The 130th Annual Meeting of APHA

Abstract #43444

Yong Cui, MD¹, Cynthia J. Moriarty, MD, MSPH¹, Brenda Martin, RN², Faiza Rehman, MD¹, Jagjinvan Mehta, MD¹, and Robert S. Levine, MD¹. (1) Preventive Medicine, Meharry Medical College, 1005 DB Todd Blvd, Nashville, TN 37208, 615-778-2644, yongcui57@yahoo.com, (2) Preventive Medicine, Alvin C York VA Medical Center, 3400 Lebanon Rd, Murfreesboro, TN 37129

Currently, 34% of the 25.2 million veterans in the United States are smokers. In order to identify potential ways to improve outcomes, we evaluated a four-week, four-session, smoking cessation program that included 148 veterans who completed at least one session between August 1999 and May 2001. Baseline assessments included sociodemographic information, medical co-morbidity, the Fagerstrom nicotine dependence test, the Beck depression inventory, and the "Why I Smoke” questionnaire (craving, stress relief, relaxation, stimulation, habit and handling). Participants were followed at 6-months post-treatment. Overall 42/148 (28.4%) had remained tobacco free. The quit rates among participants who attended 1, 2, 3 and 4 sessions were 3/28 (10.7%), 3/15 (20%), 12/44 (27.3%) and 24/61 (39.3%), respectively, with significantly lower relapse rates in three-session (OR=0.23, 95% CI=0.07-0.73) or four-session attendees (OR=0.09, 95% CI=0.03-0.27). As compared with those who completed either three to four sessions, participants who completed either one or two sessions were more likely to have an annual income greater than $30,000 (p<0.05), history of cerebrovascular accident (p<0.05), and history of current divorce, no prior quit attempts, and Beck depression score of greater than 25 (all p<0.10). In addition, older smokers (>60 years old) had higher quit rates than younger smokers (<50 years old) (OR=0.21, 95% CI=0.07-0.62), and relapse was positively associated with nicotine dependence (OR=1.55, 95% CI=1.0-2.39), and use of cigarettes to reduce stress (OR=2.26, 95% CI=1.04-4.92). Future investigations should see whether community-based or other support programs might improve outcomes for participants with these characteristics.

Learning Objectives:

• At the conclusion of this session, attendees will gain insight into how to identify persons interested in smoking cessation who might need extra assistance to achieve a better outcome.

Keywords: Smoking Cessation, Veterans' Health

Presenting author's disclosure statement:
I do not have any significant financial interest/arrangement or affiliation with any organization/institution whose products or services are being discussed in this session.