Gender differences in smoking cessation after 3 years in the Lung Health Study.
OBJECTIVE
An analysis of gender differences in smoking cessation was conducted among 3923 participants in the Special Intervention group of the Lung Health Study. This report focuses on gender differences in sustained quit rates at 12 and 36 months.


METHODS
Special Intervention participants were offered a 12-session, 12-week smoking cessation program using nicotine gum and were followed for 3 years. Self-reported smoking status was validated with carbon monoxide and salivary cotinine.


RESULTS
Men had higher sustained quit rates at 12 and 36 months; gender differences were found in baseline variables that also predicted sustained abstinence; and controlling for selected baseline variables reduced the association between gender and sustained abstinence. When other variables were controlled, gender predicted sustained abstinence at 36 months (odds ratio [OR] = 1.24, 95% confidence interval [CI] = 1.04, 1.48) but not 12 months (OR = 1.08, 95% CI = 0.92, 1.27), reflecting more late relapse among women.


CONCLUSIONS
Demographics and smoking history were more important than gender per se in sustained smoking cessation in the Lung Health Study. Programs tailoring smoking cessation by gender need to include coping skills for problems associated with less education and social support and for improving persistence with quit attempts.
Department of Physiology, Oregon Health Sciences University, Portland 97201.
W
W
Bjornson
C
C
Rand
J E
JE
Connett
P
P
Lindgren
M
M
Nides
F
F
Pope
A S
AS
Buist
C
C
Hoppe-Ryan
P
P
O'Hara
D000328:Adult; D000428:Alcohol Drinking; D000704:Analysis of Variance; D004522:Educational Status; D005069:Evaluation Studies as Topic; D005260:Female; D006304:Health Status; D006306:Health Surveys; D006801:Humans; D008173:Lung Diseases, Obstructive / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000517:prevention & control*; D008297:Male; D008393:Marriage; D008875:Middle Aged; D012737:Sex Factors; D012907:Smoking / Q000009:adverse effects*; D016540:Smoking Cessation / Q000379:methods*