Gender differences in smoking cessation support: a qualitative study of Dutch healthcare professionals' experiences

Effectiveness of smoking cessation support differs between men and women. In order to gain a comprehensive understanding of the gender differences, this study aimed to investigate the experiences of professionals providing support, focusing on perceived variations by clients' and professionals' gender. In 2024, qualitative semi-structured interviews were conducted with 15 professionals providing smoking cessation support in the Netherlands. Interviews were transcribed and analyzed using an inductive reflexive thematic approach. Gender differences were categorized into themes related to the clients' and professionals' gender. Identified themes related to clients' gender were the following: openness to support (e.g. men more often show resistance to support in contrast to women who are generally more open to support), type of support needed (e.g. men more often need structured support), clients' attitude in the support (e.g. men more often have a pragmatic attitude, women are more likely to talk about feelings), and interaction between client and professional (e.g. men should be challenged more and women should be encouraged in their quitting process). Themes related to the professionals' gender were: professionals' portrayal in the support (e.g. professional men are more likely to project authority, professional women are often more easily accessible) and interaction between professional and client (e.g. professional men are more likely to communicate more directly, professional women are more likely to be gentle). The differences suggest that the gender of both clients and professionals may influence the support provided, highlighting the importance of taking gender differences into account when providing smoking cessation support.