A recent study by the Primary Health Care Corporation (PHCC) has revealed that 63.5% of the visitors to smoking cessation clinics successfully quit the habit, local Arabic daily Arrayah reported.
Significant differences in smoking cessation rates were noted based on the nationality and educational level of the participants, though.
The study pointed out that 23.3% of those who initially quit smoking relapsed and resumed smoking within six months of completing the cessation programme. The relapse rate increased over time to 38.7%, 47.2%, and 51.1% at 12, 24, and 36 months, respectively.
Eventually, within 42 months, 45.8% of the participants were able to maintain their non-smoking status. The study stressed that the smoking cessation services provided by PHCC achieved significant success, indicating that the vast majority of individuals seeking help from the health centres managed to quit smoking.
The published study is titled 'Investigating the socio-demographic characteristics and smoking cessation incidence among smokers accessing smoking cessation services in primary care settings of Qatar, a Historical Cohort Study.'
The study found that the smoking cessation services at PHCC were effective in both the short and long term. Researchers discovered that young smokers with higher incomes and educational levels are the at-risk group.
The study also suggested that to reach a larger local audience, the corporation should promote its services more broadly. The primary goal of the study was to examine the background, characteristics, and frequency of smoking cessation among individuals receiving help from smoking cessation services at Primary Health Care Centers in Qatar. It also focused on the number of people who started smoking again after initially quitting.
The study included a large sample of 490 participants, selected through simple random sampling from those attending the PHCC smoking cessation clinics, providing a comprehensive view of smoking cessation outcomes.
The study explained that 43% of the survey participants were aged between 30 and 39, followed by the 40-49 age group, comprising 28% of the respondents. Most participants (90.2%) were male and had a smoking history of more than 10 years, with the majority (96.3%) being cigarette smokers.
It pointed out that smoking cessation clinics are managed by trained and certified doctors who provide effective counseling and medication prescriptions to help individuals successfully quit tobacco use. These clinics can be accessed through a doctor's referral or by calling 107 directly to schedule an appointment.
The study concluded "there is a need to target high risk individuals and upscale the accessibility to the service among the local population by active community engagement, promoting a multi-sectoral approach strengthening legislative and policy measure for smoking cessation services and further advertisement of the existing services."
It was conducted by a number of researchers and doctors from the PHCC's Department of Clinical Research and others.
