Predictors of the participation of smoking parents in a proactive telephone-based smoking cessation program

The objective of this study is to identify the predictors of participation by smoking parents in a proactive telephone-based smoking cessation program.

The smoking parents of young children from a birth cohort were interviewed and invited to take part in a telephone-based smoking cessation program. The characteristics of the parents and the predictors of participation were analyzed by chi-square test and by logistic regression.

A total of 952 (82.9%) out of the 1149 smoking parents who were interviewed agreed to participate in the smoking cessation program. The analysis showed that the predictors of participation in a pro-active smoking cessation program are being from a middle-income household, being currently employed, having recently had a medical consultation or been hospitalized, being at the stage of contemplating a change in behavior, and perceiving the importance of quitting smoking.

Recruitment approaches should be refined according to the identified factors to target those who might decline an invitation to participate in a smoking cessation program.