3-YEAR FOLLOW-UP SURVEY OF SMOKERS WHO ATTENDED GOOD HEARTED GLASGOW SCREENING SESSIONS

Objective: To investigate recall of advice and changes in lifestyle am ongst smokers who attended 'Good Hearted Glasgow' screening sessions o ver three years ago. Design: Follow-up survey based on a postal questi onnaire. Answers were compared with the information obtained by 'Good Hearted Glasgow' at the time of the screening session. Setting: Two ge neral practices in Glasgow. Subjects: 266 smokers who had attended scr eening sessions at the two practices over three years ago. Main outcom e measures: Recall of the advice given; changes which the participants have made in relevant aspects of their lifestyle (smoking, alcohol in take, fat intake, weight loss) since the event; how helpful the partic ipants perceived the advice given at the time to have been in encourag ing smoking cessation. Results: the response rate was 53% (60% female, 42% male). In total, 94% recalled being advised to stop smoking, 77% have attempted to stop smoking and 11% have stopped smoking. Amongst t hose in the sample who were heavy drinkers at the time, 75% recall bei ng advised to reduce their intake, 56% have attempted to do so and 36% have successfully done so. Amongst those with a raised blood choleste rol concentration, 52% recall it as being high, 68% recalled being adv ised to reduce their fat intake, 83% have attempted to do so and 53% c laim to be on a low fat diet. Of those who were overweight, 68% recall ed being advised to lose weight, 77% have attempted to do so and 36% h ave succeeded in doing so. Conclusions: A high proportion of smokers w ho attended 'Good Hearted Glasgow' screening sessions have attempted t o stop smoking three years -on but only a small proportion have succes sfully done so. This compares unfavourably with claimed changes in alc ohol intake, fat intake and weight loss.