Evaluation of Smoking Cessation Success Rate and Its Effective Factors in Patients Referring to the Smoking Cessation Clinic of Farshchian Specialized Heart Hospital in Hamadan, Iran

Introduction: The success or failure of quitting smoking is determined by various factors in smoking cessation clinics. This study aimed to evaluate the rate of smoking cessation success in smoking cessation clinic patients. Method: This cross-sectional study was conducted on all smokers referring to the smoking cessation clinic of the Farshchian Specialized Heart Hospital, Hamadan, Iran, during 2017-2021. Patient’s demographic and smoking information were included in checklists, the Fagerström questionnaire, and the Patient Health Questionnaire (PHQ) by the clinic physician. The smoking cessation interventions, including CBT behavior therapy and drug therapy, were conducted based on the patient’s preference and the physician’s discretion. The sessions were continued for at least four sessions with an interval of one week. After the sessions, the patients were followed up four times: One, three, six, and twelve months later. Findings: The present study was conducted on 136 patients (95.6% male) who completed the sessions. The average smoking duration was 23.33 years, with a cigarette consumption rate of 21.83 cigarettes per day. One-year quit success rate was 60.2%. Significant associations were also found between successful quitting and older age of smoking initiation, presence of non-communicable diseases and psychiatric disorders, and urban residence (P<0.05). Logistic regression identified that achieving early complete abstinence (OR: 0.23, P=0.003) and not using e-cigarettes (OR: 3.89, P=0.012) significantly increased the odds of success. Varenicline was the primary medication, with 32.4% reporting side effects, mainly nausea. Conclusion: According to the results, the academic clinic can be effective in helping patients to quit smoking as a major risk factor in many non-communicable diseases.