BMC Public Health 2006, 6:65 http://www.biomedcentral.com/1471-2458/6/65 Table 2: Length of abstinence in the most recent quit attempt < 2 weeks 2 weeks 1 month 2 months 3 months 4 months Total 47.1% (906/1922). Of this sample, 203 (22.4%) indi- cated they had tried to quit smoking at least once in their lifetime ("attempted quitters"), and the remaining 703 smokers indicated that they had never tried to quit. There was no significant difference between attempted quitters versus those who had not tried to quit in terms of age, years of education, occupation, smoking behaviors, dura- tion of smoking, amount smoked, and thoughts about quitting. Nor were there any between-group differences in terms of self-efficacy for quitting ("how would you describe your self-confidence in successfully quitting smoking") and perceived barriers to quitting. The two groups naturally differed only in their quitting intentions, with the percent wanting to quit (24.9%) being signifi- cantly lower among those who made no attempt to quit (703/906 = 77.6%) In Table 1 we include characteristics of our study sample. Complete data were obtained from 201 attempted quit- ters. The majority started smoking after age 20, and almost 65% smoked 10 or more cigarettes per day. Over 76% of respondents reported a low monthly income of less than 1500 RMB (approximately US$186). Notwithstanding evidence of a strong desire to quit amongst our relapsed smokers (36.3%), or those wanting to try to quit (24.9%), overall feelings of self-efficacy in being able to become an ex-smoker were low, with only 15.1% reporting that they were "certain" that they could quit. Evidence of this lack of self efficacy in remaining an Table 3: Reasons given for attempting to quit Health concern (for self and family) Cost Family pressure Advice and example from others Restrictions on smoking (in workplace, on public transportation, at home) Social stigma * Respondents could indicate multiple answers to this item. N 57 42 31 15 16 40 201 N * 155 108 60 72 53 45 % of sample (N = 201) 28.4 20.9 15.4 7.5 7.9 19.9 100.0 95% C.I. 22.3 – 35.1 15.5 – 27.2 10.7 – 21.2 4.2 – 12.0 4.6 – 12.5 14.6 – 26.1 ex-smoker was reflected in an analysis of the duration of the quitting episode. At the most recent attempt to quit, two weeks or less was the maximum smoke free period for half the sample (Table 2). Primary reasons for attempting to quit were found to be related to health concerns (for self and family), costs, advice or examples of successful quitting from others, and family pressures to quit (see Table 3). About one quarter of respondents cited restrictions due to public places such as the work place and the home as a reason to quit. When asked about their most frequently used methods for quit- ting (Survey Item #13), respondents indicated that they used will power most frequently (79.6%) followed by medical measures (11.4%), medications (6.9%), and commercial cessation products (4.5%). Medical measures included using remedies such as Chinese traditional med- icines (Zhou mai yan ke) rather than nicotine replace- ments or western drugs. Not one respondent indicated that he had sought help to quit smoking from a medical practitioner. Participants in the study were asked a series of questions about situations or feelings that influenced or rekindled the desire to smoke during their period of their abstinence (Survey Questions 15–17). Attempted quitters were asked to rank the most influential factor that was a trigger to smoke (i.e., a temptation to slip). This influence was not necessarily a cause to light up or begin smoking again (Question 15). Major triggers to smoke were being in a % of sample (N = 201) 77.1 53.7 29.9 35.8 26.4 22.4 95% C.I. 70.7 – 82.7 46.6 – 60.8 23.6 – 36.7 29.2 – 42.9 20.4 – 33.0 16.8 – 28.8 Page 3 of 7 (page number not for citation purposes)