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Introduction As Stop Smoking Clinics (SSCs) become more common across the globe, it is important to know how far one can make broad generalisations concerning characteristics of smokers who attend these clinics and factors that predict their success. This involves accumulation of data from different countries. Objective The aim of this study was to identify characteristics of smokers and factors leading up to quitting with clinics in Malaysia. Method Records from 629 smokers who had sought help from five selected SSCs in Malaysia from January 2006 to June 2007 were analysed. Results The characteristics of smokers attending Malaysian smoking clinics were broadly similar to those in Western countries. Consistent with the findings from other countries, older age and longest duration of previous quit attempts were associated with successful smoking cessation. Greater baseline carbon-monoxide readings (OR 0.96, 95% CI 0.93–0.99; p = 0.013), but not Fagerstrom Test for Nicotine Dependence (FTND), predicted failure to quit at six-month in multivariate analysis. Success rates varied greatly between clinics even after adjusting for all other predictors. Conclusion In these rare data from a non-Western culture some predictors of successful smoking cessation appeared to generalise from Western smokers but the universal validity of the FTND in particular needs to be examined further.

Background It has been proposed that the expired-air carbon monoxide (CO) threshold for confirming smoking abstinence in clinical practice be reduced below 10 ppm. Optimal thresholds may vary across regions. Data are needed to assess the impact of such a change on claimed success. Methods A total of 253 smokers who attended the Tanglin quit smoking clinic in Malaysia were followed-up 1, 3 and 6 months after the target quit date. All participants received a standard behavioural support programme and were prescribed either varenicline or nicotine replacement therapy. Expired-air CO was measured at every visit. Respondents' smoking status was assessed using a range of different CO thresholds (3, 5 and 10 ppm) and the impact on quit rates was calculated. Predictors of success as defined using the different thresholds were assessed. Results The 6-month abstinence rates were: 1 month — 54.9% at 10 ppm, 54.9% at 5 ppm and 48.6% at 3 ppm; 3 months — 36.0% at 10 ppm, 35.2% at 5 ppm and 30.4% at 3 ppm; 6 months — 24.1% at 10 ppm, 24.1% at 5 ppm and 20.6% at 3 ppm. Older smokers were more likely to be recorded as abstinent at 6 months regardless of the threshold used. Conclusions Reducing the threshold for expired-air carbon monoxide concentrations to verify claimed smoking abstinence from 10 ppm to 5 ppm makes minimal difference to documented success rates in Malaysian smoker's clinic patients. Reducing to 3 ppm decreases success rates slightly. Predictors of success at stopping appear to be unaffected by the threshold used.