E-Cigarette Quit Intention, Quit Attempt and Abstinence Among U.S. Adults

Area of Science:

• Public Health
• Behavioral Science
• Tobacco Control

Background:

• E-cigarette use is common in the U.S., but research on cessation behaviors is limited.
• Existing studies often focus only on interest in quitting, not the full cessation pathway.
• Understanding the sequence from intention to attempt to abstinence is key for effective interventions.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate the sequential associations between e-cigarette quit intention, quit attempts, and abstinence.
• To inform the development of targeted e-cigarette cessation interventions for U.S. adults.

Main Methods:

• Utilized restricted data from Waves 4-6 (2016-2021) of the Population Assessment of Tobacco and Health Study.
• Included 1,884 participants (weighted N=13,406,444) who were current e-cigarette users at Wave 4.
• Employed weighted generalized structural equation modeling to analyze sequential pathways.

Main Results:

• Higher quit intention at Wave 4 predicted a greater likelihood of a quit attempt at Wave 5 (OR = 1.23).
• Making a quit attempt at Wave 5 increased the likelihood of abstinence at Wave 6 (OR = 1.69).
• No significant direct association was found between quit intention at Wave 4 and abstinence at Wave 6.

Conclusions:

• This study is among the first to examine the e-cigarette cessation pathway using national data.
• Results highlight the importance of interventions targeting different cessation stages: intention, attempt, and maintenance.
• Tailored efforts are needed to initiate/enhance quit intention, promote/support quit attempts, and facilitate abstinence.