Clinical characteristics and quality of life of smokers at a referral center for smoking cessation.
OBJECTIVE
To compare smokers and never smokers in terms of the following: quality of life; BMI; hospitalizations; functionality; family history of mental disorder; tobacco-related diseases; depression; and psychoactive substance use.


METHODS
We evaluated 167 smokers enrolled in a smoking cessation program at the Londrina State University Referral Center for Understanding and Treating Smoking, together with 272 never-smoking blood donors. We employed the following instruments, all validated for use in Brazil: a structured questionnaire for the collection of sociodemographic data; the Alcohol, Smoking and Substance Involvement Screening Test; the World Health Organization Quality of Life Instrument, brief version (WHOQoL-BREF); and the Fagerström Test for Nicotine Dependence. We also applied diagnostic criteria for the investigation of depressive disorders.


RESULTS
The mean age of the smokers and never smokers was, respectively, 45 and 44 years. Females predominated in both groups. Smokers more often presented with impaired work/domestic functionality, hospitalizations, depressive disorders, smoking in the household, sedative use and a family history of mental disorders, as well as scoring lower in all domains of the WHOQoL-BREF. The mean age at smoking onset was lower for smokers with depression or using psychoactive substances than for smokers without such comorbidities. Diabetes, arterial hypertension, heart disease, respiratory disease and peptic ulcer were more common in smokers than in never smokers. The mean BMI was lower in the smokers than in the never smokers.


CONCLUSIONS
This study suggests that, for smoking cessation programs, subgroups of smokers with specific characteristics (early age at smoking onset, tobacco-related diseases, depressive disorders and use of psychoactive substances) should be identified.
Castro
Márcia Regina Pizzo de
MR
Londrina State University, Londrina, Brazil. mpizzo@sercomtel.com.br
Matsuo
Tiemi
T
Nunes
Sandra Odebrecht Vargas
SO
D000328:Adult; D017668:Age of Onset; D015992:Body Mass Index; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D003866:Depressive Disorder / Q000188:drug therapy / Q000523:psychology; D005190:Family / Q000523:psychology; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D001523:Mental Disorders / Q000523:psychology; D008875:Middle Aged; D011619:Psychotropic Drugs / Q000627:therapeutic use; D011788:Quality of Life; D012907:Smoking / Q000009:adverse effects / Q000503:physiopathology / Q000523:psychology / Q000628:therapy; D016540:Smoking Cessation / Q000523:psychology / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D012959:Socioeconomic Factors
D011619:Psychotropic Drugs