Background Shahajahan Miah, a man in his 50s, was referred to the stop smoking service by staff at Newham University Hospital. They were concerned about Shahajahan’s health and encouraged him to quit smoking. Shahajahan had started smoking in his 20s and had previously managed to quit for 4 years about 10 years ago before relapsing. When he entered the stop-smoking programme, Shahajahan was smoking 6 cigarettes per day.
Intervention
Shahajahan worked with Shajue, a stop-smoking advisor, over a period of 4 months. He received behavioural counselling, support, and free stop-smoking medications to help him quit. Shajue was readily available for appointments and provided follow-up calls to support Shahajahan through quitting.
Outcomes
After 4 months of working with Shajue, Shahajahan successfully quit smoking. At the time of this case study, he has been smoke-free for 4 months. Shahajahan reported noticing an improved sense of taste and smell after quitting. He also saves money now that he no longer buys cigarettes.
Shahajahan’s Perspective
“It’s an excellent service. It was easy to access, and receiving free stop-smoking medications was really helpful. If I had any concerns, Shajue was readily available for appointments. She is very approachable and a trustworthy person. The way she communicates, her advice, and follow-up calls supported me on my journey to quit.”
Conclusion
For Shahajahan, accessing a tailored smoking cessation program with counselling and medication support helped him successfully quit after years of smoking. He attributes the accessible, trustworthy support from his stop-smoking advisor as critical in helping him achieve and maintain this significant health behaviour change.