title: The relationship between smoking status and health-related quality of life among smokers who participated in a 1-year smoking cessation programme in Taiwan: a cohort study using the EQ-5D.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To assess the relationship between smoking status and health-related quality of life 1 year after participation in a smoking cessation programme in Taiwan.
  
  
  METHODS
  A cohort study of smokers who voluntarily participated in a smoking cessation programme with two follow-up assessments of smoking status via telephone interview, conducted 6 months and 1 year after finishing the smoking cessation programme.
  
  
  METHODS
  Hospitals and clinics providing smoking cessation services.
  
  
  METHODS
  A total of 3514 participants completed both telephone interviews, which represents a response rate of 64%. After the interviews, participants were divided into four groups according to their smoking status: (1) long-term quitters: participants who had quit tobacco use for 1 year; (2) short-term quitters: participants who had been smoking for at least 6 months and then quit tobacco for 6 months after participating in the programme; (3) relapsed smokers: participants who relapsed into tobacco use after ceasing tobacco use for 6 months; and (4) continuing smokers: participants who failed to quit smoking for at least 1 year, despite participating in the programme.
  
  
  METHODS
  The Outpatient Smoking Cessation Service of Taiwan provides counselling and pharmacotherapy to individuals seeking to quit smoking.
  
  
  METHODS
  The health-related quality of life of the participants was measured using an approved Chinese version of the EuroQol-5D-3L (EQ-5D-3L) descriptive system.
  
  
  RESULTS
  After controlling for sex, age, education, marital status, job status, monthly income and disease status at baseline, our results revealed that long-term (OR=0.61 (0.48 to 0.77)) and short-term (OR=0.65 (0.54 to 0.79)) quitters experienced less anxiety and depression than did continuing smokers.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Our study provides evidence to support claims that all quitters, regardless of whether they stop smoking for 6 months or 1 year, have better quality of life with regard to anxiety or depression.
authors.affiliation: Institute of Health and Welfare Policy, College of Medicine, National Yang-Ming University, Taipei, Taiwan Department of Health and Welfare, School of Metropolitan Governance, University of Taipei, Taipei, Taiwan.
authors.forename: Pei-Ching
authors.initials: PC
authors.lastname: Chen
authors.affiliation: Institute of Health Policy and Management, College of Public Health, National Taiwan University, Taipei, Taiwan, R.O.C.
authors.forename: Raymond Nien-Chen
authors.initials: RN
authors.lastname: Kuo
authors.affiliation: Department of Family Medicine, Taipei Veterans General Hospital, Taipei, Taiwan.
authors.forename: Chih-Kuan
authors.initials: CK
authors.lastname: Lai
authors.affiliation: Center for Preventive Services, Hualien Tzu Chi Hospital, Buddhist Tzu Chi Medical Foundation, Hualien, Taiwan College of Medicine, Tzu Chi University, Hualien, Taiwan.
authors.forename: Shih-Tzu
authors.initials: ST
authors.lastname: Tsai
authors.affiliation: Institute of Health and Welfare Policy, College of Medicine, National Yang-Ming University, Taipei, Taiwan.
authors.forename: Yue-Chune
authors.initials: YC
authors.lastname: Lee
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D037001:Directive Counseling / Q000379:methods*; D005260:Female; D005500:Follow-Up Studies; D015277:Hotlines; D006801:Humans; D008137:Longitudinal Studies; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D015397:Program Evaluation; D012907:Smoking / Q000523:psychology*; D016540:Smoking Cessation / Q000379:methods / Q000523:psychology*; D000074606:Smoking Prevention; D013624:Taiwan / Q000453:epidemiology
keywords: EQ-5D; Smoking Cessation; health-related quality of life