Demographic factors and rural residence history associated with smoking history

Understanding personal and geographic factors associated with smoking is important to design and implement interventions focused on reducing cancer health disparities. Scant research has been published recently regarding factors associated with smoking history associations within rural communities.

To examine demographic factors and rural residence history for associations with smoking history.

In a cross-sectional study of cancer-related behaviors, 1,786 adults (mean age 47.9 ± 17.5 years; 53% female, 84% White) completed an online survey in 2020. We examined factors associated with smoking history (having smoked at least 100 cigarettes) using independent t-tests, chi-square tests, and logistic regression.

Of the participants, 36% had a rural residence history and 49% had a smoking history. A larger proportion of men than women (61% vs. 37%; p < .001), White than Black participants (50% vs. 39%; p = .001), and rural than nonrural residents (53% vs. 46%; p = .005) had a smoking history. Logistic regression analysis revealed that the young age group (18-30) was less likely (p = .002), whereas the middle age group (31-50) was more likely (p < .001) to have a smoking history than those older than 50 years. Rural residence was associated with a smoking history among women (p < .001), but not among men (p = .70) in this sample.

Tobacco control efforts are needed to focus on middle-aged men in general and women with rural residence history.

Nurse practitioners are uniquely positioned to directly contribute to future research with self-identified rural populations that could help inform future public health policy.