Abstract C16: Effects of cessation counseling types on quit attempts and intentions

Abstract

Abstract Smoking cessation assistance programs aid smokers in quitting. While cessation programs have shown some effectiveness, many smokers do not utilize them. The combination of nicotine addiction, access to cheaper products and a general lack of access to smoking cessation tools present difficulties to smokers. Direct counseling from a healthcare provider has been shown to aid in smokers thinking about quitting their smoking; however greater assistance is often needed beyond the recommendation to quit. The purpose of this study was to examine the effect different types of cessation counseling on (1) quit attempts and (2) intention to quit within the next month. We hypothesized that advice + quit assistance from a healthcare provider would be associated with making a quit attempt and intending to quit within the next month when compared with advice alone. This paper presents data from the first eight waves of the International Tobacco Control (ITC) US adult smoker survey from 2002-2011 (N=6669). Participants who visited a healthcare provider within the past year of survey were eligible for inclusion. The levels of healthcare provider counseling included no advice, advice only, and advice + quit assistance. Repeated measures logistic regression, using generalized estimating equations (GEE) was used to model (1) whether participants made a quit attempt and (2) intention to quit within the next month. Models were controlled for age, sex, daily smoking, time-in-sample, wave, education, income, and region, as well as cessation counseling. Over 60% of participants indicated having seen a healthcare provider, with over 60% receiving advice to quit. Among those who reported receiving advice to quit, less than one third received a referral or quit prescription and less than one half received a pamphlet from their healthcare provider. Those receiving advice + quit assistance were almost twice as likely to have attempted to quit as those who received advice only. Participants receiving assistance were more likely to intend to quit within the next month. Not all smokers get advice to stop smoking when seen by their doctor and even fewer get offered assistance beyond the recommendation to stop smoking. This study shows that those who received both advice and assistance were more likely to report making a quit attempt or at least report a greater intention to stop smoking in the future. Citation Format: Monica E. Cornelius, K. Michael Cummings. Effects of cessation counseling types on quit attempts and intentions. [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the Twelfth Annual AACR International Conference on Frontiers in Cancer Prevention Research; 2013 Oct 27-30; National Harbor, MD. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Can Prev Res 2013;6(11 Suppl): Abstract nr C16.