Does gender affect response to a brief clinic-based smoking intervention?

Area of Science:

• Public Health
• Clinical Medicine
• Behavioral Science

Background:

• Existing reviews indicate minimal gender differences in smoking cessation success.
• However, the efficacy of brief interventions, common in routine care, across genders requires specific examination.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate gender-based differences in response to a primary care-based smoking cessation intervention.
• To analyze variations in smoking characteristics, intervention engagement, quitting behaviors, and cessation outcomes between male and female smokers.

Main Methods:

• Utilized data from a randomized controlled trial of a primary care smoking intervention (n=1,978).
• Examined gender differences in sociodemographic factors, smoking habits, intervention component use, quit attempts, and cessation success at 3 and 12 months.

Main Results:

• Despite demographic and smoking characteristic differences, men and women showed equal participation in intervention steps.
• Both genders reported similar rates of quit attempts and long-term cessation (3 and 12 months).
• No significant gender difference in relapse rates at 12 months was observed; women employed a wider range of cessation strategies.

Conclusions:

• The brief, nurse-assisted intervention demonstrated equal efficacy and acceptability for both male and female smokers.
• Widespread adoption of this intervention in medical settings is recommended for tobacco use reduction.
• Such programs may particularly benefit women due to their higher engagement with healthcare services.