Purpose: This study described the recognition of motivational interviewing (MI) and the factors related to its learning situation among doctors and nurses licensed as Board-certified Members and Fellows of the Japan Society for Tobacco Control in smoking-cessation clinics.

Method: An anonymous self-administered questionnaire survey was administered to Board-certified Members and Fellows of the Japan Society for Tobacco Control. A total of 500 of these experts were randomly selected, and 251 responded.

Results: Of the respondents, 81.3% were aware of MI as a term, 70.9% knew the outline of MI. The factors that had a significant effect on the recognition and learning situation of MI were “importance of learning MI,” “difficulties in smoking cessation support,” “work area,” “licentiate,” and “number of nurses working in smoking-cessation support” based on multivariable analysis.

Discussion: In this study, recognition of MI was generally high. This result is considered to reflect efforts in the Japan Society for Tobacco control. On the other hand, it is necessary to consider the system of continuous learning methods about smoking cessation.

Conclusion: It is necessary to take into account some of the factors suggested, in addition to the importance of learning about MI, in order to continue the learning of MI.

Objective: To examine the long-term effectiveness of a reduced dosage of varenicline on smoking cessation among female patients by comparing half-year and 1-year rates of successful smoking cessation between reduced and standard dosages of varenicline.

Subjects and Methods: We evaluated and compared the data between two groups of female participants: 14 who received a reduced dosage of varenicline (0.5 mg/day for 3 days, 0.5 mg twice daily for 4 days, and 0.5 mg twice or thrice daily for 12 weeks) and 50 who received the standard dosage (0.5 mg/day for 3 days, 0.5 mg twice daily for 4 days, and 1.0 mg twice daily for 12 weeks). Patient characteristics and half-year and 1-year rates of successful smoking cessation were compared between the groups.

Results: Patient characteristics were similar between the groups with the exception of height. Half-year rates of successful smoking cessation were similar between the two groups (78.6% vs. 78.0%; p = 0.96). There was no significant difference in the 1-year rates of successful smoking cessation between the two groups (78.6% vs. 66.0%; p = 0.37). However, it was determined that a reduced dosage of varenicline has the same efficacy as that of the standard dosage.

Discussion and Conclusion: From the perspective of long-term effectiveness for smoking cessation in female patients, a reduced dosage of varenicline is beneficial.