To explore the characteristics of hospitalized smokers and determine the predictors of successful quitters.

During December 2010 to November 2012, a total of 240 hospitalized smokers at department of pulmonology and cardiology, including 228 males and 12 females, completed the standard questionnaires derived from Hong Kong Smoking Cessation Health Center. Being used 5A (ask, advice, assess, assist, and arrange follow-up) skills and 5R (relevance, risk, reward, roadblock and repetition) as quitting smoking counseling interventions, they received smoking cessation counseling from healthcare professionals. A 6-month telephone follow-up post-discharge was performed. According to the self-reported status, the 6-month continuous quitters and non-quitters were determined. Moreover, successful quitting predictors were analyzed.

Among them, 65 cases successfully quitted, 175 cases were non-quitters and the successful cessation rate was 27%. Quitters and non-quitters showed no significant differences in gender, age, marital status, educational level, age at initiation of smoking, average cigarettes smoked daily, exhaled carbon monoxide values or nicotine dependence (P>0.05); while perceived confidence of quitting, 5 days pre-admission to quitting, perceived importance of quitting, cigarette smoking years had significant differences (P<0.05). Logistic regression analysis showed that 5 days pre-admission to quitting was a strongest successful quitting predictor [OR=2.78 (95%CI:1.52-5.15)]; the longer cigarette smoking year, the higher quitting rate [OR=2.10 (95%CI:1.15-3.85)]; the more perceived confidence of quitting, the higher quitting rate [OR=1.95(95%CI:1.06-3.59)].

Five days pre-admission to quitting, longer cigarette smoking years and more perceived confidence of quitting are independent successful quitting predictors for hospitalized smokers.

Inpatient; Smoking cessation; Factor analysis, statistical