Readiness to quit as a predictor of smoking changes in the Minnesota Heart Health Program.

The relation between two indexes of readiness to quit smoking obtained at baseline and subsequent quitting 2-7 years later was examined. Baseline data from the Minnesota Heart Health Program were used to construct 3-item composites of interest in quitting (alpha = .76) and past quitting behavior (alpha = .64). With baseline smoking controlled, both measures predicted quitting at the 2- and 7-year follow-ups but not at 4 years. Only interest in quitting was significant at the 7-year follow-up when both indexes entered the model. Given the representative community sample and the long interval from baseline to the final assessment, the findings provide support for the readiness construct.