Dispelling myths about gender differences in smoking cessation: population data from the USA, Canada and Britain.
OBJECTIVE
Based mainly on findings from clinical settings, it has been claimed that women are less likely than men to quit smoking successfully. If true, this would have important implications for tobacco control interventions. The authors aimed to test this possibility using data from general population surveys.


METHODS
The authors used data from major national surveys conducted in 2006-2007 in the USA (Tobacco Use Supplement to the Current Population Survey), Canada (Canadian Tobacco Use Monitoring Survey) and the UK (General Household Survey) to estimate rates of smoking cessation by age in men and women.


RESULTS
The authors found a pattern of gender differences in smoking cessation which was consistent across countries. Below age 50, women were more likely to have given up smoking completely than men, while among older age groups, men were more likely to have quit than women. Across all age groups, there was relatively little difference in cessation between the sexes.


CONCLUSIONS
Conclusions about gender differences in smoking cessation should be based on evidence from the general population rather than from atypical clinical samples. This study has found convincing evidence that men in general are not more likely to quit smoking successfully than women.
Department of Epidemiology and Public Health, University College London, London, UK. martin.jarvis@ucl.ac.uk
Martin J
MJ
Jarvis
Joanna E
JE
Cohen
Cristine D
CD
Delnevo
Gary A
GA
Giovino
D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D002170:Canada / Q000453:epidemiology; D015340:Epidemiologic Research Design; D005260:Female; D006306:Health Surveys; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D012737:Sex Factors; D012907:Smoking / Q000453:epidemiology*; D016540:Smoking Cessation / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D014029:Tobacco Use Disorder; D006113:United Kingdom / Q000453:epidemiology; D014481:United States / Q000453:epidemiology; D055815:Young Adult