[Nicotine dependence and readiness to quit smoking in the Spanish population]

To describe the nicotine dependence and readiness to quit smoking in the smoker population.

Cross-sectional study on a representative sample of the Spanish population of >=18 years old. We gathered information by means of telephone interviews conducted between June and July of 2006. We studied the nicotine dependence with the Fagerström Test for Nicotine Dependence (FTND) and the readiness to quit according to the stages of change from the Transtheoretical Model in a sample of cigarette smokers.

22.5% of participants (95% CI: 20.9-24.2%) smokers cigarettes. They smoked an average of 14.4 cigarettes per day (standard deviation 9.15) and the mean FTND score was 2.8, with no differences by the stages of change. 64.3% (95% CI: 60.3-68.2%) of smokers were in the precontemplation stage, 25.4% (95% CI: 21.8-28.9%) in contemplation, and 10.4% (95% CI: 7.9-12.9%) in preparation, with no differences by sex. The most nicotine dependent smokers (FTND>=6) had mainly primary studies, started to smoke at earlier ages, and smoked more cigarettes per day.

Most Spanish smokers have low nicotine dependence and are in precontemplation stage. Smoking cessation programmes should be addressed to reduce dependence, help smokers to progress through the stages of change, and, consequently, reduce the prevalence of smokers in the population.