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Table 2 GPs' perceptions of patient and treatment characteristics associated with interventions for substance use (N = 53)

From: Perceptions of substance use, treatment options and training needs among Iranian primary care physicians

Characteristic a

% or n

Who is more willing to quit?

 

   Males

62%

   Don't know

11%

Target groups for campaigns against abuse?

 

   Youth ≤ 25 years

68%

   Urban

5%

   Users and drug and alcohol organisations

8%

   Jails

3%

   Other

16%

What is the most important motive for quitting? b

 

   Family or marital pressure

60%

   Economic pressure

44%

   Tired of addiction

42%

   Legal issues

22%

   Employment issues

12%

   Physical illness

4%

   Other

4%

What is a suitable substitute for substance use? c

 

   Drug or other treatment

18

   Societal, family or community factors

16

   Recreational/sporting activities

11

   Employment

10

   Restricted access or punitive (eg. jail)

3

   Nothing or don't know

7

Most effective methods for quitting nicotine? c

 

   Counselling or psycho-social interventions

22

   Recreational or sporting activities

9

   Pharmacotherapy

7

   Combination of therapies

3

   Alternative therapies

1

   Individual's determination to quit

2

   Don't know

3

Important side-effects of quitting nicotine? c

 

   Restlessness/irritability

18

   Physical symptoms/effects

13

   Emotional symptoms/effects

7

   Non-specified withdrawal symptoms

4

   None

7

Effectiveness of complementary medicines for nicotine dependence? c

 

   Not effective/minimal

10

   Somewhat effective

12

   Effective

6

   Other

6

   Don't know

12

Suitability of GP to provide drug services

 

   Suitable

71%

  1. aData missing: n = 3–12
  2. bDoes not sum to 100%, because these questions asked separately
  3. cDoes not sum to 53, because some GPs gave more than one answer and some gave no answer