Four in five older smokers who had relapsed wanted help with another quit attempt

Design

Retrospective cohort with single long-term telephone follow-up

Population

297 adults aged ≥60 who attended a smoking cessation clinic in Türkiye, 2015–2020

Primary outcome

Self-reported smoking status 4.6–9.8 years later

Effect

36.1% of 97 respondents not smoking (cohort range 12.9–77.1%); 80.6% of smokers willing to retry

This retrospective cohort reviewed adults aged 60 or over who attended a smoking cessation clinic in Türkiye between 2015 and 2020, then phoned them in October 2024, between about five and ten years later. Of 297 eligible, 26 had died; 97 of the remaining 271 were reached.

Among respondents, 36.1% said they were not currently smoking and 44.3% had at some point managed a year or more without smoking. Because almost two-thirds could not be contacted, the true figure for the whole group could be anywhere from 12.9% to 77.1%, and the authors are careful not to call it an abstinence rate. No treatment approach stood out. Of the 62 still smoking, 50 (80.6%) said they would accept support for another attempt.

The abstinence estimate is too uncertain to use. The useful finding is the last one: years after a failed attempt, most older smokers remain willing to try again. Relapse is the usual course of quitting, not a reason to stop offering help, and stopping smoking still adds healthy years in later life.

• Ask every older patient who smokes whether they would like help to quit, even after earlier failed attempts.
• Most relapsed older smokers in this cohort wanted support for another attempt.
• Offer pharmacotherapy with behavioural support, which together give the best chance of success.
• Record smoking status and quit attempts at each review so re-engagement is prompted.
• Tell patients that stopping in their sixties or later still reduces cardiovascular and respiratory risk.

Why it matters

A failed quit attempt years ago is not a reason to stop asking.

Don't overread it

The long-term quit rate cannot be estimated from this study because most of the cohort was not reached.

The statistics, in plain English

With only 36% of the cohort reached, the 36.1% quit figure applies to respondents only. The 12.9% to 77.1% range shows what the answer would be if every non-respondent were smoking, or none were.

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