Impact of Smoking Cessation Clinics on the Prevalence of Smoking: A Systematic Review
Keywords:
Smoking, Cessation, Relapse, Awareness, SaudiAbstract
Introduction: The conceptual framework of smoking cessation showed that smokers firstly think to quit, plan to quit, try to quit, and finally sustain quitting or relapse. Clinics of smoking cessation aim to help smokers to plan, quit and sustain a healthy lifestyle. This review aimed to collect evidence about the impact of smoking cessation clinics.
Methods: Electronic databases were searched including PubMed and Embase. Furthermore, the search was conducted in databases and repositories of grey literature such as Open Grey and OAIster. The databases of the systematic review and clinical trials, such as Cochrane libraries and the Center for Reviews and dissemination, were screened for eligible primary studies. The flow of the information through the different stages of a systematic review (primary screening, secondary screening, and inclusion stage) was followed. Full texts of the eligible studies were retrieved to conduct an in-depth reading. The eligibility criteria were applied to the eligible studies which lead to exclusion of irrelevant studies.
Results: The findings of this review revealed that the referral rate from primary health centers to smoking cessation clinics was significantly improved. However, this increase was not translated into an improvement in the smoking quitting rate. Lack of effectiveness was attributed to the service pitfalls including delay in referral, shortage of experts, and low awareness among smokers. In Saudi Arabia, working within the faith-based paradigm, a National Tobacco Control Program that focuses on primary prevention and supporting tobacco cessation has been adopted. Till 2009, more than 30 smoking clinics were established in Saudi Arabia.
Conclusions: It is limited and contradicting data about smoking cessation rates in Saudi Arabia which highlight the importance of further research to objectively and accurately measure the cessation rate, and subsequently the effectiveness, of smoking cessation clinics.
