Long-term telephone follow-up of older adults attending a smoking cessation clinic in Türkiye: a retrospective cohort study.

Authors

Fatma Gökşin Cihan, Hatice Küçükceran, Nur Demirbas, Aynur Yalçıntaş

Published in

BMC primary care. Volume 27. Issue 1. Sep 08, 2026. Epub Sep 08, 2026.

Abstract

Smoking cessation remains beneficial in later life, yet long-term information on smoking status and cessation experiences among older adults attending smoking cessation services is limited. This study descriptively evaluated long-term smoking status and cessation experiences in older adults previously attending a smoking cessation clinic.
This study used a retrospectively identified cohort with a one-time long-term telephone outcome assessment. Medical records of adults aged ≥ 60 years who attended a smoking cessation outpatient clinic between January 2015 and March 2020 were reviewed, and telephone follow-up was conducted in October 2024, approximately 4.6-9.8 years after clinic attendance. The primary outcome was self-reported smoking status at interview. Recorded treatment modality reflected the treatment plan documented at baseline; medication initiation, duration, and adherence were not available. Multivariable analyses were exploratory.
Of 297 eligible participants, 26 (8.8%) were recorded as deceased. Among the remaining 271 participants, 97 (35.8%) were interviewed. Of these 97 respondents, 35 (36.1%) reported that they were not currently smoking at interview, representing a respondent-only estimate. Under extreme-case assumptions for the 174 non-contacted participants, the proportion not currently smoking ranged from 12.9% to 77.1%. Forty-three respondents (44.3%) reported a longest smoking-free period of ≥ 12 months, although its timing relative to follow-up was unknown. No robust association between recorded treatment modality and smoking status was identified: the overall respondent-only model was not statistically significant, and the treatment-modality association was not retained in the extreme-case sensitivity analysis. Among the 62 respondents currently smoking, 50 (80.6%) expressed willingness to receive support for another quit attempt.
Long-term smoking-status estimates were substantially limited by loss to follow-up and should be interpreted as respondent-only findings rather than as an abstinence rate for the original cohort. The treatment-modality analyses were exploratory and do not support comparative treatment-effectiveness conclusions. The high willingness to attempt quitting again among respondents who were still smoking highlights the potential for continued re-engagement with cessation care in later life.

PMID:
42754847
Bibliographic data and abstract were imported from PubMed on 18 Sep 2026.

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