How to Motivate Patients with Rheumatoid Arthritis to Quit Smoking

Seropositive rheumatoid arthritis (RA) is strongly linked to cigarette smoking, and smoking cessation is an essential step in RA management. Our objectives were to develop RA and smoking awareness materials and to evaluate the influence of the materials on awareness about the links between RA and smoking and on motivation to quit smoking.

A group of patients with seropositive RA in Fife, Scotland, were telephoned before the campaign, and the results of the precampaign questionnaire were used to develop the image for the campaign. After the campaign a second group of patients were questioned to ascertain the effect of the campaign.

The 320 patient responses to the precampaign questionnaire revealed that many ex-smokers with RA had quit when they developed a known smoking-related disease such as emphysema. This concept was used to develop an image illustrating that RA is a smoking-related disease. The campaign was launched in Fife in 2011. The postcampaign questionnaire involving 380 patients revealed that there was 21% higher awareness of a link between RA and smoking and 45% higher awareness that smoking could interfere with treatment of RA. In total, 13/75 smokers who had cut down since the campaign had been influenced by the new information.

The new materials have successfully increased patients' knowledge of the link between RA and smoking and the effect of smoking on RA therapy. RA smokers' attitudes to smoking may have been affected by the campaign.