Gender Differences in Outcome of an Attempt to Stop Smoking Among Smokers Attending a Smoking Cessation Clinic in Taiwan: 3-Year Follow-Up Study. (September 2016)

• Record Type: Journal Article
• Authors: Wu, Pin-Chieh; Hsueh, Kuang-Chieh; Mar, Guang-Yuan; Hsueh, Shu-Chun; Tu, Ming-Shium; McRobbie, Hayden; Hajek, Peter
• Is Part Of: Evaluation & the health professions. Volume 39:Number 3(2016:Sep.)
• Page Start: 317
• Page End: 325
• Publication Date: 2016-09
• Subjects: smoking cessation clinic -- transdermal nicotine patch -- gender -- 3-year follow-up -- adult; Medical care -- Evaluation -- Periodicals; Medicine -- Ability testing -- Periodicals; 362.105
• DOI: 10.1177/0163278715616439
• Languages: English
• ISSNs: 0163-2787

Abstract

Studies that have examined gender differences in smoking cessation have produced mixed results. The purpose of the study was to examine whether there are gender differences in long-term smoking abstinence rates in smokers treated with nicotine patches at a smoking cessation clinic in Taiwan, where 39% of men and 5% of women smoke. This study included 1, 065 smokers, comprising of 940 men and 125 women. Smokers were invited to attend the clinic every 1–2 weeks for a maximum of eight visits over 90 days, where they received prescriptions for nicotine patches, counseling, and educational materials. Participants were contacted by telephone at 1 and 3 years after the first visit and were asked whether they had smoked at all over the past 7 days. The results showed that women were significantly less likely than men to be abstinent at 1 year (adjusted odds ratio [a OR ] = 0.64; 95% CI [confidence interval] = [0.41, 0.99]; p = .044) and 3 years (a OR = 0.44; 95% CI = [0.27, 0.74]; p = .02). More effective ways are needed to help female smokers quit in societies where smoking in women is rare and may be associated with social stigma.