Acceptability, Adherence and Satisfaction of a Proactive Telephone-Based Smoking Cessation Program for Parents with Young Children

Abstract

Background: Smoking cessation of smoking parents has significant health benefit for both the smoking parents and their children. Objective: The aims of this study were to explore the acceptability, adherence and satisfaction of a proactive telephone-based counseling for smoking parents.

Methods: Smoking parents from a 1997 Birth Cohort were re-contacted and invited to take part in a randomized controlled trial of telephone-based smoking cessation program.

Results: Of the 1,149 parents completed the proactive telephone interview, 952 (82.9%) of them accepted the invitation to the trial. At the 6-month follow-up, 84.6% (395/467) and 91.5% (444/485) of the parents in the intervention and control group respectively remained. Among those (839) adhered to the program, 654 (77.9%) read the self help printed materials on smoking quitting. There was significant more parents in the intervention (n=343, 86.8%) than control group (n=311, 70.0%) who read the printed materials and found it useful (18.9% vs. 10.6%), both with p<0.001.

As much as 764 (91.1%) smoking parents reported satisfaction with the smoking cessation intervention provided. More parents in the intervention group (n=24) reported being “very satisfied” with the additional 3 sessions of counseling than those in the control group (n=9) who were very satisfied with self help printed materials (6.2% vs. 2.1%, p<0.05).

Conclusions: It is concluded that a proactive telephone smoking cessation program is highly acceptable, well adhered to, and satisfy the needs of smoking parents in their quitting attempts. Health professionals should consider adopting telephone cessation counseling program for their clients.