title: Quitting activity and tobacco brand switching: findings from the ITC-4 Country Survey.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  Among Australian smokers, to examine associations between cigarette brand switching, quitting activity and possible causal directions by lagging the relationships in different directions.
  
  
  METHODS
  Current smokers from nine waves (2002 to early 2012) of the ITC-4 Country Survey Australian dataset were surveyed. Measures were brand switching, both brand family and product type (roll-your-own versus factory-made cigarettes) reported in adjacent waves, interest in quitting, recent quit attempts, and one month sustained abstinence.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Switching at one interval was unrelated to concurrent quit interest. Quit interest predicted switching at the following interval, but the effect disappeared once subsequent quit attempts were controlled for. Recent quit attempts more strongly predicted switching at concurrent (OR 1.34, 95%CI=1.18-1.52, p<0.001) and subsequent intervals (OR 1.31, 95%CI=1.12-1.53, p=0.001) than switching predicted quit attempts, with greater asymmetry when both types of switching were combined. One month sustained abstinence and switching were unrelated in the same interval; however, after controlling for concurrent switching and excluding type switchers, sustained abstinence predicted lower chance of switching at the following interval (OR=0.66, 95%CI=0.47-0.93, p=0.016).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The asymmetry suggests brand switching does not affect subsequent quitting.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Brand switching does not appear to interfere with quitting.
authors.affiliation: Department of Epidemiology & Preventive Medicine, School of Public Health & Preventive Medicine, Monash University, Victoria.
authors.forename: Genevieve A
authors.initials: GA
authors.lastname: Cowie
authors.forename: Elena
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Swift
authors.forename: Timea
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Partos
authors.forename: Ron
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Borland
mesh_terms: D000367:Age Factors; D001315:Australia; D002755:Choice Behavior; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D033182:Intention; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D012907:Smoking / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000523:psychology*; D016540:Smoking Cessation / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D000074606:Smoking Prevention; D012959:Socioeconomic Factors; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires; D062789:Tobacco Products / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D014029:Tobacco Use Disorder / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000517:prevention & control / Q000523:psychology*
keywords: brand loyalty; brand switching; intentions to quit; quit attempts; smoking cessation; tobacco smoking
references.citation: Tob Control. 2010 Dec;19(6):481-7
references.pmid: 20870740
references.citation: Tob Control. 2009 Dec;18(6):485-90
references.pmid: 19892697
references.citation: Addiction. 2009 Apr;104(4):669-75
references.pmid: 19215595
references.citation: Tob Control. 2007 Feb;16(1):34-7
references.pmid: 17297071
references.citation: Addiction. 2011 Sep;106(9):1687-95
references.pmid: 21561498
references.citation: Ethn Dis. 2001 Autumn;11(3):532-9
references.pmid: 11572418
references.citation: Nicotine Tob Res. 2012 Jul;14(7):864-70
references.pmid: 22193571
references.citation: Nicotine Tob Res. 2013 Sep;15(9):1578-87
references.pmid: 23493370
references.citation: Health Educ Res. 2013 Oct;28(5):898-910
references.pmid: 23640986
references.citation: Tob Control. 2006 Jun;15 Suppl 3:iii59-64
references.pmid: 16754948
references.citation: Tob Control. 2006 Jun;15 Suppl 3:iii3-11
references.pmid: 16754944
references.citation: Tob Control. 2006 Jun;15 Suppl 3:iii12-8
references.pmid: 16754941
references.citation: Health Econ. 2005 Jun;14(6):627-41
references.pmid: 15791675
references.citation: Tob Control. 2005 Apr;14(2):86-92
references.pmid: 15791017
references.citation: Nicotine Tob Res. 2003 Oct;5(5):665-71
references.pmid: 14577983
references.citation: Tob Control. 1997;6 Suppl 2:S38-43
references.pmid: 9583651
references.citation: J Gen Intern Med. 2004 May;19(5 Pt 1):419-26
references.pmid: 15109339
references.citation: Tob Control. 2014 Mar;23 Suppl 1:i73-9
references.pmid: 24078075
references.citation: Nicotine Tob Res. 2002;4 Suppl 2:S147-55
references.pmid: 12573176