A prospective five-year follow-up of smokers who quit on their own

A group of 104 ex-smokers, drawn from a stratified random sample of community-living, middle-class families, were followed prospectively over a 5-year period. Initially, a subset of 98 of these ex-smokers were interviewed regarding their experiences and attitudes toward cigarette smoking. A total of 93 (95%) of these 98 ex-smokers reported that they had successfully quit smoking without the help of any organization or health care professional. This 95% rate of self-generated cessation exceeds the reported national average of 70-80% for ex-smokers. A variety of factors including a general concern for health were influential in their decision to quit smoking and in their choice of strategies used. Over the 5-year period of this study, 95 of these 104 ex-smokers remained completely abstinent. The implications of these findings are discussed in terms of future efforts to prevent smoking in children and to promote smoking cessation in adults.