Table 3.

Identified themes from the researchers’ reflections and accounts of their experience

Theme	Number of studies contributing evidence to the theme	Informal evidence example	Correspondence between theme and study outcomes
Intensive smoking cessation support	6	‘It is thus of paramount importance to design intensive … interventions.’ (Li et al.30)	Canga et al.35, Pérez-Tortosa et al.32 and Thankappan et al.31 acknowledged the significance of an intensive smoking cessation intervention in achieving
		‘An intensive intervention adapted to the individual stage of change delivered in primary care for diabetic smokers was feasible and effective.’ (Pérez-Tortosa et al.32)	the outlined results. On the other hand, Albaroodi et al.33, Li et al.30 and Hokanson et al.37 whose interventions were less intensive in nature and
		‘This study found a dose response relationship between counseling and quit rate.’ (Thankappan et al.31)	unsuccessful, remarked on the need for a more intensive intervention.
Strong warning messages on tobacco associated diabetic complications	3	‘Our findings suggest that a brief disease-centered cessation message from the doctor, given in conjunction with use of disease-complication visual aids, has a significant impact on diabetes patients.’ (Ng et al.38)	Both Ng et al.38 and Thankappan et al.31 whose interventions included strong warning messages on tobacco-associated diabetic complications (such as visual aids), reported a significant decrease in smoking prevalence.
		‘In our study both the doctor and the counselor used visual aids and diabetes specific smoking cessation materials ... to motivate patients to consider quitting to prevent complications from diabetes.’ (Thankappan et al.31)	Conversely, Li et al.30 whose findings were not significant, recommended the use of stronger messages on tobacco-associated diabetic complications to promote smoking cessation.