Under-use of smoking-cessation treatments: results from the National Health Interview Survey, 2000.
OBJECTIVE
To describe the use of treatment for tobacco dependence in relation to insurance status and advice from a healthcare provider in a population-based national sample interviewed in 2000.


METHODS
Analyses are based on 3996 adult smokers who participated in the National Health Interview Survey in 2000, and who provided information on tobacco-cessation treatments used at their most recent quit attempt occurring in the last year. Age-adjusted and weighted categorical analysis was used to compute prevalence estimates of self-reported treatments (pharmacotherapy and behavioral counseling) for tobacco dependence. Multivariate logistic regression analyses were used to examine factors associated with use of treatments.


RESULTS
Overall, 22.4% of smokers who tried to quit in the previous year used one or more types of cessation aid compared to 15% in 1986. Treatment usually involved pharmacotherapy (21.7%) rather than behavioral counseling (1.3%). Smokers attempting to quit were more likely to use cessation aids if covered by private (25.4%) or military (25.0%) insurance than by Medicare (17.8%), Medicaid (15.5%), or no insurance (13.2%). In a multivariate analysis of factors related to use of cessation aids, advice from a healthcare provider to quit smoking and the number of cigarettes smoked per day were significant predictors of treatment use, regardless of insurance status.


CONCLUSIONS
Cessation aids are under-used across insurance categories. Advice by a healthcare provider to quit is associated with increased use of effective therapies for tobacco dependence. Systematic efforts are needed to eliminate barriers to appropriate treatment.
Cokkinides
Vilma E
VE
Epidemiology and Surveillance Research, American Cancer Society, Atlanta, Georgia, USA. vcokkini@cancer.org
Ward
Elizabeth
E
Jemal
Ahmedin
A
Thun
Michael J
MJ
D000328:Adult; D003376:Counseling; D019538:Health Care Surveys; D006801:Humans; D007348:Insurance, Health / Q000191:economics*; D010342:Patient Acceptance of Health Care; D010819:Physician's Role; D010817:Physician-Patient Relations; D016540:Smoking Cessation / Q000191:economics / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D014481:United States / Q000453:epidemiology