TRACT Objective: One third of approximately 1.5 billion smokers live in 10 countries, which involves Turkey. Smoking cessation clinics are increasing day by day. However, long term smoking cessation rates are unsatisfactory. The aim of this research is to calculate success rates for the patients who admitted to smoking cessation outpatient clinic in light of the data that will be obtained from follow-ups, to determine their tobacco-use behaviours, the complicating and facilitating factors that are encountered during smoking cessation process and calculate effectiveness of different therapy modalities for tobacco cessation, thereby to contribute to tobacco control strategies, and to increase the success of tobacco cessation interventions. Material and Methods: 114 patients who admitted to smoking cessation clinic were followed up for 6 months. Patients’ status of restarting smoking during follow-up was calculated based on even if smoking just a draw (slip) criterion. Results: The periods without smoking for participants whose spouses do not smoke, who used treatment for 28 days and more and whose type of treatment is varenicline were longer. In multivariate analyses, non-smoker spouse, long treatment period and varenicline use as treatment option were found to be factors positively affecting the success rate. Conclusion: The mean period without smoking for the participants in the first month found to be 12.8 days, have revealed that close follow-up of the patient in this early period is very critical in smoking cessation process. In addition to provision of proper treatment to patients, ensuring that the patient uses this treatment for a sufficient amount of time is also important in tobacco cessation process. Concomitant treatment of tobacco using partners or encouraging the non-smoker partner to actively participate in treatment process may increase the success rate of tobacco cessation.