Planning to Quit Among Rural, Medically Ill Smokers

Audience: Tobacco Treatment Specialists, Tobacco Control Advocates

Key Points:

Individual factors, limited access to treatment, and sociocultural barriers to tobacco cessation in rural regions contribute to disproportionately high smoking rates for adults who are rural dwelling and medically ill.

The purpose of this study was to explore factors associated with engagement in smoking cessation among medically ill smokers living in rural communities.

A cross-sectional, non-experimental self-report survey was administered to current or recent (quit less than 3 months) adult smokers (N = 62) at a rural Kentucky free clinic. The respondents were 61% female, 77% Caucasian, low income, smoked an average of one pack/day, and had a mean age of 49.4 (SD = 8.6). Just over one-third (37%) reported no plan to quit. All were being treated for a tobacco related illness, predominantly cardiovascular disease (69%).

Predictors of having a plan to quit were self-reported quit attempts in the prior 12 months and confidence to quit.  Other factors, including having a medical or psychiatric illness or living with other smokers, were not associated with planning to quit.  Prior quit attempts more than doubled the likelihood of planning to quit.

Educational Experience:

Poster or lecture/panel discussion focused on cessation treatment in high risk, marginalized populations.

Benefits:

Motivational and practical counseling to promote quit attempts and increase confidence to quit is critical to keeping people engaged in the quit process. These strategies are cost-effective and have the potential to significantly impact the toll of tobacco use, even in high risk marginalized populations.