Abstract

Background: There are over 10,000 publications related to smoking cessation alone, there are very few reports examining the success of anti-smoking strategies used in private practice. Aims &
Objective: To investigate the effectiveness of smoking cessation in a private OB/GYN office setting in a suburban middle class population. Material and Methods: A total of 84 smokers were identified from among 1306 patient visits among 365 patients in a six month period. All patients were coming to a private OB/GYN practice for routine care. The patients participated in a three minute counselling session and were given a two page written hand-out on smoking cessation. Patients were interviewed at 6 and 12 months after the initial smoking cessation counselling.
Results: Approximately 77.4% of smokers indicated a desire to quit smoking when asked at the initial interview. 78.8% of smokers indicated that they enjoyed smoking. The overall successful cessation rate after one year’s time was 11.9%. Of those reporting unsuccessful attempts to quit, 30.8% reported cutting down on daily consumption. Conclusion: A three minute smoking cessation intervention coupled with a two page written hand-out was effective in improving smoking cessation rates in a suburban middle class population.