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Table 3 Example quotations

From: Perceived pros and cons of smoking and quitting in hard-core smokers: a focus group study

Main category

Example quotation

Participant

1. Finance

That is what made me quit smoking. It costs too much money. And at that time I did not have a lot of money, but I smoked it all away, until I thought: “What am I doing?”

Female former hard-core smoker with high SES

2. Health

In those days [when I smoked], when I had a cold, I sometimes had a cough for over four, five weeks. And I always had to have a handkerchief with me. Nowadays, I have a handkerchief with me for over four days, without even using it. And when I have a cough, it is gone in two days.

Male former hard-core smoker with low SES

3. Intrapersonal Processes

A con [of quitting] was that in the beginning I felt something was missing, I did not know what to do. […] But I got rid of those cravings within a couple of months. I did not worry too long.

Male former hard-core smoker with low SES

4. Social Environment

Only smoking neighbours visit me […] partly because we are neighbours. But non-smoking neighbours do not visit us and we do not visit them. We even do not visit some relatives who do not want you to smoke in their house.

Male current hard-core smoker with low SES

5. Physical Environment

Yes, I loved it when I had quit. Everything was much fresher. […] For me, the biggest advantage was that that my house was clean and fresh.

Female former hard-core smoker with low SES

6. Food and Weight

I quit smoking twice. […] The first time I gained 13 kilos and the second time, about five years ago, I gained 24 kilos. I was so deeply unhappy. […] It was madness. I will never do it again, I will never quit smoking again.

Female current hard-core smoker with low SES

  1. Note: Example quotation for each main category with participant information.