Assessment of Nicotine Dependence and Readiness to Change among Patients Attending Tobacco Cessation Clinic: A Cross-sectional Study

Abstract

Background: Nicotine is the addictive substance present in tobacco which makes quitting tobacco difficult. Objective: This study was done to assess nicotine dependence and stage of readiness to change among tobacco users visiting the Tobacco Cessation Clinic (TCC) Lucknow. Materials and Methods: A cross-sectional study was performed in the TCC of a Government Dental College. The data were recorded in the tobacco cessation registration forms of tobacco users and then analyzed through statistical software using the Chi-square test. Results: The number of tobacco users was more in males (88%) than in females (12%) with a preference for smokeless type (63.4%) of tobacco usage. Most of the tobacco users were of 25–34 years of age group (34.9%). It was also observed that the maximum number of tobacco users was married (68.3%) and had graduate/postgraduate degree (62.3%). It was also seen that usually, the monthly expense on tobacco products by either gender was Rs. 1000–2400. More than 50% of the tobacco users had tried quitting before because of health issues and craving was the main reason for relapse. We also observed that the highest level of nicotine dependence was amongst the smokeless tobacco users with a history of 5–10 years of tobacco use (43.3%). Conclusion: It was found that most of the patients who attended the TCC had medium level of dependence on nicotine and where in the preparation phase to quit the habit.