title: The use of cessation assistance among smokers from China: Findings from the ITC China Survey.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Stop smoking medications significantly increase the likelihood of smoking cessation. However, there are no population-based studies of stop-smoking medication use in China, the largest tobacco market in the world. This study examined stop-smoking medication use and its association with quitting behavior among a population-based sample of Chinese smokers.
  
  
  METHODS
  Face-to-face interviews were conducted with 4,627 smokers from six cities in the ITC China cohort survey. Longitudinal analyses were conducted using Wave 1 (April to August, 2006) and Wave 2 (November 2007 to January 2008).
  
  
  RESULTS
  Approximately 26% of smokers had attempted to quit between Waves 1 and 2, and 6% were abstinent at 18-month follow-up. Only 5.8% of those attempting to quit reported NRT use and NRT was associated with lower odds of abstinence at Wave 2 (OR = 0.11; 95%CI = 0.03-0.46). Visiting a doctor/health professional was associated with greater attempts to quit smoking (OR = 1.60 and 2.78; 95%CI = 1.22-2.10 and 2.21-3.49 respectively) and being abstinent (OR = 1.77 and 1.85; 95%CI = 1.18-2.66 and 1.13-3.04 respectively) at 18-month follow-up relative to the smokers who did not visit doctor/health professional.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The use of formal help for smoking cessation is low in China. There is an urgent need to explore the use and effectiveness of stop-smoking medications in China and in other non-Western markets.
authors.affiliation: Department of Health Studies and Gerontology, University of Waterloo, Waterloo, Canada.
authors.forename: Jilan
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Yang
authors.forename: David
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Hammond
authors.forename: Pete
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Driezen
authors.forename: Richard J
authors.initials: RJ
authors.lastname: O'Connor
authors.forename: Qiang
authors.initials: Q
authors.lastname: Li
authors.forename: Hua-Hie
authors.initials: HH
authors.lastname: Yong
authors.forename: Geoffrey T
authors.initials: GT
authors.lastname: Fong
authors.forename: Yuan
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Jiang
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D002681:China / Q000453:epidemiology; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007407:Interviews as Topic; D008137:Longitudinal Studies; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D012907:Smoking / Q000453:epidemiology; D016540:Smoking Cessation / Q000379:methods*; D012944:Social Support; D014029:Tobacco Use Disorder / Q000188:drug therapy; D055815:Young Adult