title: Smoking reduction and quality of life in chronic patients with schizophrenia in a Chinese population--A pilot study.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  Tobacco use is a significant public health issue on a global scale. Prevalence of daily tobacco smoking for men in China is much higher than in the United States. Although prevailing literature suggests a negative relationship between smoking and quality of life, this pilot study sought to evaluate whether smoking reduction/cessation impacted on the perception of quality of life in an in-patient population in China.
  
  
  METHODS
  Twenty Chinese patients meeting DSM-IV criteria for schizophrenia were recruited from Beijing Hui-Long-Guan Hospital, an in-patient facility in Beijing, China, for participation in this 4-week study. Seventeen participants with schizophrenia completed the study and were included in the final analysis. Cigarette consumption was recorded daily and the World Health Organization Quality of Life-BREF (WHOQOL-BREF) was completed at baseline and at week 4. The relationships between smoking and perceived quality of life were evaluated using correlations between changes in WHOQOL-BREF and changes in cigarettes consumed as measured from baseline to week 4.
  
  
  RESULTS
  We found an increase in perceived quality of life in the social relationships domain with increased cigarette consumption in contrast to a decrease in this domain with decreased consumption. However, decreased cigarette consumption was associated with an increase in the psychological domain compared to the social domain.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  These associations suggest a need for interventions to improve the social relationship perceptions with any successful reduction in cigarette consumption among Chinese schizophrenics in order to match their perceived psychological improvement.
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, University of Texas Medical School at Houston, Houston, Texas.
authors.forename: Huiqiong
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Deng
authors.affiliation: Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, Texas.
authors.forename: Jia
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Wang
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, University of Texas Medical School at Houston, Houston, Texas.
authors.forename: Xiangyang
authors.initials: X
authors.lastname: Zhang
authors.affiliation: Beijing Hui-Long-Guan Hospital, Peking University, Beijing, China.
authors.forename: Mengying
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Ma
authors.affiliation: Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, Texas.|Michael E. DeBakey VA Medical Center, Houston, Texas.
authors.forename: Coreen
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Domingo
authors.affiliation: Peking University Sixth Hospital/Institute of Mental Health and National Clinical Research Center for Mental Disorders, Beijing, China.|Key Laboratory of Mental Health, Ministry of Health, Peking University, Beijing, China.
authors.forename: Hongqiang
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Sun
authors.affiliation: Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, Texas.|Michael E. DeBakey VA Medical Center, Houston, Texas.
authors.forename: Thomas
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Kosten
mesh_terms: D044466:Asian People / Q000523:psychology*; D039721:Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D010865:Pilot Projects; D011788:Quality of Life / Q000523:psychology*; D012565:Schizophrenic Psychology; D012907:Smoking / Q000523:psychology*; D016540:Smoking Cessation / Q000523:psychology*