Analysis of motivation to quit smoking in patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary diseases

Abstract

Тobacco smoking is a leading risk factor for chronic ob­structive pulmonary disease (COPD) progression, it also decreases the therapeutic efficacy for bronchial asthma patients.

The goal of the study was to analyse the rea­sons for smoking cessation and develop brief physician's advice for smoking cessation.

Маterials and methods. 156 COPD patients (grades 2 and 3), age ranging from 51 tо 75 years (110 males and 46 females), and 157 bron­chial asthma (BА) patients, of medium severity, age ranging from 20 tо 69 years (67 males and 90 females) have been studied. The control group included 100 smokers (20–68 years of age), with no acute diseases or respiratory symptoms throughout the study. Inclusion criteria: smoking 10 or more cigarettes a day for no less than 3 years. A questionnaire was used to evaluate nicotine dependence (Fagerstrom test), and motivation to abandon tobacco smoking (ТS).

Results. The majority of COPD patients had high degree of nicotine dependence (ND) = 6.7±0.4 score, with controls' level of 5.2±0.5, р<0.05 (similar levels both for males and females). Patients with asthma more often had medium and low degree ND. The majority of smoking patients were highly motivated to smoking ces­sation, however, the maximum scores were shown by COPD patients in 23% of cases (practically even between males and females) and only in 10% of BA cases, mainly due to females not being ready to abandon TS (with max­imum scores only in 2% of cases). The main reasons for smoking quit were health maintenance, costs decrease, desire to stop being dependent on cigarettes, and tak­ing care of children's health.

Conclusion. Health care providers when consulting the patients have to take into account the main reasons for stopping tobacco smoking, viz. health and cost-cutting concerns.