Evaluation of the Motivation to Quit Smoking in Outpatients Attending a Smoking Cessation Clinic

Introduction: The efficacy of nicotine dependency treatment not only depends on the method employed but also, to a large extent, on patient motivation. Our aim was to evaluate the level of motivation and to define the most motivating factor to quit smoking in patients presenting to a smoking cessation clinic. Material and methods: We investigated 111 nicotine addicts (50 men and 61 women) with a mean age of 58 years. We performed the evaluations using the N. Schneider motivation test, the Fagerström Test for Nicotine Dependence, and the smoking cessation clinic questionnaire. Results: The most common motivation to quit smoking was health reason (83%). The mean score in the Schneider motivation test was 6.93 and the mean nicotine dependence score in the Fagerström test was 5.49. Readiness to quit smoking within a month was declared by 87 subjects (with 36% within 24 hours, 23% within a week, and 28% within 4 weeks). The motivation to quit smoking was similar in men and in women. Conclusions: Health reasons are the strongest motivation to quit smoking among both male and female patients attending the smoking cessation clinic. Readiness to attempt smoking cessation, as indirectly assessed by the declared deadline for making the attempt, did not correlate with the level of motivation to quit smoking.