Background: Helping smokers break nicotine addiction is important to public health. Although many smoking cessation program have been established, relapse rate remains very high. Purpose: This study assessed the effect of cognitive behavioral group therapy in a smoking cessation program at our hospital on participants' knowledge, attitude, and behaviour. Method: The one-group pretest-posttest design intervention trial was used. Before the trial, the participants were administered a questionnaire and had their exhalation of carbon monoxide (CO) measured. They then took part in a twelve-hour smoking cessation program in 3 weeks. Exhaled CO and the questionnaire was assessed again at week 6. Telephone follow-up was performed after three months. Results: In 2007 June, 16 people attended the program. Six individuals (26.1%) had successfully stopped smoking after three months (95% CI=4.6%-47.6%). The number of cigarettes smoked daily reduced from an average of 24.7 at baseline to 16.1 in week 2 to 9.5 in week 6. The average exhaled CO level of these smokers was 10.9 ppm at the beginning of the program, and had decreased significantly in week 6 (7.4 ppm; p=.011). The average cognitive score on the smoking harm subscale, which was 75.0% at baseline, had significantly increased to 92.6% in week 6 (p<.001). The average anti-smoking attitude score, which was 3.4 at baseline, had increased to 4.0 in week 6 (p<.001). The nicotine dependent score, which was 5.6 at baseline, had decreased to 2.6 in week 6 (p<.001). Conclusion: In this study, we evaluated the effects of cognitive behavioral group therapy on smoking cessation and found a success rate of 26.1% after three months. We also found an increase in cognitive score on the smoking harm subscale and anti-smoking attitude as well as a decrease in nicotine dependence score.
Background: Helping smokers break nicotine addiction is important to public health. Although many smoking cessation program have been established, relapse rate remains very high. Purpose: This study assessed the effect of cognitive behavioral group therapy in a smoking cessation program at our hospital on participants' knowledge, attitude, and behaviour. Method: The one-group pretest-posttest design intervention trial was used. Before the trial, the participants were administered a questionnaire and had their exhalation of carbon monoxide (CO) measured. They then took part in a twelve-hour smoking cessation program in 3 weeks. Exhaled CO and the questionnaire was assessed again at week 6. Telephone follow-up was performed after three months. Results: In 2007 June, 16 people attended the program. Six individuals (26.1%) had successfully stopped smoking after three months (95% CI=4.6%-47.6%). The number of cigarettes smoked daily reduced from an average of 24.7 at baseline to 16.1 in week 2 to 9.5 in week 6. The average exhaled CO level of these smokers was 10.9 ppm at the beginning of the program, and had decreased significantly in week 6 (7.4 ppm; p=.011). The average cognitive score on the smoking harm subscale, which was 75.0% at baseline, had significantly increased to 92.6% in week 6 (p<.001). The average anti-smoking attitude score, which was 3.4 at baseline, had increased to 4.0 in week 6 (p<.001). The nicotine dependent score, which was 5.6 at baseline, had decreased to 2.6 in week 6 (p<.001). Conclusion: In this study, we evaluated the effects of cognitive behavioral group therapy on smoking cessation and found a success rate of 26.1% after three months. We also found an increase in cognitive score on the smoking harm subscale and anti-smoking attitude as well as a decrease in nicotine dependence score.