Intervention
chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, airway obstruction
CHRONIC OBSTRUCTIVE PULMONARY DISEASE, AIRWAY OBSTRUCTION
At the screening visit (V0), all eligible participants were informed of the health risks associated with smoking and advised to quit. In addition, they were informed about the study and allowed to participate. Subjects who met inclusion/exclusion criteria and accepted received a letter of invitation, an informed consent form, and an information sheet providing a detailed explanation of the study. After signing the informed consent, participants were randomised and assigned to either the intervention group (IG) or the control group (CG) in a 1:1 ratio. The group assignment was observer-blinded, consecutive, and centralised at the IDIAP Jordi Gol - Tarragona Research Support Unit, following a simple randomisation numeric sequence compiled for this purpose.During the inclusion visit (V1), the following information outlined in the study protocol was collected [All participants received health education and brief counselling about smoking cessation following the 5 A strategy administered by their referring healthcare professional [Smoking cessation counselling.If spirometry values are within normal range, the patient will be informed that their pulmonary function has not yet deteriorated, and that this would be an opportune time to quit smoking.If spirometry values indicate airway obstruction (FEV1/ FVC < 70%), the patient will be informed that they could have chronic obstructive pulmonary disease caused by smoking, and that the most important measure is to quit smoking.If spirometry values show FVC < 80% (airway restriction), the patient will be informed that their pulmonary function could be affected and will be advised to continue with the pulmonary tests normally performed in primary care.To illustrate the deterioration of lung function caused by tobacco smoking, all participants were informed using the Fletcher diagram [All participants were assessed during several telephone follow-up visits with the referring healthcare professional. After 3–6 months (V2) and 6–9 months (V3) post-inclusion, visits were conducted to provide repeated smoking cessation counselling and to monitor changes in smoking habits. Data about smoking habits were once again collected at the final in-person visit, 12 months post-inclusion (V4).Each researcher stored all information obtained using an online application accessible exclusively through the Intranet of the Catalan Health Institute in Tarragona (Spain), with password-restricted access.