The Factors Associated with Successful Smoking Cessation in Korea

ABSTRACT

BACKGROUND: We conducted a cross-sectional survey to determine the associated factors with successful smoking cessation, longer than 1 year, as compared with current smokers who had made at least one attempt to quit in the past and failed. METHODS: Smokers and ex-smokers were randomly selected by stratification at three levels (geographic location of home, age and sex). Among the subjects were 97 ex-smokers who had stopped smoking longer than 1 year and 71 current smokers, who had made at least one prior attempt to quit. Nicotine dependence and number of the smokers in the 5 closest friends were measured. RESULTS: A high Fagerstrom score (OR=0.784; CI 0.667~0.921) and the number of the smokers among their 5 closest friends (OR=0.681; CI 0.511~0.909) were significantly associated with a relapse in smoking adjusting confounding factors such as age, sex, alcohol consumption and so on. CONCLUSION: In Korean ex-smokers, lower nicotine dependence and the number of friends who smoked were associated factors in successful smoking cessation longer than 1 year.