Abstract
Objective: The purpose of this study was to clarify the smoking cessation rate after one year by the stages of self-change of smoking behavior. Methods: From persons who underwent general health examinations for two years in a row at the Center for Multiphasic Health Testing and Services, Mitsui Memorial Hospital between November 2000 and January 2005,3944 smokers (3592 men and 415 women) completed questionnaires. In the first year, smokers were classified into one of three stages suchas precontemplation (not thinking about quitting in the next 6 months), contemplation (thinking about quitting in the next 6 months), and preparation (planning to quit within 30 days). The precontemplation stage also was subdivided into three as follows: precontemplation 1 (thinking about quitting in the next one year), precontemplation 2 (not thinking about quitting), and precontemplation 3 (never quitting). Smoking cessation rate by stages from the first year were calculated in the second year. Results: Of the 3944smokers,267 (6.8%) stopped smoking in the following year. Smoking cessation rates were 17% at the preparation,8%contemplation, and 5% precontemplation stages. Smoking cessation rate at precontemplation 3 was 14%. Conclusions: Classification of smoking stage based on a transtheoretical model is thought useful for better understanding the readiness to change for a cessation of smoking. Although the stage of change needs to be frequently reassessed and intervention should reflect changes in an individual's readiness to change, evidence on the effectiveness of this approach may still be limited. Further systematic research will be also required to evaluate the effectiveness of interventions based on other theoretical approaches.
