Evaluation of the Effect of Fear of COVID-19 on the Prediction of Smoking Cessation Success in Midibus and Minibus Drivers of in Samsun Province

The tobacco epidemic is one of the biggest public health threats facing the world. This study aimed to
determine the smoking status of minibus drivers in Samsun and evaluate the effect of fear of COVID-19
on the prediction of smoking cessation success. The population of this cross-sectional study consisted of
midibus and minibus route drivers in the central districts of Samsun. A questionnaire including COVID-
19 status, COVID-19 Fear Scale, Fagerström Nicotine Dependence Test, changes in smoking habits, and
Smoking Cessation Success Prediction Scale were applied to the participants. The smoking prevalence of
267 participants was 52.0%, and 1.1% had quit smoking during the pandemic. In this period, 12.2% of the
current smokers had decreased their smoking, while 7.2% had increased it. While there was no correlation
between the COVID-19 Fear Scale and the Fagerström Nicotine Dependence Test (p = .163) and the Smoking
Cessation Success Prediction Scale (p = .645), there was a significant correlation between the Fagerström
Test for Nicotine Dependence and the Smoking Cessation Success Prediction Scale (p = .005). The pandemic
increases the will and desire to quit smoking and affects individuals in terms of quitting/reducing smoking
more than increasing it.

Cite this article as: Akgül, E., & Arslan H.N. (2025). Evaluation of the effect of fear of COVID-19 on the prediction of smoking cessation success in midibus and minibus drivers of in Samsun province. Addicta: The Turkish Journal on Addictions, Published online April 28, doi: 10.5152/ADDICTA.2025.24059.