Disability and Health Unit, Centre for Health Equity, The Melbourne School of Population and Global Health, The University of Melbourne, Melbourne, Australia.
Department of Health Sciences, Swinburne University, Melbourne, Australia; Melbourne School of Psychological Sciences, the University of Melbourne, Melbourne, Australia Division of Psychiatry & Applied Psychology, School of Medicine, University of Nottingham, United Kingdom; Department of Cancer Experiences Research, Peter MacCallum Cancer Centre, Melbourne, Australia; Clinical Sciences at Monash Health, Medicine, Nursing and Health Sciences, Monash University.
Mult Scler Relat Disord. 2021 Sep;54:103085. doi: 10.1016/j.msard.2021.103085. Epub 2021 Jun 17.
Smoking is a key modifiable risk factor for health outcomes of people with multiple sclerosis (MS). Little evidence exists on whether the information and support needs of people with MS who smoke are met. This study aimed to explore knowledge, attitudes and beliefs about smoking and quitting, and quitting support needs in Australian people with MS.
Current and recent smokers were recruited for phone interviews through social media and newsletters. Interview data were analysed in NVivo using framework analysis.
We interviewed 25 people with MS (20 current and five recent smokers). Many participants had little knowledge about the risks of smoking on MS progression. Some reported perceived benefits from smoking on MS symptoms, while others perceived smoking worsening their symptoms. Similarly, quitting was believed to have health benefits, but concerns about withdrawal symptoms and the impact on MS symptoms and relapses were common. Participants reported ambivalence discussing smoking with clinicians; some wanting more information and support, while also feeling shame or guilt. Many participants were asked about their smoking status by MS clinicians, however, the provision of evidence-based information, and referrals to quitting support services was very infrequent. General practitioners were often found helpful and supportive, but participants gave more weight to quit advice from MS clinicians.
Our results are the first to indicate that smoking cessation needs of Australian people with MS are not met. These findings should be confirmed in a larger sample, but there is potential to investigate whether implementing routine provision of brief advice in MS care, as a coordinated effort between MS researchers, practitioners, consumer advocates and behavioural intervention services, may meet these needs. Further, developing targeted resources and training quit counsellors to provide appropriate information and support specific to people with MS may improve smoking cessation success in people with MS.
吸烟是多发性硬化症（MS）患者健康结果的一个主要可改变的风险因素。关于吸烟和戒烟信息以及支持需求是否能满足 MS 患者的问题，目前证据有限。本研究旨在探讨澳大利亚 MS 患者对吸烟和戒烟的知识、态度和信念，以及戒烟支持需求。
通过社交媒体和通讯稿招募当前和近期吸烟者进行电话访谈。使用框架分析在 NVivo 中对访谈数据进行分析。
我们采访了 25 名 MS 患者（20 名当前吸烟者和 5 名近期吸烟者）。许多参与者对吸烟对 MS 进展的风险知之甚少。一些人报告称吸烟对 MS 症状有一定益处，而另一些人则认为吸烟会使症状恶化。同样，戒烟被认为对健康有益，但也有许多人担心戒断症状以及对 MS 症状和复发的影响。参与者报告称在与临床医生讨论吸烟问题时感到矛盾；一些人希望获得更多信息和支持，同时也感到羞耻或内疚。许多 MS 临床医生询问了患者的吸烟状况，但很少提供基于证据的信息和戒烟支持服务。全科医生通常很有帮助和支持，但参与者更看重 MS 临床医生的戒烟建议。
我们的研究结果首次表明，澳大利亚 MS 患者的戒烟需求未得到满足。这些发现需要在更大的样本中得到证实，但有可能研究在 MS 护理中实施常规提供简短建议的做法是否可行，这需要 MS 研究人员、临床医生、消费者倡导者和行为干预服务共同协调努力。此外，开发针对 MS 患者的戒烟资源和培训戒烟咨询师，提供针对 MS 患者的适当信息和支持，可能会提高 MS 患者的戒烟成功率。
