Readiness Visual Analog Scale: A Simple Way to Predict Post-Stroke Smoking Behavior

International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health

Przemyslaw Bienkowski²  Pawel Zatorski²  Agata Glebicka²  Anna Scinska³  Iwona Kurkowska-Jastrzebska⁴  Magdalena Restel³  Jerzy Samochowiec¹  Danuta Ryglewicz³  Halina Sienkiewicz-Jarosz³ 

[1] Department of Psychiatry, Pomeranian Medical University, 70-204 Szczecin, Poland; E-Mail:;Department of Pharmacology, Institute of Psychiatry and Neurology, 02-957 Warsaw, Poland; E-Mails:;1st Department of Neurology, Institute of Psychiatry and Neurology, 9 Sobieskiego St., 02-957 Warsaw, Poland; E-Mails:;2nd Department of Neurology, Institute of Psychiatry and Neurology, 02-957 Warsaw, Poland; E-Mail:

关键词: cigarette smoking;    ischemic stroke;    secondary prevention;    readiness to quit;    visual analog scale;   

DOI  :  10.3390/ijerph120809536

来源: mdpi

【 摘 要 】

Background and Purpose: The aim of the present study was to assess a relationship between readiness to quit and post-stroke smoking behavior. Methods: Eighty-six active smokers with first-ever ischemic stroke were recruited in a tertiary-care stroke unit. The question “Are you ready to quit smoking within the next month?” with yes/no responses and the 10-cm readiness visual analog scale (VAS) was administered during the anti-smoking intervention. Smoking status was verified at the 3- and 12-month follow-up. Results: The readiness VAS score at hospitalization was significantly lower in patients classified as smokers as compared to patients classified as non-smokers. The readiness score <5 cm was a significant predictor of smoking at the 3-month (OR, 7.3) and 12-month follow-up (OR, 4.9). Conclusions: The present results suggest that the readiness VAS can be used as a simple and inexpensive instrument for early identification of patients who continue to smoke after stroke.

【 授权许可】

CC BY   
© 2015 by the authors; licensee MDPI, Basel, Switzerland.