Japanese smokers attempt to quit at a lower rate than smokers in the United Kingdom and United States, but factors that predict attempts (primarily markers of motivation) and success of attempts (primarily dependence) are similar to those found in western samples.

Aim:Smoking and adiponectin are individually associated with cardiometabolic pathologies. The present systematic review was carried out in order to summarize the association between the smoking status and circulating adiponectin levels. Methods: Original articles, restricted to epidemiological studies (by a cross-sectional, case-control and cohort study design) and intervention studies for adult humans, were screened for the years 1995-2010. All of the research group members then selected the eligible literature and assessed the articles in a structured systematic review manner. Results: There were 11 key studies, which included 9 articles with a cross-sectional design and 2 articles with an intervention design. Most cross-sectional studies reported lower levels of adiponectin in current smokers than in non/never smokers and/or ex-smokers, while 2 studies reported a non-significant difference in adiponectin between male smokers and non-smokers. The two intervention studies, conducted in patients on 9-week bupropion treatment and 6-month non-pharmacological treatment, reported that smoking cessation increased the adiponectin levels. Conclusion: This review suggests that there is a decreased adiponectin level in current smokers and this reduction can be reversed by quitting smoking. More studies are required to confirm the findings and elucidate the biological mechanisms underlying the association between the smoking status and adiponectin levels.

This study demonstrates that higher behavioral counseling skills were associated with better smoking cessation outcomes. This research is of clinical importance in that it provides a tool for assessing counselling skills in a way that is demonstrably relevant to outcomes.

The dissemination of BI at health checkup facilities encouraging PT utilization is an effective tobacco control policy in Japan.