Long-Term Results of Smoking Cessation Therapy

Objective: The data for the long-term effectiveness of smoking cessation treatment are still inadequate in Turkey. This paper evaluates the long-term results of our smoking cessation clinic, which has been in service for 12 years, over a 10-year period. Material and Methods: Seven hundred forty-six patients who applied to our Smoking Cessation Clinic between April 1, 2000 and December 31, 2011 with complete data on their files were included in the study. Data were analyzed using Kaplan Meier survival analysis, the Log Rank test and the Chi-square test. Cox regression analysis was used for the factors affecting duration of non-smoking. Results: Among the 432 patients who agreed to take part in the cessation program, the success rate after 10 years was 33.2%. Although 46.8% of the patients who did not take part in the program quitted smoking spontaneously in the first year, the cessation rate declined to zero in the years that followed. Recurrence was 1.62 times (95% confidence interval 1.16-2.27) greater in men compared to women, 1.63 times (95% confidence interval 1.15-2.29) greater among the unemployed compared to the employed, and 1.54 times (95% confidence interval 1.81-2.19) greater among those with a low education level. Conclusion: The long-term outcomes of smoking cessation therapies, which require hard work of both the physician and the patient and also takes considerable time, reveal that these efforts are effective. Number of cigarettes smoked per day, education level, female gender and regular income were established as significant parameters in maintaining successful cessation.