| Summary: | Background
Globally, quitlines have been shown to be an effective
means for smoking cessation. The success of quitting among smokers is
contributed by many factors such as nicotine dependence, motivation, income and
educational levels, previous quit attempts, environmental characteristics and
quit methods. This study will determine the characteristics of clients with nicotine
dependence and short- term abstinence (one month duration) among those registered
with the USM
Tobacco Quitline Service.
Methods
Secondary analysis of USM Tobacco Quitline
clients with the age range between 18-80 years old who completed initial assessment (one week pre Quit
Date (QD)) and have been followed-up within one
month post QD. The Fagerstrom Test for
Nicotine Dependence (FTND), which is a validated six-item scale, was used to
assess the nicotine dependence among those that registered for Quitline service
one week prior to QD. Continuous abstinence (relapse or continue quitting) data
was obtained for one month post QD.
Results
Of the 418 registered clients, 68.2% (n=285)
confirmed their registration. Sixty four clients completed their initial
assessment and were followed-up within one month post QD. Majority (93.8%) of
them were males with the mean age of 44. All clients with high FTND score and
95.5% clients with moderate FTND score successfully achieved one month smoke-
free (short-term abstinence) higher than clients with mild FTND score.
Conclusions
The findings showed that smokers with high and
moderate FTND scores were able to achieve better short-term abstinence compared
to those with mild FTND score. Further
research needs to be conducted to understand the reason for this behaviour.
This result does not take into account other abstinence factors. A long-term
abstinence data would provide an insight on the ways to improve the service
particularly in the diverse client background.
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