Objectives: A better identification of the determinants of smoking relapse among hospital workers would be helpful in development of more effective interventions to decrease the frequency of relapses in this group. The aim of this study was to determine the predisposing enabling, and reinforcing factors associated with smoking relapse among workers at a university hospital.
Methods: This was a case-control study based on a self-administered and structured questionnaire. Cases were all those workers who had relapsed after at least 6 months without smoking, and controls were ex-smokers without relapse for more than 6 months. We obtained the following information: sociodemographic and tobacco consumption characteristics and a list of predisposing, enabling and reinforcing factors.
Results: There were 342 respondents: 114 cases and 228 controls. The variables significantly and independently associated with increased risk of relapse were smoking is my vice (OR=4.02), I'll be able to quit smoking whenever I want (OR=3.43), I have no intention to quit forever (OR=6.02), celebrations (OR=3.93) and weight gain (OR=10.61), while variables associated with lower risk were age (OR=0.88), health-care worker (OR=0.13), years of abstinence (OR=0.91), smoking is a useless habit (OR=0.19) and illness related to tobacco (OR=0.07).
Conclusions: Health programs against smoking in the hospital setting should include measures aimed at preventing relapse through behavioral support therapies and dietary control with particular attention to changes in factors related to lifestyle and false beliefs (predisposing factors).