Self-Reported Long-Term Smoking Cessation in Patients with Respiratory Disease: Prediction of Success and Perception of Health Effects

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Abstract
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.