Readiness to quit smoking among registered smokers at the quit smoking clinic services in Malaysia

• Main Authors: Mohd Haazik Mohamed, Noh Amit, Komathi Perialathan, Wanda Kiyah George Albert, Norafifah Bali, Azreel Azim Abdul Alim
• Format: Article
• Language: English; English
• Published: Faculty of Psychology and Education, UMS 2023
• Subjects: RA643-645 Disease (Communicable and noninfectious) and public health; RC490-499 Hypnotism and hypnosis. Suggestion therapy; RM300-666 Drugs and their actions
• Online Access: https://eprints.ums.edu.my/id/eprint/36293/1/ABSTRACT.pdf; https://eprints.ums.edu.my/id/eprint/36293/2/FULL%20TEXT.pdf; https://eprints.ums.edu.my/id/eprint/36293/

The Quit Smoking Clinic Services (QSCS) service at government hospitals is provided by the Ministry of Health Malaysia to help smokers quit smoking. Therefore, information on socio-demographic characteristics, smoking profiles and factors that correlate with the readiness to quit smoking is important. This study was conducted to identify factors that correlate with the readiness to quit smoking. A total of 115 respondents were involved in this study. Social support from friends has a significant negative correlation with willingness to quit smoking (r=-0.224). For the willingness to quit smoking construct, there is a significant negative correlation between social support from the family and the pre-contemplation construct score (r=-0.179), there is a negative significant correlation between the nicotine dependence score and the contemplation construct score (r=-0.180), there is a significant negative correlation between social support from friends with the action construct score (r=0.183) and there is a significant negative correlation between social support as a whole and social support from friends with the behavior maintenance construct (r=-0.206, r=-0.305). Therefore, the results of this study have the potential to be used as the basis reference for the development of special guidelines that focus on empowering smokers against external influences to quit smoking. In addition, factors such as socio-demographic characteristics, nicotine dependence, social support, play an important role in each stage of readiness to quit smoking. Special modules of behavioural treatment interventions involving social support and using available resources are needed to ensure that smoking treatment given is appropriate. Thus, assessment study using biopsychosocial and spiritual perspectives should also be conducted in Malaysia so that an understanding of the issues faced by smokers to quit smoking can be clearly understood holistically.