Recruitment and Participation of General Practitioners in a Multipractice Study of Smoking Cessation

In May 1986, all 398 general practitioners (GPs) in western Norway were invited by letter to take part in a multipractice intervention study of smoking cessation among pregnant women. The aims of the intervention study were: 1) to find out how a smoking cessation model can be implemented in ordinary consultations in general practice, and 2) to compare smoking cessation in pregnant and non-pregnant women. The intervention study lasted for three years. 187 (47%) GPs completed the study. Working in a group practice, working on regular salary, having started specialization in general practice, being less than 40 years of age, and being a non-smoker were significantly more common among the participating GPs. They also had significantly fewer consultations per week than their non-participating colleagues. A stepwise multiple logistic regression analysis revealed that smoking habits predicted participation in the study far more than any other predictor.