Quit attempts among current tobacco users attending the outpatient department of Dr Yusuf Dadoo district hospital, South Africa

BACKGROUND: Implementing effective tobacco cessation programmes requires an understanding of the factors that influence quit attempts in a given context. In this study, we explored these factors among current tobacco users attending the outpatient department (OPD) of Dr Yusuf Dadoo Hospital, South Africa. METHODS: In a cross-sectional study involving 275 tobacco users, a researcher-administered questionnaire collected socio-demographic, clinical, tobacco use and quit attempt information. Outcomes of data analysis included the proportion of participants who made quit attempts, the motivations and barriers, and the factors significantly associated with quit attempts. RESULTS: The mean age of the participants was 46.5 years. Most of them were black (61.8%), male (65.8%), and had at least one chronic disease (52.7%) – of which 55.2% had a cardiovascular disease. About 87% of participants smoked cigarettes while 10% used snuff. Most participants made a quit attempt in the past year (74%), perceived it important to quit (92.0%) and felt confident to do so (75.0%). Health concern was the most common motivation for making a quit attempt, while advice from a healthcare provider was the least. Stress and cravings were the top two barriers to make a quit attempt. In regression analysis, being married was the only factor independently associated with making a quit attempt (odds ratio [OR]: 2.13; confidence interval [CI]: 1.17–3.86, p = 0.01). CONCLUSION: Most participants showed readiness to quit. However, healthcare professionals failed to leverage on participants’ motivations about their health to scale up the provision of quit advice to promote smoking cessation.