Symptoms in Smokers Trying to Quit
Author Information
Author(s): Tomson Tanja, Toftgård Mats, Gilljam Hans, Helgason Asgeir R
Primary Institution: Karolinska Institutet, Sweden
Hypothesis
Respondents who are failed quitters in a telephone quitline report more severe symptoms compared with subjects who succeed in stopping smoking.
Conclusion
Psychological and neurological symptoms are significant obstacles for successful quitting attempts and may be treated with nicotine replacement therapy.
Supporting Evidence
- High intensity of symptoms related to unsuccessful quitting attempts included craving, irritability, and anxiety.
- Using nicotine replacement therapy for 5 weeks or longer reduced psychological symptoms.
- 48% of participants reported not smoking a single puff during the previous week.
Takeaway
When people try to stop smoking, they often feel really bad because of withdrawal symptoms, and these can make it hard to stay quit. Using special patches or gum can help with these feelings.
Methodology
A cross-sectional study using a questionnaire to retrospectively assess symptoms over a period of 12 months.
Potential Biases
Recall bias may affect the accuracy of reported symptoms since participants were asked to remember their experiences over the past year.
Limitations
The study only included smokers who called a quitline, which may not represent the general population, and relied on self-reported symptoms.
Participant Demographics
Participants were individuals who called a Swedish quitline for smoking cessation treatment.
Statistical Information
P-Value
1.4 – 1.8
Confidence Interval
95% CI
Statistical Significance
p<0.05
Digital Object Identifier (DOI)
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