Developing Smoking Cessation Program for Female Smokers and Assessment of Its Impacts

Abstract

Background: Female smokers find it challenging to quit smoking. The number of female smokers in Korea has not seen any decline. This study developed a smoking cessation program tailored for female smokers and evaluated its effectiveness.Methods: The treatment group, which was subjected to the smoking cessation program, was composed of seven adult female smokers and five female college students who smoked. The control group comprised 7 adult female smokers and 5 female college students who wanted to quit smoking.Results: Of the 12 participants in the control group, only 1 (8.3%) reported that she had maintained abstinence for 4 months and 1 week, while 5 (41.7%; 3 adults and 2 students) out of the 12 in the treatment group managed to abstain. For female smokers in this group, the motivation and empowerment to quit smoking increased significantly after participating in the program, and these positive effects were sustained for up to 3 months after the completion of the program.Conclusions: Female smokers who participated in the program that was developed as part of this study exhibited a significant abstinence rate, and their motivation and empowerment to quit smoking improved. These results indicate that this smoking cessation program can be clinically useful in helping female smokers quit smoking.