[An experience applying the transtheoretical model to assist a highly educated case to quit smoking]

Although smokers who are highly educated understand the risks involved in smoking, they tend to be highly influenced by the opinions of others and thus subject to severe social pressures. This is a case report on the application of the transtheoretical model of behavioral change to a an individual with a PhD in biotechnology who had been smoking for 20 years. The effects of the developed smoking cessation intervention were investigated and data were collected through personal meetings, telephone interviews, and e-mail during a smoking cessation counseling program that lasted from October 18th, 2012, to April 15th, 2013. The results of the assessment indicated that the main problem encountered by the case when quitting was a lack of confidence in attempting to quit smoking after experiencing previous failed attempts. In this report, strategies related to the transtheoretical model were used and counseling was provided during the smoking cessation process. Individualized strategic methods were developed to be effective in highly educated people who smoke in order to achieve successfully cessation of smoking. This report serves as a reference for using the transtheoretical model of behavioral change in developing smoking cessation programs.