Attitudes and Influencing Factors Associated with Smoking Cessation among Smokers: An Online Cross-sectional Survey in China (Preprint)

Abstract

BACKGROUND Smoking remains a worldwide public health issue, and it is the leading cause of preventable death. Exploring factors that help individuals to quit smoking are immensely important. OBJECTIVE The aim of this study was to explore the attitudes and influencing factors on smoking cessation in order to provide comprehensive clues for subsequent studies and tobacco control policy. METHODS Ex-smokers and current smokers were recruited online in this cross-sectional survey. The observational data was collected using questionnaire distributed through WeChat, a cloud-based social media networking application in China from October 1 to November 31, 2019. SPSS 26.0 was used for descriptive statistical analysis. RESULTS The total number of eligible respondents was 638 smokers from 30 provinces, with a mean age of 37.3 ± 11.7 years old and a mean smoking history of 15.9 ± 13.7 years. There were 589 (92.3%) males. Of the 638 respondents, 25 (3.9%) had no intention to stop smoking. Among 155 subjects who had quitted smoking successfully, willpower (86, 55.5%) was considered as the most important contributing factor. Among 365 subjects who tried to quit but failed, lack of willpower (103, 28.2%), tobacco dependence (59, 16.2%), impact of surrounding smokers or smoking environments (58, 15.9%), bad moods (36, 9.9%), stress from work or life (29, 7.9%), habits (26, 7.1%), socialization (15, 4.1%), easy availability of tobacco (10, 2.7%) were considered as the adverse factors leading to failure in quitting smoking. CONCLUSIONS The vast majority of respondents held the intention to quit. Willpower and support from family members were the vital factors increasing successful smoking cessation. Future tobacco control policies should also focus on addressing withdrawal symptoms and creating smoke-free environments as well as other factors.