[Effectiveness of a planned smoking identification and intervention program in rural health centers: a...

To evaluate the impact of a smoking screening and intervention program in a rural population aged 14 years and older, treated at the Caspe Health Center (Aragón, Spain).

A quasi-experimental, prospective and observational study was conducted between June 2023 and December 2024 in a rural primary health care area (n=11,680 inhabitants). Patients aged 15 years and older, seen in routine and continuing care consultations, were included. Patients were systematically questioned about tobacco use, and if they responded positively, appropriate intervention was provided. This intervention was tailored to patient motivation (Richmond test) and dependence level (Fagerström test), including brief counseling or intensive intervention with possible pharmacological treatment.

A total of 1,159 patients (59.96% men) were evaluated. Tobacco use registration coverage was 59.5% in 2023 and 60.2% in 2024, far exceeding established standards. Recorded smoking prevalence increased from 18.12% to 41.63% between the two periods. Sixty-seven percent of registered smokers had some type of intervention recorded at least one year prior to the evaluation period, meeting quality standards for all indicators.

Brief and intensive interventions systematically applied in rural Primary Care are effective for the detection and treatment of tobacco use. Compliance with standards and the results obtained support the feasibility of replicating this strategy in other rural areas, contributing to the reduction of tobacco use and its consequences on public health.