Differences in Quit Attempts, Successful Quits, Methods, and Motivations in a Longitudinal Cohort of
Saturday, June 19, 2021
Posted by: Natalia Gromov
Patterson
JG, Hinton A, Cooper SE, Wewers ME.
Differences in Quit
Attempts, Successful Quits, Methods, and Motivations in a Longitudinal Cohort
of Adult Tobacco Users by Sexual Orientation.
Nicotine Tob Res. 2021 Jun 1:ntab116. doi: 10.1093/ntr/ntab116. Epub ahead of
print. PMID: 34060633.
Introduction.
Sexual minority (SM) tobacco users are less likely to successfully quit than
heterosexuals, yet little evidence describes cessation behaviors in this
population over time. Our study investigated quit motivations, attempts, and
methods in a longitudinal cohort of adult tobacco users by sexual orientation.
Methods.
Participants (N = 1177) completed interviews every 6 months through 48 months
and reported quit attempts (24-hours tobacco free), successful quits (7-day
point prevalence abstinence), motivations, and methods. Chi-squared and
Fisher's exact tests assessed differences by heterosexual and SM orientation,
gender, and quit outcome (attempt-only vs. successful quit).
Results.
Quit rates were similar for heterosexual and SM adults. Over half attempted to
quit at least once over 48 months, but few remained abstinent (SM: 16.9%;
heterosexual: 12.1%). Most used nicotine replacement therapy (SM: 31.9%;
heterosexual: 26.1%) or tobacco product substitution (SM: 27.7%; heterosexual:
21.2%). Few used quitlines (SM: 4.3%; heterosexual: 1.3%) or internet-based
programs (SM: 6.4%; heterosexual: 1.3%). Quit motivations included health
concerns, family, and physical fitness. Participants reporting a successful
quit were more likely to report a household member quit smoking than 24-hour
quit attempters. Among participants reporting a successful quit, more SM than
heterosexual participants reported that a coworker quit smoking (55.6% vs
33.1%, p = .009).
Conclusions.
We found few differences between heterosexual and SM tobacco users in our
sample. Many repeatedly attempt to quit, yet few used evidence-based methods.
Leveraging online quit programs, health messages, and family members in
tailored cessation interventions may help SM and heterosexual tobacco users
successfully quit.
Implications.
Sexual minority (SM) and heterosexual tobacco users evidenced few differences
in quit behaviors. Over 4-years, a majority attempted to quit, with over a
third making repeated quit attempts. Nicotine replacement therapy and tobacco
product substitution were mostly used during quit attempts; however, more SM
than heterosexual men reported using web-based quit programs. Personal health
and family concerns were universal motivations to quit, yet SM women also cited
physical fitness as a primary motivation. Tobacco users reporting that a
household member stopped smoking were more likely to successfully quit. More SM
than heterosexual men reported that a co-worker quit smoking.
|
|
Email to a Friend