Stages of change in smoking cessation: A comparison of precontemplators and contemplators

Previous research has found support for the transtheoretical model of change, which proposes that smokers move through a series of stages as they attempt to change their smoking habit. This study was designed to further evaluate the first two stages of change, precontemplation and contemplation, in order to explore how we can effectively facilitate positive stage transition. Participants were 140 adult volunteers who were current smokers. The precontemplation (n = 71) and contemplation (n = 30) groups were compared across four areas in which they were hypothesized to differ: smoking and quitting history, self-efficacy beliefs, response outcome expectancies, and gender. Stage of change was defined according to both categorical and continuous dimensions. Although there were no significant differences between the two groups when stage of change was measured categorically, there were differences when stage of change was measured continuously, such that higher stages of change were associated with more positive response outcome expectancies for quitting. The findings are discussed in terms of their potential applications to smoking cessation programs, as well as their implications regarding the stage model of change.