Abstract
Background This study examined how cognitive and affective constructs related to an acute health event predict smoking relapse following an acute cardiac health event. Methods Participants were recruited from emergency departments and completed cognitive and emotional measures at enrollment and ecological momentary assessments (EMA) for 84 days postvisit. Results Of 394 participants, only 35 (8.9%) remained abstinent 84 days postvisit. Time to relapse was positively associated with age, actual illness severity, self-efficacy, and quit intentions. Conclusions Older, seriously ill patients with strong confidence and intentions to quit smoking remain abstinent longer after discharge, but most still relapse within three months.
Highlights
Despite the remarkable decreases in cigarette smoking rates since the 1960s, smoking remains one of the most significant preventable causes of death among Americans, accounting for around 480,000 deaths annually [1]
Studies have confirmed that both initial quit attempts and sustained smoking cessation occur at higher-thanexpected rates after an individual experiences an acute health event, like myocardial infarction, or is diagnosed with a major medical illness, like cancer [5–12]
The sentinel event method [6] describes a systematic process for developing conceptual models to explain how health events can trigger positive behavior change
Summary
Despite the remarkable decreases in cigarette smoking rates since the 1960s, smoking remains one of the most significant preventable causes of death among Americans, accounting for around 480,000 deaths annually [1]. Studies have confirmed that both initial quit attempts and sustained smoking cessation occur at higher-thanexpected rates after an individual experiences an acute health event, like myocardial infarction, or is diagnosed with a major medical illness, like cancer [5–12]. These studies confirm that the positive effect of such a sentinel health event does not occur with every person, and, all too often, the change is short lived, with many smokers relapsing within only a few days or weeks after the event. Seriously ill patients with strong confidence and intentions to quit smoking remain abstinent longer after discharge, but most still relapse within three months
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