Dataset Information

Prevalence and correlates of receipt by smokers of general practitioner advice on smoking cessation in England: a cross-sectional survey of adults.

ABSTRACT:

Background and aims

Advice from a general practitioner (GP) can encourage smokers to quit. This study aimed to estimate the prevalence and correlates of receipt of GP advice on smoking, what type of advice and support was offered and characteristics and quitting activity associated with different types of advice.

Design/setting

Data were collected between 2016 and 2019 in a series of monthly cross-sectional surveys of representative samples of the adult population in England.

Participants

A total of 11 588 past-year smokers.

Measurements

Participants reported whether they had received advice or offer of support for smoking cessation from their GP in the last year. Socio-demographic and behavioural characteristics and past-year quit attempts and cessation were also recorded.

Findings

One in two [47.2%, 95% confidence interval (CI) = 46.1-48.3%] past-year smokers who reported visiting their GP in the last year recalled receiving advice on smoking, and one in three (30.1%, 95% CI = 29.1-31.1%) reported being offered cessation support. The most common form of support offered was stop smoking services (16.5%, 95% CI = 15.7-17.3%) followed by prescription medication (8.1%, 95% CI = 7.5-8.7%); 3.7% (95% CI = 3.3-4.1%) reported having been recommended to use e-cigarettes. Smokers who were older, non-white, more addicted, and smoked five or more cigarettes/day had consistently higher odds of receiving advice or support. There were some differences by region, housing tenure, presence of children in the home and high-risk drinking in the types of advice/support received. There were no significant differences by sex, occupational social grade, disability, type of cigarettes smoked, or survey year. Advice with any offer of support was associated with higher odds of attempting to quit than advice alone [adjusted odds ratio (OR_adj ) = 1.52, 95% CI = 1.30-1.76]. Advice alone was associated with higher odds of quit attempts than no advice in smokers with higher (OR_adj = 1.34, 95% CI = 1.10-1.64) but not lower occupational social grade (OR_adj = 0.90, 95% CI = 0.75-1.08).

Conclusions

In England, a minority of smokers receive support from their GP to stop smoking. Those who do are more likely to be older, non-white and more addicted to cigarettes. Advice plus offer of support appears to be associated with increased odds of making a quit attempt, while advice without offer of support appears only to be associated with increased odds of making a quit attempt in higher occupational social grade smokers.

SUBMITTER: Jackson SE

PROVIDER: S-EPMC8432152 | biostudies-literature |

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature

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Project description:IntroductionIndividuals with serious mental illness (SMI) smoke at rates two to three times greater than the general population but are less likely to receive treatment. Increasing our understanding of correlates of smoking cessation behaviors in this group can guide intervention development.Aims and methodsBaseline data from an ongoing trial involving smokers with SMI (N = 482) were used to describe smoking cessation behaviors (ie, quit attempts, quit motivation, and smoking cessation treatment) and correlates of these behaviors (ie, demographics, attitudinal and systems-related variables).ResultsForty-three percent of the sample did not report making a quit attempt in the last year, but 44% reported making one to six quit attempts; 43% and 20%, respectively, reported wanting to quit within the next 6 months or the next 30 days. Sixty-one percent used a smoking cessation medication during their quit attempt, while 13% utilized counseling. More quit attempts were associated with lower nicotine dependence and carbon monoxide and greater beliefs about the harms of smoking. Greater quit motivation was associated with lower carbon monoxide, minority race, benefits of cessation counseling, and importance of counseling within the clinic. A greater likelihood of using smoking cessation medications was associated with being female, smoking more cigarettes, and receiving smoking cessation advice. A greater likelihood of using smoking cessation counseling was associated with being male, greater academic achievement, and receiving smoking cessation advice.ConclusionsMany smokers with SMI are engaged in efforts to quit smoking. Measures of smoking cessation behavior are associated with tobacco use indicators, beliefs about smoking, race and gender, and receiving cessation advice.ImplicationsConsideration of factors related to cessation behaviors among smokers with SMI continues to be warranted, due to their high smoking rates compared to the general population. Increasing our understanding of these predictive characteristics can help promote higher engagement in evidence-based smoking cessation treatments among this subpopulation.

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