Health-Related Quality of life among People Receiving Smoking Cessation Services

Few studies have addressed health-related quality of life and smoking cessation although known improvements can encourage smokers to quit. This cross-sectional study examined smoking quit rates and health-related quality of life among smokers receiving cessation services in ten Quit Clinic Hospitals throughout Thailand. A random sample of 715 smokers participated in the study. Data were collected from medical records and via telephone interviews from March to July 2015. Research instruments included demographic questions, a smoking screening form, the Quit Smoking Questionnaire; and the EuroQol-5 Dimensions 5 Levels Questionnaire (Thai version). Data were analyzed using descriptive statistics, Chi-square, and independent sample t-test. Most participants (97.1%) were male and between 25 and 64 years of age. Most had heaviness of smoking index scores less than four, indicating low nicotine dependence. The self-reported continuous abstinence rate at 6-months was 40.5%. The participants who stopped smoking by 6 months had higher average scores on the health-related quality of life than those who continued to smoke. As nurses are recognized as influential persons in the health care team, they can implement tobacco cessation interventions through a variety of strategies, such as providing brief advice, and referring for advanced treatment. Likewise, nurses need to consider assessing health-related quality of life of smokers and use such information to advocate smokers to quit.