SUBTYPES WITHIN A SAMPLE OF PRECONTEMPLATING SMOKERS - A PRELIMINARY EXTENSION OF THE STAGES OF CHANGE

Precontemplating smokers are not planning to quit within the next 6 mo nths. There are indications that this group is not homogeneous. The pr esent investigation aimed at identifying relevant subgroups within thi s large group of smokers in order to refine stage-matched intervention s. Precontemplators were asked whether they were planning to quit (1) within the next year, (2) within the next 5 years, (3) not within the next 5 years but sometime, (4) never, or (5) none of the above. Smoker s who were planning to quit within 5 years (redefined precontemplators ) differed from smokers who were not planning to quit within the next 5 years (immotives) on the pros of quitting but not on self-efficacy s cores. Compared to smokers in the other groups, immotives scored signi ficantly lower on specific factors within the pros of quitting. (C) 19 97 Elsevier Science Ltd.