ABSTRACT
Introduction: This study aims to identify the predictors of a 6-month quitting success among employees involved in workplace smoking cessation with low-intensity smoke-free policy.
Materials and Methods: A multicentre prospective cohort study was conducted among employees from 2 different public universities in Malaysia. Interventions include at least 2 sessions of behavioural therapy combined with free nicotine replacement therapy (NRT) for 8 weeks. Participants were followed up for 6 months. Independent variables assessed were on sociodemographic and environmental tobacco smoke. Their quit status were determined at 1 week, 3 months and 6 months. Results: One hundred and eightyfive smokers volunteered to participate. Among the participants, 15% and 13% sustained quit at 3 months and 6 months respectively. Multivariate analysis revealed that at 6 months, attending all 3 behavioural sessions predicted success. None of the environmental tobacco exposure variables were predictive of sustained cessation. Conclusion: Individual predictors of success in intra-workplace smoking cessation programmes do not differ from the conventional clinic-based smoking cessation. Furthermore, environmental tobacco exposure in low intensity smoke-free workplaces has limited influence on smokers who succeeded in maintaining 6 months quitting.Of the world’s 1.25 billion adult smokers, 10% (about 125.8 million) reside within Southeast Asian countries. The smoking prevalence of daily smoking adults (above 18
years old) in this region ranged from 14.3% in Singapore to 40% in Laos, with Malaysia recording 21% among adults. Interventions to reduce smoking rates have had little impact in Malaysia, with only 2% of reduction in smoking prevalence over a 10-year period (21.5% in 2006, from a previous prevalence of 23.5% in 1996). This is despite the fact that Malaysia has rectified the World Health Organisation (WHO) Framework Convention on Tobacco Control (FCTC) since the year 2003.
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