Analysis of smoke cessation rate and profile of former smokers living in Belo Horizonte and Metropolitan Region

OBJECTIVE: To estimate the smoking cessation rate and to identify possible associated factors. METHODS: Individuals from the Metropolitan Region of Belo Horizonte (MG) aged 15 years or more who responded to the smoking supplement of the National Household Sample Survey were selected (n=1,297). An estimate was made of the tobacco-use cessation rate relative to the 95% confidence interval. To verify factors associated with smoking cessation, Pearson's χ(2) test or Student's t test were used. RESULTS: The general smoking cessation rate was 56.7% (95% confidence interval: 52.3-61.1), with 57.7% among men and 55.5% among women. The associated factors were higher age and income. Among the 19 individuals who had stopped smoking for less than 12 months, 52.6% had been seen by a physician or healthcare professional in the previous 12 months, and 60% of them were oriented to stop smoking, but only 1 (16.7%) had been oriented at a unit of the public national Unified Healthcare System. CONCLUSION: Despite high rates of smoking cessation, the methods made available by the Unified Healthcare System did not show good results. It is necessary to enhance the healthcare programs that aim to reduce the proportion of smokers in the population. Such measures can have a positive long-term influence in droping mortality and morbidity rates associated with smoking and the costs for healthcare services.