| Summary: | Introduction
Long-term outcomes of smoking cessation treatments are crucial
to optimize standards of cessation services, which are known to prevent excess
morbidity and mortality. This study aimed to evaluate long-term outcomes of
a smoking cessation program, to compare the success rates of interventions, to
assess relapse rates after quitting, and to determine the duration until relapse.
Methods
Patients admitted for smoking cessation between 2010–2018 were
contacted to evaluate short- and long-term treatment outcomes. The patients
were asked whether they were currently smoking, and whether they quit after
smoking cessation treatment and the duration of abstinence.
Results
The study included 579 patients (341 males) with a mean age of 50±12
years. The median time from the date of visit to the smoking cessation clinic to
analysis was 5 years (range: 2–10). Of the patient, 436 used medications, including
varenicline, bupropion, and nicotine replacement therapy (NRT). The overall
quit rate was 31.8% by the primary intervention (varenicline: 45.5%, bupropion:
38.2%, NRT: 33%, psychosocial support: 4.2%), and quit rate was similar in the
intervention groups (p=0.073). In the long-term, the quit rates were 19.6, 22.5,
25.9, and 21.7%, respectively (p=0.405). About 9% of the patients failed to quit
smoking initially but succeeded for a while after the first intervention at the
cessation clinic. The relapse rate after initial cessation was 19%. The longest
period of abstinence was in patients using NRT (14±17 months), followed by the
patients using varenicline (9.5±12.7 months) and bupropion (8.2±14.8 months).
Conclusions
Both short- and long-term quit rates with varenicline, bupropion, and
NRT, were similar. The long-term quit rates among patients who did not use
medication and received psychosocial support initially were comparable to those
who used a smoking cessation drug.
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