ROSENDO, Inês; FONSECA, Gorete; GUEDES, Ana Rita    MARTINS, Vera. A characterisation of smokers and factors influencing motivation to stop smoking. []. , 15, 5, pp.783-802. ISSN 0873-2159.

Background: Smoking is currently a leading public health priority. Profiling smokers allows for adequate intervention strategies and it is important to assess smokers’ motivation. Aims: To calculate the rate of smokers in 4 files from 3 Health Centres in Coimbra and characterise smokers in terms of demographics, consumption pattern, motivation for smoking cessation and co-morbidities. Investigate the relationship between motivation to stop smoking and age, gender, consumption and age at starting smoking and cardiovascular, respiratory and psychiatric co-morbidities. Methods: Descriptive study with analytical component. Accessible population: 15-65 year old patients from 4 files from 3 Health Centres in Coimbra seen July - August 2007. Data treatment: SPSS 17. Results: 224 randomly interviewed patients, 64.3% women; mean age 44.9 years old. Rate of smokers was 17% (52.63% female). Smokers’ mean age was 39.4 years old. The mean age at starting smoking was 17.2 years old (16.4 in men). Mean cigarette consumption was 17.5/day (13.3 in women). 47.4% was poorly motivated, 52.6% moderate/highly motivated. 50% of the smokers had co-morbidities. There was no association between any of these factors and smoking cessation motivation. Discussion/conclusions: The results are similar to other national studies. There were more younger female smokers than male, but females smoked fewer cigarettes/day. In this study the most frequent co-morbidities were cardiovascular and psychiatric. Only half of the smokers were motivated to stop smoking.

: Smoking cessation; motivation; smoking epidemiology.

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