Attitudes toward smoking cessation among men and women

Abstract

Recent reports indicate that women are less successful than men in their attempts to quit smoking. Sex differences in attitudes toward smoking cessation were examined cross-sectionally in a sample of 447 smokers randomly selected from employees of 10 diverse Minnesota worksites and interviewed in early 1984. No sex differences were found in the percentage of smokers who had tried to quit at least once in the past; indeed, over four of five respondents reported prior attempts to quit. Yet compared to women, men were more interested in quitting. Women were less likely than men to perceive the health benefits of quitting and expressed more concern about weight gain and job pressures related to quitting. No significant sex differences were found in prior use of formal cessation services, which had been used by about one-fourth of these respondents. Yet compared to men, women appeared to rely on informal sources of support, such as encouragement from co-workers. These findings underline the importance of intervention programs targeting women and suggest strategies that might enhance the effectiveness of such programs oriented toward women.

The gender gap in mortality: How much is explained by behavior?

“…Our estimates for ϵ suggest that men substitute more easily between healthy and unhealthy goods. This result is consistent with the observation that women struggle more in quitting smoking (see Sorensen and Pechacek, 1987, for a review). The estimates of the B's indicate that consumption of the unhealthy good has a larger impact on deficit accumulation of women compared to men.…”

Effects of Smoking Cessation on Body Composition in Postmenopausal Women

“…4,[7][8][9][10] Weight gain from smoking cessation not only has become a barrier to quitting but also increases the risk of relapse among female smokers. [11][12][13][14][15] Although the association between smoking cessation and weight gain is well established, it is not known if the effect is through increases in body fat, muscle, or both. The relationship between smoking and body fat is complex, with crosssectional studies showing that smokers have higher waist circumference (a measure of central adiposity) than nonsmokers and also lower body mass index (BMI) [16][17][18][19][20][21] and decreased overall body fat.…”

Weight change after smoking cessation using variable doses of transdermal nicotine replacement

“…1 The acceptance of this consequence of smoking cessation is widespread, and many smokers report fear of weight gain as a reason for continuing to smoke or for their relapse to smoking after achieving abstinence. [2][3][4] Although there is little direct evidence that postcessation weight gain is a serious cause of smoking relapse, 5 the fact that fear of weight gain is a potential barrier to the initiation of cessation attempts makes the development of methods to control postcessation weight gain an important area of research for the treatment of nicotine dependence.Postcessation weight gain is most likely influenced by changes in energy balance (caloric expenditure vs intake) that occur with smoking cessation. Klesges and coworkers have proposed a working model conceptualized as multiple variables moderating the energy balance equation, which in turn affects weight change.…”