UK National Smoking Cessation Conference - UKNSCC
2008 UK National Smoking Cessation Conference - Birmingham more...
 

Factors leading up to attending stop-smoking clinics in Malaysia
Wee Lei Hum, Department of Social and Preventive Medicine, University of Malaya, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia

< BACK

View Powerpoint Presentation

Wee Lei Hum

Abstract
Two hundred smokers attending five stop-smoking clinics in Malaysia completed a questionnaire about the factors that led to them seeking help and their feelings about stopping smoking.
The aim was to provide a better understanding of the processes involved. Almost all respondents (94%) reported health concerns as a reason for trying to stop. Most respondents decided to stop smoking and then looked for ways of doing it (66%) while 34% said that hearing about the clinic was what made them decide to stop.

Most smokers quit abruptly but gradual quitting was also common (39%). A significant minority of respondents had not been thinking about stopping before they heard about the clinic (31%). Almost half of the respondents did not mind being a smoker (46%) apart from the health risks. The most common event that triggered this quit attempt was experience of a health problem linked with smoking (30%) followed by ‘suddenly realising how bad smoking is’ (27%). A majority of respondents cut down between deciding to attend the clinic and the first appointment (54%).

A large majority were happy about the idea of becoming a non-smoker (71%). This study provides one of the most complete pictures yet on the psychological factors leading up to making a quit attempt in a smokers clinics. The smokers are being followed up to assess how these relate to the experience of stopping and likelihood of success.

TOP

About the presenter
Ms Wee Lei Hum is a Principal Assistant Director (Health Education) with the Ministry of Health Malaysia where she was involved in planning, implementing and evaluating of national health promotion policies and programs. She has a bachelor’s degree in Mass Communication and Management from the University of Science Malaysia and Master of Health Communication from the Curtin University of Technology, Australia.

Currently Ms Wee is a PhD candidate on a Malaysian Government Scholarship in the Faculty of Medicine, University of Malaya. Her research study is on smoking cessation in collaboration with University College London.

 

 
related pages