Background: Smoking is a risk factor for chronic diseases. A combination of tobacco use with occupational hazards among industrial workers could increase the risk of occupational disease and injury. Nicotine is known to be highly addictive. It is difficult not only to maintain the decrease in smoking but also to continue quitting tobacco use. Moreover, nicotine withdrawal can be challenging and lead to failure in the smoking cessation process. Self-efficacy theory has been used recently for the development of effective smoking cessation programs.

Objective: To develop an online nicotine withdrawal symptoms management program based on self-efficacy theory and examine its effectiveness.

Materials and Methods: A quasi-experimental design with a control group pretest-posttest design was used. The sample consisted of male employees working in a consumer product manufacturing industry in Bangkok. An intervention group (n=28) received an online nicotine withdrawal symptoms management program via LINE application based on self-efficacy theory for one month. In comparison, participants in the control group (n=29) received a conventional smoking cessation program. The effectiveness of the intervention on nicotine withdrawal symptoms, cigarette craving, self-efficacy perception of nicotine withdrawal management, cigarette rolls per day, nicotine dependence level, exhaled carbon monoxide level, and smoking cessation behavior the first and fourth week were examined using a repeated-measures analysis of variance.

Results: At one-month follow-up, there were significant differences between the two groups on nicotine withdrawal symptoms score, cigarette craving level, self-efficacy perception of nicotine withdrawal management, cigarette rolls per day, nicotine addiction level, exhaled carbon monoxide level, and smoking cessation behaviors (p<0.001). In addition, there was a significant difference in the self-reported nicotine withdrawal symptoms score in terms of irritability, anger, anxiety, concentration deficit, depression, and insomnia (p<0.001) between groups, between times, and between times and groups (p<0.001).

Conclusion: Nicotine withdrawal symptoms management program using LINE application is effective in encouraging smoking cessation.

Keywords: Smoking cessation; Nicotine withdrawal symptoms; LINE application; Industrial workers

DOI: doi.org/10.35755/jmedassocthai.2021.12.13025

Received 9 March 2021 | Revised 3 October 2021 | Accepted 4 October 2021