title: Patterns of self-selected smoking cessation attempts and relapse by menstrual phase.
abstract: Clinical studies are emerging which suggest that sex hormones may play a role in quit attempts and relapse. The present study aim is to determine if menstrual phase plays a role on a second self-selected quit attempt and subsequent relapse during a twenty-six week follow-up. Participants (n=138) were 29.7+/-6.5 years old and smoked 16.1+/-4.8 cigarettes per day. Participants were more likely to self-select a second quit date during the Follicular (F) phase (59.4%) than Luteal (L) phase (40.6%, p=0.033) and were also more likely to relapse during the F phase than the L phase (59.7% vs. 40.3%, p=0.043, respectively). Those who self-selected to quit in the L phase experienced a significantly longer time to relapse than those who chose the F phase (median of 3 days vs. 2 days, respectively; Hazard Ratio=1.599, p-value=0.014). This confirms previous work suggesting quit dates in the F phase are associated with worse smoking cessation outcomes. Additional research is needed to investigate how this relationship may vary with the use of pharmacotherapy.
authors.affiliation: Department of Family Medicine & Community Health, University of Minnesota, Medical School, Minneapolis, MN 55414, United States. allen001@umn.edu
authors.forename: Sharon S
authors.initials: SS
authors.lastname: Allen
authors.forename: Alicia M
authors.initials: AM
authors.lastname: Allen
authors.forename: Scott
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Lunos
authors.forename: Dorothy K
authors.initials: DK
authors.lastname: Hatsukami
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D005260:Female; D005498:Follicular Phase / Q000502:physiology; D006801:Humans; D008183:Luteal Phase / Q000502:physiology; D008597:Menstrual Cycle / Q000502:physiology*; D012008:Recurrence; D012907:Smoking / Q000628:therapy*; D016540:Smoking Cessation / Q000379:methods*; D016896:Treatment Outcome; D016387:Women's Health; D055815:Young Adult