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Smoking Cessation and Quality of Life: Changes in Life Satisfaction Over 3 Years Following a Quit Attempt

  • Original Article
  • Published:
Annals of Behavioral Medicine

Abstract

Background

There has been limited research addressing changes in subjective well-being as a result of quitting smoking.

Purpose

The purpose of this study was to use longitudinal data to determine the relation between smoking cessation and subjective measures of well-being, including global quality of life (QOL), health-related QOL (HR-QOL), affect, relationship satisfaction, and stressor occurrence.

Methods

As part of a randomized, placebo-controlled smoking cessation trial, 1,504 participants (58.2% women, 83.9% white) completed assessments and had their smoking status biochemically confirmed at baseline and years 1 and 3 post-quit.

Results

Compared with continuing smokers, quitters showed improved global QOL, HR-QOL, and affect at years 1 and 3 and fewer stressors by year 3. Smoking status did not influence marital relationship satisfaction.

Conclusions

Successful quitters, in contrast to continuing smokers, reported improved subjective well-being, which could be used to motivate quit attempts by individuals with concerns about what life will be like without cigarettes.

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Acknowledgments

This research was conducted at the University of Wisconsin, Madison, and was supported by grant no. P50 DA019706 from NIH/NIDA and by grant no. M01 RR03186 from the General Clinical Research Centers Program of the National Center for Research Resources, NIH. Dr. Piper was supported by grant 1UL1RR025011 from the Clinical and Translational Science Award (CTSA) program of the National Center for Research Resources (NCRR), National Institutes of Health (NIH). Dr. Baker was supported via NCI 1K05CA139871.

Conflict of interest statement

Drs. Piper, Kenford, and Baker have no potential conflicts of interest to disclose. Over the last 3 years, Michael C. Fiore served as an investigator on research studies at the University of Wisconsin that were funded in part by Nabi Biopharmaceuticals and GlaxoSmithKline. From 1997 to 2010, Dr. Fiore held a University of Wisconsin (UW) named Chair, made possible by a gift to UW from GlaxoWellcome.

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Center for Tobacco Research and Intervention, University of Wisconsin School of Medicine and Public Health, 1930 Monroe St., Suite 200, Madison, WI, 53593, USA

    Megan E. Piper Ph.D., Michael C. Fiore M.D., M.P.H., M.B.A. & Timothy B. Baker Ph.D.

  2. Department of Psychology, Xavier University, 3800 Victory Parkway, Cincinnati, OH, 45207, USA

    Susan Kenford Ph.D.

  3. Center for Tobacco Research and Intervention, 1930 Monroe St., Suite 200, Madison, WI, 53711, USA

    Megan E. Piper Ph.D.

Authors
  1. Megan E. Piper Ph.D.
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  2. Susan Kenford Ph.D.
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  3. Michael C. Fiore M.D., M.P.H., M.B.A.
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  4. Timothy B. Baker Ph.D.
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Correspondence to Megan E. Piper Ph.D..

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Piper, M.E., Kenford, S., Fiore, M.C. et al. Smoking Cessation and Quality of Life: Changes in Life Satisfaction Over 3 Years Following a Quit Attempt. ann. behav. med. 43, 262–270 (2012). https://doi.org/10.1007/s12160-011-9329-2

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s12160-011-9329-2

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