[Antitobacco intervention in chronic patients followed-up at a nursing consult]

To break the dependency on tobacco of smokers with cardiovascular risk factors and monitored at a nursing clinic.

A retrospective evaluation of the experience of anti-tobacco intervention.

Nursing clinic at a primary care health centre.

Patients with arterial hypertension, diabetes mellitus, hyperlipaemia and/or chronic airflow obstruction, who were smokers and were monitored at the health centre nursing clinic during April 1994 (total of 48).

The anti-tobacco action procedure: knowledge of the habit and reason for it, advice on giving up (Practical Guide, information on connected illnesses and advantages), positive back-up in successive visits with practical advice. Follow-up period of 9 months.

After 9 months follow-up, of the 48 original patients: 8 gave up completely (17%), 23 reduced consumption (pre-intervention average of 20 cigarettes a day and post-intervention of 13), 11 smoked the same amount and one patient increased by 3 cigarettes a day. There was no record of 5. On average, patients attended 4 times (range from 1 to 10).

Repeated advice in the nursing clinic on giving up tobacco smoking contributes to reducing patients' cardiovascular risk.