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A Qualitative Study of the Difficulties of Smoking Cessation; Health Care Professionals' and Smokers' Pints of View

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Abstract

AbstractObjective: To obtain a deeper understanding of smokers' feelings and to establish co-operative networking groups,the opinions about smoking cessation of health careprofessionals and smokers were studied.Design: Focus group discussions were held in order to gainideas and tools to be used in smoking cessation work, inparticular in network groups. Two focus group discussions forhealth care professionals (n = 7) and one focus groupdiscussion for ex-smokers/smokers (n = 3) were held.Results: The study suggests that problems exist in smokingcessation work among health care professionals. The mainissues among the health care professionals were lack ofmotivation and consistency of approach. Informationconcerning the health risk related to smoking no longerreaches people. New ways of health promotion are desired.Smokers feel that lack of positive support and nicotinedependence are the main problems in their attempts to quit.Conclusions: Society and smokers have the same goal:smoking cessation. However, both parties do not seem toagree on ways of achieving this goal. A local network amonghealth care professionals could motivate and give rise to newmethods of smoking cessation counselling. Positive supportand nicotine replacement therapy could significantlyimprove smokers' success rates. Trained personnel havebetter opportunities for meeting smokers and that is whycessation should be part of the core curriculum and basictraining for health care professionals.

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Correspondence to Nina Katajavuori.

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Katajavuori, N., Pietilä, K., Rajamäki, H. et al. A Qualitative Study of the Difficulties of Smoking Cessation; Health Care Professionals' and Smokers' Pints of View. Pharm World Sci 24, 240–246 (2002). https://doi.org/10.1023/A:1021545524361

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