BACKGROUND: This qualitative study delves into successful cases of a National Inpatient Smoking Cessation Program to further examine individual experiences and compounding factors that weren’t explored in a quantitative result that showed a 70% success rate of the six-month smoking cessation among participants of the program.
METHODS: This study uses qualitative research methods, including conducting in-depth interviews of 10 male smokers who came out of the smoking cessation program successfully quitting smoking for six months. The study uses within-case and cross-case analyses of the interviews with the subjects.
RESULTS: Interviews with the subjects showed different attitudes toward smoking before, during and after the cessation treatment program. As well as across the cases, resulting in three large periods and 11 sub categories. According to the analysis, prior to participating in the program, subjects largely perceived smoking as something that they need to quit at some point – frequent topics including 1)seeing quit smoking as a task, 2)resorting to occasional heavy smoking and 3)being trapped in the never ending cycle of attempting to quit smoking and heavy smoking. During the program, subjects associated the effort to quit smoking as a community effort and a fresh beginning – frequent topics including an emphasis on the 1)can-do spirit, 2)health score cards, 3)the quit smoking community, 4)perseverance and 5)the beginning of a start. Post program perception could largely be described as freedom with restraints – subtopics including 1)freedom from smoking, 2)occasional cravings and 3)helper’s high.
CONCLUSIONS: The in-depth examination of successful cases of quitting smoking presents three recommendations for National Inpatient Smoking Cessation Program in Korea. Firstly, to find participants through smokers, their friends, family and others close to them; secondly to organize programs that reflect successful cases of quitting smoking; and lastly to provide post-program care focused on curbing cravings and to expand the programs through helper’s high.