The Danish Smoking Cessation Database

Abstract

Background The Danish Smoking Cessation Database (SCDB) was established in 2001 as the first national healthcare register within the field of health promotion.

The aim of the SCDB is to document and evaluate smoking cessation (SC) interventions to assess and improve their quality. The database was also designed to function as a basis for register-based research projects.

The study population includes smokers in Denmark who have received a face-to-face SC intervention offered by an SC clinic affiliated with the SCDB. SC clinics can be any organisation, place or person working with a preventive aim. There are no age limits for registering a smoker in the database.

Data collection The SCDB contains prospectively collected baseline and outcome data on SC clinics, interventions, and individual smokers. Baseline data include socio-economic, demographic, and prognostic factors. The outcome data are smoking status at the end of the programme and after six months and satisfaction with the SC intervention.

Validity Approximately 80-90% of all SC clinics offering systematic face-to-face SC interventions in Denmark are reporting data to the SCDB. The data completeness of the SCDB is very high, at 95-100%. Validation checks have been implemented to ensure high data quality.

Conclusion The SCDB is a well-established clinical database and a priceless tool for monitoring and improving SC interventions in Denmark to identify the best solution to helping smokers become smoke?free. The database is increasingly used in register-based research.