| Summary: | Introduction
Smoking cessation (SC) clinics are a professional SC services in
China. However, studies comparing the characteristics and SC rates of smoking
populations in SC clinics with those using mobile SC programs are limited. We
compared smokers’ characteristics, 3-month SC rates, and the factors influencing
3-month SC success, between a large hospital SC clinic and a WeChat SC miniprogram.
Methods
Between January and November 2021, 384 participants voluntarily
enrolled in either the hospital SC clinic (Group A: n=243) or the WeChat SC miniprogram
(Group B: n=141). Both groups underwent a 3-month SC intervention,
and their SC status was monitored at 24 hours, 1 week, 1 month, and 3 months
after quitting. SC rate was defined as the self-reported rate of continuous SC.
Results
The 3-month SC rate was higher in Group A (42.4%) than in Group B
(24.8%). Participants with middle school education had a lower likelihood of
SC success than those with primary school or lower (p=0.014). Employees in
the enterprise/business/services industries were more likely to have SC success
than farmers (p=0.013). Participants with SC difficulty scores of 0–60 were
more successful than those with scores >60 (p=0.001, p=0.000, respectively).
Participants who quit smoking due to their illness, or other reasons, had a higher
likelihood of SC success than those who quit due to concerns about their own
and their family's health (p=0.006, p=0.098, respectively). While the likelihood
of SC success was lower in those who quit because of the influence of their
environment than in those who quit due to concerns about their own and their
family's health (p=0.057).
Conclusions
Both SC clinics and WeChat SC mini-programs achieved satisfactory
SC rates. The high accessibility of mobile SC platforms, which save time spent on
transportation and medical visits, renders them worth promoting and publicizing
as additional SC options for smokers, particularly young smokers.
|
|---|